Report: Auburn freshman Wilky Denaud arrested on larceny charges

Auburn freshman defensive lineman Wilky Denaud has been arrested, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. He is facing larceny charges as a result.

Denaud has since been released from custody, according to Auburn Undercover.

Denaud enrolled early at Auburn this past spring after arriving on campus as a three-star recruit. He played high school football at John Carroll (FL) High School and was the No. 407-ranked prospect in the nation from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Auburn is preparing to lift the curtain on the 2023 season Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET against UMass.

Hugh Freeze on Jarquez Hunter’s availability for Auburn vs. UMass: ‘I don’t discuss who’s playing and who’s not’

As Denaud’s status for the opener is up in the air, Auburn is also awaiting the status of Jarquez Hunter. He was suspended indefinitely earlier in the offseason when a video surfaced that allegedly showed Hunter engaging in sexual activities.

He returned to practice last month, though, and Freeze said it was “good to have him back” with the Tigers. However, he declined to say whether Hunter would play in the season opener against UMass.

“I don’t discuss who’s playing and who’s not. We hope everybody’s healthy enough to play. We’ve got a few that are on that list that maybe can go and maybe can’t, but I’m just not going to discuss who’s playing and who’s not,” Freeze said.

Hunter is one of the top players on the Auburn roster this season, coming in at No. 56 in On3’s Top 100 College Football Player in 2023 this week. Sitting behind Tank Bigsby on the roster in 2022, he totaled 668 yards and seven touchdowns, which ranked third on the team behind Bigsby and Robby Ashford.

At SEC Media Days this summer, Freeze publicly spoke about the situation for the first time and said he couldn’t comment at that time.

“I’m not allowed to comment on the university’s policies or procedures at this point,” he said.

Auburn’s statement announcing the suspensions was vague and didn’t specifically name any players. Before he took the podium, Freeze met with reporters in Nashville and when asked if any other players received a punishment, he again said he couldn’t comment on university policy.

“We are aware of the situation and take this matter very seriously,” the statement read. “The appropriate office are conducting a thorough review. Indefinite suspensions have been issued for violation of applicable Auburn Athletics department policy. No further comment will be provided at this time.”

On3’s Andrew Graham contributed to this report.