Auburn TE Rivaldo Fairweather named to John Mackey Award watchlist
Auburn tight end Rivaldo Fairweather has been named to the John Mackey Award watchlist heading into the 2023 football season. He has yet to play a snap at Auburn, but is already seen as one of the best tight ends in the country due to what he accomplished before arriving at Auburn.
Fairweather, a transfer from FIU, was the first transfer portal addition for Auburn during the offseason.
Fairweather is a junior with two seasons to play at Auburn. He had 28 catches for 426 yards and three touchdowns this season. He had 54 catches for 838 yards and five touchdowns in his career at FIU.
Aigamaua on Fairweather
During the spring, tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua was excited to have a guy like Fairweather in his room.
“So I think the benefit is that the ceiling is still high,” Aigamaua said during spring practice. “He was a huge basketball player in high school down there in Florida and didn’t really start playing football until his junior year. He is an athletically gifted athlete, he can run. I think the ceiling is still high. The blocking schemes, the footwork, all of that comes with that. The techniques still need to get crisp in the things we do, but man he has been impressive out there.”
Aiagamaua believes that having a guy with Fairweather’s size and ability is a mismatch problem for any defender trying to cover him. Quarterbacks will be more comfortable knowing he is out there as well.
“You know, he brings the stretching the field aspect of it, he is running by folks out there,” Aigamaua said. “And to see that, he’s going to be a mismatch problem. In the passing game he has really good hands. He caught a dig route over the middle yesterday and it was—to have a big body like that come across the middle, it helps with our quarterback’s trust that he can make those catches.”
The Mackey Award
Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the Mackey Award is given annual to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey.
