Football News: 2-9-2026
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Dudley Dent
Feb 9, 2026, 8:10:28 AM (5 days ago) Feb 9
to Tiger Tracks
Auburn Football News: 2-9-2026
What are Alex Golesh’s goals for Auburn football this spring?:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2026/02/what-are-alex-goleshs-goals-for-auburn-football-this-spring.html
Byrum Brown led the entire country in touchdowns in 2025: Is he ready for the SEC stage?:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2026/02/byrum-brown-led-the-entire-country-in-touchdowns-in-2025-is-he-ready-for-the-sec-stage.html
Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/talking-auburn-basketball-jackson-koivun-and-auburn-softball-273674459/
Derick Hall equals Auburn’s previous Super Bowl sack total:
https://www.al.com/sports/2026/02/derick-hall-equals-auburns-previous-super-bowl-sack-total.html
Born dead, Auburn’s Derick Hall is a Super Bowl champion:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2026/02/goodman-born-dead-auburns-derick-hall-is-a-super-bowl-champion.html
Super Bowl LX: 11 state players earn NFL championship rings with Seahawks:
https://www.al.com/sports/2026/02/super-bowl-lx-11-state-players-earn-nfl-championship-rings-with-seahawks.html
What are Alex Golesh’s goals for Auburn football this spring?
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn is just more than a month away from hitting the practice field for the first time under new head coach Alex Golesh.
The roster is rebuilt and the coaching staff retooled, making spring camp an important time for installation and for the team to gelling. Part of that process starts now in winter workouts, but spring practice is the first chance to get on the field in pads.
When speaking to reporters earlier this week, Golesh described his goals for spring practice, which starts March 17 and concludes with A-Day on April 18.
“I would feel really confident if we left spring and we knew who our best 11 were, who our next best 11 are, who the other guys that can help us are,” he said. “And then give us the month of May, June, July, August, to schematically piece together an offense that will give us the best chance to go.”
Auburn added more transfers on offense than defense but 11 of those players come from USF. That means they enter spring practice already having experience in Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon’s offense.
Golesh said having that continuity helps speed up the installation process, which should make the spring easier.
“That, I would tell you, is absolutely priceless as you go in,” Golesh said. “That proof of concept that I think you would talk about, they’ve seen it.”
Spring will also be a chance for Auburn to figure out its strengths and weaknesses. While there’s continuity with the former USF players, it will be a different level of competition for them going from the AAC to the SEC.
“The spring is going to be huge for us to know what the heck are we actually good at? What are we not good at? And then build an offense around the personnel,” Golesh said. “What’s made our offense as good as it has been is that we’ve adjusted year to year.”
The offense will have to keep evolving to succeed in the SEC, but it already has a history of success. USF finished the 2025 season third nationally in total yards per game, an effort led by new Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown.
Brown’s starting center and many of his top receivers have followed as they look to take the first step toward the 2026 season this spring.
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Byrum Brown led the entire country in touchdowns in 2025: Is he ready for the SEC stage?
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn football quarterback Byrum Brown will spend his final year of his college eligibility in the SEC after following coach Alex Golesh from USF.
Brown led all FBS quarterbacks with 42 total touchdowns and 347.2 yards of offense per game in 2025. He completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,158 yards with 28 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,008 yards on the ground and 14 scores.
However, joining the SEC will present a different challenge when leading the Tigers this fall.
“[Byrum Brown] has been in these moments in a lot of ways. He’s had success in big-time moments and then has also failed in some big-time moments that he’s been able to grow from. But those are all things you talk through. You go back to previous experience, and you build confidence. That position — really any position — but that position, man, you can’t fake the confidence, because they’re split-second decisions you’re making," Golesh said last Wednesday. “But that’s a young man that chased this opportunity, in the sense that he wanted to play on the biggest stage, knowing that he’s an NFL player that felt like he needed one more year at the highest level to get to where he wanted to go in terms of draft stock.”
“For him, he knows he’ll be prepared for the moment,” Golesh added. “Anybody that’s spent a day with him here since he’s been here will tell you, ‘Man, he’s going to be ready for that moment.’ And that’s where his confidence will be at, in himself, knowing that he’s worked maybe as hard as anybody in the country.”
Brown finished 18–14 as a starter at USF, including a 9-3 mark in 2025 with wins over Boise State and Florida. He totaled 61 touchdowns with 19 interceptions during that span.
The Bulls offense ranked in the top 50 in yards per game in each of his three seasons under then-offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, who’s now at Auburn in that same role.
Gordon talked about having the opportunity to coach Brown at Auburn and elaborated how he was always going to be the guy the staff trusted to lead this year’s offense.
“What he’s been from Day 1: He’s been the same guy every single day. His process in terms of what he brings to the building as a worker -- whether it’s the weight room, whether it’s meeting about football, whether it’s on the field, whatever it is. He’s infectious. The coaches feel that energy, the players feel that energy,” Gordon said.
“There was never a doubt in our mind that there was going to be anybody else. He just got so much better and so much more confident on the field as we went,” Gordon added. “He’s tough as nails. He’s full of grit, he’s a great competitor. Man, Byrum Brown just kind of inspired that football program. He’s going to do the same thing here. We’re fired up to be together at another place -- and to be able to do it right here, I don’t think you could write it up any better.”
Auburn’s spring practices begin March 17, and the A-Day spring game will take place Saturday, April 18 where fans will get their first look at the Tigers’ new signal caller.
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Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column
By Jason Caldwell
Searching for consistency
Defense had been the calling card for the Auburn basketball Tigers for the last few weeks, but after a good start against Alabama the Tigers fell apart on that end in Saturday's loss at Neville Arena. With just over two minutes (2:04) left in the first half, Alabama knocked down a three-pointer to cut Auburn's lead to 36-29.
Over the next 13 minutes of game action, Alabama would score 42 points to take a 71-65 lead. When Aden Holloway made a shot in the paint with 2:20 remaining, that made 60 points for Alabama in just less than 20 minutes of game time. You're not going to be anyone giving up that many points in a 20-minute span. Just not going to happen.
Auburn's offense was really good even with Keyshawn Hall not having his best day. You should never lose a game when you score 92 points in regulation. Just shouldn't happen, but's the second time it has happened already this season in conference play. Earlier in the year the Tigers lost in OT at Georgia after scoring 92 in regulation.
Now Auburn has back-to-back games against teams that can really score, Tuesday night at home against Vanderbilt and Saturday at Arkansas. If the Tigers want to get a victory or two this week, it's going to be the defense that has to set the tone.
A legend in the making
Not sure what else Jackson Koivun can do at this point. He's the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world. He's led Auburn to a national championship and also earned player of the year honors. The only thing left is to do all those things again and firmly establish himself as one of the top collegiate golfers of all time.
No matter what happens the rest of this season, Koivun has already done that in a lot of people's eyes because of just being back to play another year. He has already earned his PGA Tour card, but decided he wanted to return for his junior year at Auburn to finish his degree and chase another championship.
In this era of chasing money, Koivun decided to chase history instead. He's not hurting for money, but college golf isn't anything like football and basketball. He's not making millions of dollars to stay and play golf at Auburn. It would have been easy to go chase everything the PGA Tour has to offer, but he didn't do that.
Over the weekend he made a little more history when Auburn won its tournament in Hawaii. Koivun shot back-to-back rounds of 62 (-10) to start the tournament, which broke a scoring record held by Tiger Woods while at Stanford.
As humble as he is talented, Koivun is easy to root for and hopefully Auburn fans will get a chance to see him a lot more as the Tigers get ready for a busy spring.
Successful opening weekend
It could have been better, but it could have been a whole lot worse for the Auburn softball team on the opening weekend. The Tigers went 4-2 overall after a disastrous opening game loss to North Florida, including a huge win over No. 9 Clemson. This is a roster with a bunch of new faces but early on it looks like this team is going to be able to score runs. In six games they scored 42 runs and had a batting average of .335. The other side of the coin is a pitching staff (and defensive miscues) that led to giving up 41 runs. It's always tough to come out of the gate and be sharp defensively, but 17 errors in six games isn't even close to being good enough to compete in the Southeastern Conference. That's the biggest issue for this as it heads into week two.
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Derick Hall equals Auburn’s previous Super Bowl sack total
By Mark Inabinett
al.com
In the first quarter on Sunday, Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Derick Hall became the third Auburn alumnus to record a sack in the Super Bowl.
In the third quarter, Hall became the first former Auburn player to record two sacks in the Super Bowl and to register a forced fumble.
Hall strip-sacked New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye with 10 seconds left in the third quarter, and teammate Byron Murphy recovered the loose football at the New England 37-yard line.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2020684965231685910
The turnout set up the first touchdown of Super Bowl LX as Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner as Seattle took a 19-0 lead with 13:24 left to play.
Hall entered Sunday’s game with two sacks in 16 games this season. Hall recorded the 40th instance of a player with two-or-more sacks in the 60-game history of the Super Bowl.
When Hall sacked Maye for a 10-yard loss on a first-and-10 snap from the Seattle 45-yard line with 8:51 left in the first quarter to derail the Patriots’ opening drive, he became the third former Auburn player to register a sack in the Super Bowl.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/2020647392132104584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2020647392132104584%7Ctwgr%5E719e645e293ca6dd26463ccf0a62f0aec5b93d48%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fsports%2F2026%2F02%2Fderick-hall-equals-auburns-previous-super-bowl-sack-total.html
The first two: Patriots defensive end Ben Thomas sacked Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon in a 48-10 loss in Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986, and Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones sacked Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff in a 13-3 victory in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019.
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Born dead, Auburn’s Derick Hall is a Super Bowl champion
By Joseph Goodman
al.com
Derick Hall is a Super Bowl champion, and that’s quite the story.
In fact, I don’t think there’s a better story in sports in a long time, or maybe ever. I got goosebumps on the back of my neck just thinking about it.
Hall is a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. He was a great player for Auburn back when guys actually stuck around at the same school for four years. When he was a baby, doctors didn’t think Hall would amount to much. Now, that’s terrible to think about, but Hall was born dead.
No one thought he had a chance except for his mom, but Stacy Gooden-Crandle wouldn’t let the hospital take her baby boy off of life support.
Doctors gave him a one-percent chance of living through the night. One percent.
It’s a miracle that he even left the hospital alive, and now Hall is leaving San Francisco as a Super Bowl champion. How does that happen?
Love is how that happens. That’s it. Plain and simple.
With Hall, the power of love was on full display in Super Bowl LX, and maybe there’s something to learn from his unlikely path to the mountaintop of the NFL.
Never give up hope. It’s OK to believe when others do not.
Hall had two sacks all season for Seattle. In the Seahawks’ dominant 29-13 victory against the New England Patriots, he matched that total and the second quarterback takedown caused the fumble that clinched the Super Bowl.
It’s tough to make it to the NFL. Only about 1.6 percent of college players do it. And Hall even had to play for former Auburn coach Bryan Harsin.
What are the odds?
I’m not good at math, but trust me when I say Hall’s chances of winning a Super Bowl were astronomically smaller than me suddenly turning into a donkey with wings.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was an NFL Draft bust, and now he’s a Super Bowl champion quarterback. That’s an incredible example of perseverance. Hall’s road is something else entirely.
He was dead at birth, born without a heartbeat. They resuscitated him, but the outlook was bleak. Hall was born four months premature in Gulfport, Mississippi. If he even survived the night, thought the staff at the hospital, then Hall would be living in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
Someone had a different plan.
Hall’s mom put her hands together and prayed. She put her trust in God and the power of modern-day medicine.
When you stack miracles on top of miracles on top of miracles, what do you got? The answer is humanity.
For all of our faults, we really can be something special. Maybe not me, the flying donkey, but someone like Hall.
And there are a lot of miracle babies out there when you start to think about it.
When Hall isn’t playing football, he likes to fish, play golf and ride around in his big trucks. That sounds like pretty much everyone I’ve ever known.
Hall went to Auburn over other schools because he loved coach Gus Malzahn. When Hall stepped on the practice field for the first time, coaches matched him against big ol’ Derrick Brown for a blocking drill. That was a long day. When it was over, Auburn’s defensive coaches knew they had something special.
Hall just never stopped getting up. He never stopped fighting.
Well, yeah, he was born at 23 weeks and lived. He weighed little more than two pounds at birth, didn’t have a heartbeat and was then on a ventilator in the Gulfport NICU for five months before going home. Tough isn’t the word.
Oh, and I didn’t even mention Hall’s asthma. That’s a whole different story altogether. Some days as a kid, he couldn’t even breath on his own. Back to the hospital he would go.
Hall finished his four-year career on the Plains with 19.5 sacks. The Seahawks drafted him in the second round. Miracles on top of miracles.
I get it. Some days it’s hard just getting out of bed. Some days are cold and some nights are black.
But the sun shines, too, and every day there’s a greater light.
Think you got it rough? Think you’ve been dealt a bad hand? As long as that heart is beating, I’d like to think there’s a little miracle in all of us.
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Super Bowl LX: 11 state players earn NFL championship rings with Seahawks
By Mark Inabinett
al.com
The Seattle Seahawks sacked New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times in Super Bowl LX on Sunday to win the NFL’s championship game for the 2025 season 29-13.
The toughest defense to score against during the regular season, Seattle forced New England to punt on its first eight full possessions of the game before coming up with three takeaways in the final 15:10 – one that set up the game’s first touchdown, one that led to a field goal and one that was returned for a touchdown.
While the Patriots were punting, Seattle got a Super Bowl-record five field goals from Josh Myers.
Former Auburn linebacker Derick Hall had two sacks during the regular season for Seattle before recording two in Super LX.
On his second sack, Hall caused Maye to fumble, and the Seahawks recovered at the New England 37-yard line. Seattle cashed in the strip-sack for the game’s first touchdown – a 16-yard toss from quarterback Sam Darnold to tight end AJ Barner as the Seahawks took a 19-0 lead with 13:34 to play.
After New England scored its first points on a 35-yard pass from Maye to wide receiver Mack Hollins with 12:27 remaining, Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon hit Maye as he passed, and outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu picked the football out of the air in the backfield and ran 45 yards for a touchdown as the Seahawks went up 29-7 with 4:27 left.
With only 10 of the 30 third-down snaps converted into first downs, the game featured 15 punts. With 335 yards, the Seattle offense outgained New England’s by only 4 yards and scored one fewer touchdown. But while the Seahawks did not have a turnover, the Patriots lost two interceptions and one fumble.
Seattle running back Kenneth Walker gained 135 yards on 27 carries. Walker won the Pete Rozelle Trophy as Super Bowl LX’s Most Valuable Player.
Darnold completed 19-of-38 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Darnold was sacked once. Maye completed 27-of-43 passes for 295 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
In addition to Hall, nine other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California:
Christian Barmore (Alabama) started at defensive tackle for the Patriots. Barmore made three tackles.
Carlton Davis (Auburn) started at cornerback for the Patriots. Davis made six tackles.
Patriots tight end CJ Dippre (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Seahawks safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville, Alabama) started at linebacker for the Patriots. Jennings made six tackles, recorded one tackle for loss, registered one quarterback hit and broke up one pass.
Josh Jobe (Alabama) started at cornerback for the Seahawks. Jobe made seven tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up one pass.
Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) made seven tackles and returned two punts for 4 yards. Jones lost a 19-yard punt return to a penalty.
Seahawks running back Velus Jones (Saraland) did not record any stats. Seattle elevated Jones from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.
Seahawks offensive tackle Amari Kight (Thompson, Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Jalen Milroe (Alabama) was designated as the Seahawks’ emergency third quarterback. Milroe could play only if Sam Darnold and Drew Lock could not.
Seahawks fullback Robbie Ouzts (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive. A neck injury kept Ouzts off the field.
Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) made one tackle on defense and one tackle on special teams.
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson, Auburn) did not record any stats.
Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed (Alabama) made two tackles.
Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Seahawks nose tackle Bubba Thomas (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Patriots wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Each Super Bowl team had a 14-3 regular-season record. As the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, New England needed to win three games to reach the NFL championship game. Seattle got a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs as the No. 1 seed in that conference.
Appearing in the Super Bowl for the fourth time, the Seahawks earned their second victory. Seattle also won the NFL championship for the 2013 season.
Appearing in the Super Bowl for the 12th time, the Patriots remain tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most wins in the big game with six. New England won the NFL championships for the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
What are Alex Golesh’s goals for Auburn football this spring?:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2026/02/what-are-alex-goleshs-goals-for-auburn-football-this-spring.html
Byrum Brown led the entire country in touchdowns in 2025: Is he ready for the SEC stage?:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2026/02/byrum-brown-led-the-entire-country-in-touchdowns-in-2025-is-he-ready-for-the-sec-stage.html
Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/talking-auburn-basketball-jackson-koivun-and-auburn-softball-273674459/
Derick Hall equals Auburn’s previous Super Bowl sack total:
https://www.al.com/sports/2026/02/derick-hall-equals-auburns-previous-super-bowl-sack-total.html
Born dead, Auburn’s Derick Hall is a Super Bowl champion:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2026/02/goodman-born-dead-auburns-derick-hall-is-a-super-bowl-champion.html
Super Bowl LX: 11 state players earn NFL championship rings with Seahawks:
https://www.al.com/sports/2026/02/super-bowl-lx-11-state-players-earn-nfl-championship-rings-with-seahawks.html
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By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn is just more than a month away from hitting the practice field for the first time under new head coach Alex Golesh.
The roster is rebuilt and the coaching staff retooled, making spring camp an important time for installation and for the team to gelling. Part of that process starts now in winter workouts, but spring practice is the first chance to get on the field in pads.
When speaking to reporters earlier this week, Golesh described his goals for spring practice, which starts March 17 and concludes with A-Day on April 18.
“I would feel really confident if we left spring and we knew who our best 11 were, who our next best 11 are, who the other guys that can help us are,” he said. “And then give us the month of May, June, July, August, to schematically piece together an offense that will give us the best chance to go.”
Auburn added more transfers on offense than defense but 11 of those players come from USF. That means they enter spring practice already having experience in Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon’s offense.
Golesh said having that continuity helps speed up the installation process, which should make the spring easier.
“That, I would tell you, is absolutely priceless as you go in,” Golesh said. “That proof of concept that I think you would talk about, they’ve seen it.”
Spring will also be a chance for Auburn to figure out its strengths and weaknesses. While there’s continuity with the former USF players, it will be a different level of competition for them going from the AAC to the SEC.
“The spring is going to be huge for us to know what the heck are we actually good at? What are we not good at? And then build an offense around the personnel,” Golesh said. “What’s made our offense as good as it has been is that we’ve adjusted year to year.”
The offense will have to keep evolving to succeed in the SEC, but it already has a history of success. USF finished the 2025 season third nationally in total yards per game, an effort led by new Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown.
Brown’s starting center and many of his top receivers have followed as they look to take the first step toward the 2026 season this spring.
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Byrum Brown led the entire country in touchdowns in 2025: Is he ready for the SEC stage?
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn football quarterback Byrum Brown will spend his final year of his college eligibility in the SEC after following coach Alex Golesh from USF.
Brown led all FBS quarterbacks with 42 total touchdowns and 347.2 yards of offense per game in 2025. He completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,158 yards with 28 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,008 yards on the ground and 14 scores.
However, joining the SEC will present a different challenge when leading the Tigers this fall.
“[Byrum Brown] has been in these moments in a lot of ways. He’s had success in big-time moments and then has also failed in some big-time moments that he’s been able to grow from. But those are all things you talk through. You go back to previous experience, and you build confidence. That position — really any position — but that position, man, you can’t fake the confidence, because they’re split-second decisions you’re making," Golesh said last Wednesday. “But that’s a young man that chased this opportunity, in the sense that he wanted to play on the biggest stage, knowing that he’s an NFL player that felt like he needed one more year at the highest level to get to where he wanted to go in terms of draft stock.”
“For him, he knows he’ll be prepared for the moment,” Golesh added. “Anybody that’s spent a day with him here since he’s been here will tell you, ‘Man, he’s going to be ready for that moment.’ And that’s where his confidence will be at, in himself, knowing that he’s worked maybe as hard as anybody in the country.”
Brown finished 18–14 as a starter at USF, including a 9-3 mark in 2025 with wins over Boise State and Florida. He totaled 61 touchdowns with 19 interceptions during that span.
The Bulls offense ranked in the top 50 in yards per game in each of his three seasons under then-offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, who’s now at Auburn in that same role.
Gordon talked about having the opportunity to coach Brown at Auburn and elaborated how he was always going to be the guy the staff trusted to lead this year’s offense.
“What he’s been from Day 1: He’s been the same guy every single day. His process in terms of what he brings to the building as a worker -- whether it’s the weight room, whether it’s meeting about football, whether it’s on the field, whatever it is. He’s infectious. The coaches feel that energy, the players feel that energy,” Gordon said.
“There was never a doubt in our mind that there was going to be anybody else. He just got so much better and so much more confident on the field as we went,” Gordon added. “He’s tough as nails. He’s full of grit, he’s a great competitor. Man, Byrum Brown just kind of inspired that football program. He’s going to do the same thing here. We’re fired up to be together at another place -- and to be able to do it right here, I don’t think you could write it up any better.”
Auburn’s spring practices begin March 17, and the A-Day spring game will take place Saturday, April 18 where fans will get their first look at the Tigers’ new signal caller.
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Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column
By Jason Caldwell
Searching for consistency
Defense had been the calling card for the Auburn basketball Tigers for the last few weeks, but after a good start against Alabama the Tigers fell apart on that end in Saturday's loss at Neville Arena. With just over two minutes (2:04) left in the first half, Alabama knocked down a three-pointer to cut Auburn's lead to 36-29.
Over the next 13 minutes of game action, Alabama would score 42 points to take a 71-65 lead. When Aden Holloway made a shot in the paint with 2:20 remaining, that made 60 points for Alabama in just less than 20 minutes of game time. You're not going to be anyone giving up that many points in a 20-minute span. Just not going to happen.
Auburn's offense was really good even with Keyshawn Hall not having his best day. You should never lose a game when you score 92 points in regulation. Just shouldn't happen, but's the second time it has happened already this season in conference play. Earlier in the year the Tigers lost in OT at Georgia after scoring 92 in regulation.
Now Auburn has back-to-back games against teams that can really score, Tuesday night at home against Vanderbilt and Saturday at Arkansas. If the Tigers want to get a victory or two this week, it's going to be the defense that has to set the tone.
A legend in the making
Not sure what else Jackson Koivun can do at this point. He's the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world. He's led Auburn to a national championship and also earned player of the year honors. The only thing left is to do all those things again and firmly establish himself as one of the top collegiate golfers of all time.
No matter what happens the rest of this season, Koivun has already done that in a lot of people's eyes because of just being back to play another year. He has already earned his PGA Tour card, but decided he wanted to return for his junior year at Auburn to finish his degree and chase another championship.
In this era of chasing money, Koivun decided to chase history instead. He's not hurting for money, but college golf isn't anything like football and basketball. He's not making millions of dollars to stay and play golf at Auburn. It would have been easy to go chase everything the PGA Tour has to offer, but he didn't do that.
Over the weekend he made a little more history when Auburn won its tournament in Hawaii. Koivun shot back-to-back rounds of 62 (-10) to start the tournament, which broke a scoring record held by Tiger Woods while at Stanford.
As humble as he is talented, Koivun is easy to root for and hopefully Auburn fans will get a chance to see him a lot more as the Tigers get ready for a busy spring.
Successful opening weekend
It could have been better, but it could have been a whole lot worse for the Auburn softball team on the opening weekend. The Tigers went 4-2 overall after a disastrous opening game loss to North Florida, including a huge win over No. 9 Clemson. This is a roster with a bunch of new faces but early on it looks like this team is going to be able to score runs. In six games they scored 42 runs and had a batting average of .335. The other side of the coin is a pitching staff (and defensive miscues) that led to giving up 41 runs. It's always tough to come out of the gate and be sharp defensively, but 17 errors in six games isn't even close to being good enough to compete in the Southeastern Conference. That's the biggest issue for this as it heads into week two.
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Derick Hall equals Auburn’s previous Super Bowl sack total
By Mark Inabinett
al.com
In the first quarter on Sunday, Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Derick Hall became the third Auburn alumnus to record a sack in the Super Bowl.
In the third quarter, Hall became the first former Auburn player to record two sacks in the Super Bowl and to register a forced fumble.
Hall strip-sacked New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye with 10 seconds left in the third quarter, and teammate Byron Murphy recovered the loose football at the New England 37-yard line.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2020684965231685910
The turnout set up the first touchdown of Super Bowl LX as Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner as Seattle took a 19-0 lead with 13:24 left to play.
Hall entered Sunday’s game with two sacks in 16 games this season. Hall recorded the 40th instance of a player with two-or-more sacks in the 60-game history of the Super Bowl.
When Hall sacked Maye for a 10-yard loss on a first-and-10 snap from the Seattle 45-yard line with 8:51 left in the first quarter to derail the Patriots’ opening drive, he became the third former Auburn player to register a sack in the Super Bowl.
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The first two: Patriots defensive end Ben Thomas sacked Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon in a 48-10 loss in Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986, and Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones sacked Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff in a 13-3 victory in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019.
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Born dead, Auburn’s Derick Hall is a Super Bowl champion
By Joseph Goodman
al.com
Derick Hall is a Super Bowl champion, and that’s quite the story.
In fact, I don’t think there’s a better story in sports in a long time, or maybe ever. I got goosebumps on the back of my neck just thinking about it.
Hall is a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. He was a great player for Auburn back when guys actually stuck around at the same school for four years. When he was a baby, doctors didn’t think Hall would amount to much. Now, that’s terrible to think about, but Hall was born dead.
No one thought he had a chance except for his mom, but Stacy Gooden-Crandle wouldn’t let the hospital take her baby boy off of life support.
Doctors gave him a one-percent chance of living through the night. One percent.
It’s a miracle that he even left the hospital alive, and now Hall is leaving San Francisco as a Super Bowl champion. How does that happen?
Love is how that happens. That’s it. Plain and simple.
With Hall, the power of love was on full display in Super Bowl LX, and maybe there’s something to learn from his unlikely path to the mountaintop of the NFL.
Never give up hope. It’s OK to believe when others do not.
Hall had two sacks all season for Seattle. In the Seahawks’ dominant 29-13 victory against the New England Patriots, he matched that total and the second quarterback takedown caused the fumble that clinched the Super Bowl.
It’s tough to make it to the NFL. Only about 1.6 percent of college players do it. And Hall even had to play for former Auburn coach Bryan Harsin.
What are the odds?
I’m not good at math, but trust me when I say Hall’s chances of winning a Super Bowl were astronomically smaller than me suddenly turning into a donkey with wings.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was an NFL Draft bust, and now he’s a Super Bowl champion quarterback. That’s an incredible example of perseverance. Hall’s road is something else entirely.
He was dead at birth, born without a heartbeat. They resuscitated him, but the outlook was bleak. Hall was born four months premature in Gulfport, Mississippi. If he even survived the night, thought the staff at the hospital, then Hall would be living in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
Someone had a different plan.
Hall’s mom put her hands together and prayed. She put her trust in God and the power of modern-day medicine.
When you stack miracles on top of miracles on top of miracles, what do you got? The answer is humanity.
For all of our faults, we really can be something special. Maybe not me, the flying donkey, but someone like Hall.
And there are a lot of miracle babies out there when you start to think about it.
When Hall isn’t playing football, he likes to fish, play golf and ride around in his big trucks. That sounds like pretty much everyone I’ve ever known.
Hall went to Auburn over other schools because he loved coach Gus Malzahn. When Hall stepped on the practice field for the first time, coaches matched him against big ol’ Derrick Brown for a blocking drill. That was a long day. When it was over, Auburn’s defensive coaches knew they had something special.
Hall just never stopped getting up. He never stopped fighting.
Well, yeah, he was born at 23 weeks and lived. He weighed little more than two pounds at birth, didn’t have a heartbeat and was then on a ventilator in the Gulfport NICU for five months before going home. Tough isn’t the word.
Oh, and I didn’t even mention Hall’s asthma. That’s a whole different story altogether. Some days as a kid, he couldn’t even breath on his own. Back to the hospital he would go.
Hall finished his four-year career on the Plains with 19.5 sacks. The Seahawks drafted him in the second round. Miracles on top of miracles.
I get it. Some days it’s hard just getting out of bed. Some days are cold and some nights are black.
But the sun shines, too, and every day there’s a greater light.
Think you got it rough? Think you’ve been dealt a bad hand? As long as that heart is beating, I’d like to think there’s a little miracle in all of us.
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Super Bowl LX: 11 state players earn NFL championship rings with Seahawks
By Mark Inabinett
al.com
The Seattle Seahawks sacked New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times in Super Bowl LX on Sunday to win the NFL’s championship game for the 2025 season 29-13.
The toughest defense to score against during the regular season, Seattle forced New England to punt on its first eight full possessions of the game before coming up with three takeaways in the final 15:10 – one that set up the game’s first touchdown, one that led to a field goal and one that was returned for a touchdown.
While the Patriots were punting, Seattle got a Super Bowl-record five field goals from Josh Myers.
Former Auburn linebacker Derick Hall had two sacks during the regular season for Seattle before recording two in Super LX.
On his second sack, Hall caused Maye to fumble, and the Seahawks recovered at the New England 37-yard line. Seattle cashed in the strip-sack for the game’s first touchdown – a 16-yard toss from quarterback Sam Darnold to tight end AJ Barner as the Seahawks took a 19-0 lead with 13:34 to play.
After New England scored its first points on a 35-yard pass from Maye to wide receiver Mack Hollins with 12:27 remaining, Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon hit Maye as he passed, and outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu picked the football out of the air in the backfield and ran 45 yards for a touchdown as the Seahawks went up 29-7 with 4:27 left.
With only 10 of the 30 third-down snaps converted into first downs, the game featured 15 punts. With 335 yards, the Seattle offense outgained New England’s by only 4 yards and scored one fewer touchdown. But while the Seahawks did not have a turnover, the Patriots lost two interceptions and one fumble.
Seattle running back Kenneth Walker gained 135 yards on 27 carries. Walker won the Pete Rozelle Trophy as Super Bowl LX’s Most Valuable Player.
Darnold completed 19-of-38 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Darnold was sacked once. Maye completed 27-of-43 passes for 295 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
In addition to Hall, nine other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California:
Christian Barmore (Alabama) started at defensive tackle for the Patriots. Barmore made three tackles.
Carlton Davis (Auburn) started at cornerback for the Patriots. Davis made six tackles.
Patriots tight end CJ Dippre (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Seahawks safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville, Alabama) started at linebacker for the Patriots. Jennings made six tackles, recorded one tackle for loss, registered one quarterback hit and broke up one pass.
Josh Jobe (Alabama) started at cornerback for the Seahawks. Jobe made seven tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up one pass.
Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) made seven tackles and returned two punts for 4 yards. Jones lost a 19-yard punt return to a penalty.
Seahawks running back Velus Jones (Saraland) did not record any stats. Seattle elevated Jones from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.
Seahawks offensive tackle Amari Kight (Thompson, Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Jalen Milroe (Alabama) was designated as the Seahawks’ emergency third quarterback. Milroe could play only if Sam Darnold and Drew Lock could not.
Seahawks fullback Robbie Ouzts (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive. A neck injury kept Ouzts off the field.
Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) made one tackle on defense and one tackle on special teams.
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson, Auburn) did not record any stats.
Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed (Alabama) made two tackles.
Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Seahawks nose tackle Bubba Thomas (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Patriots wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Each Super Bowl team had a 14-3 regular-season record. As the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, New England needed to win three games to reach the NFL championship game. Seattle got a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs as the No. 1 seed in that conference.
Appearing in the Super Bowl for the fourth time, the Seahawks earned their second victory. Seattle also won the NFL championship for the 2013 season.
Appearing in the Super Bowl for the 12th time, the Patriots remain tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most wins in the big game with six. New England won the NFL championships for the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
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