What we've heard as Auburn gears up for Week 1 at Baylor
Game week is finally upon us. Here's the latest on the Tigers' health and the early keys to watch for their Friday night trip to Waco.
AUBURN — After months and months of waiting following yet another losing season, Auburn football is just days away from getting its first shot at turning things around.
And what a first shot it should be.
Auburn opens the 2025 season on Friday night against Baylor, a potential Big 12 title contender that had a red-hot finish to 2024. This will be the Tigers’ first time opening the season with a power-conference opponent since 2020, the first time away from home since 2019 and the first time in a true road game since… 2002.
“We're excited,” Hugh Freeze said Monday afternoon. “It's finally here. Our kids are excited, and I know our fans are. Obviously still work to do, but excited at the end of this week it's not a scrimmage or a mock game or anything. It's really where you get tested.”
Auburn had one of those mock games last Friday night, where it simulated what it could get a week later at Baylor. The Tigers are currently slight road favorites over the Bears in Vegas — perhaps a belief that Auburn’s roster renovation under Freeze is finally going to get more on-field results in Year 3.
“I’m full of excitement with this team,” Freeze said. “I’ve been around enough to know when you have enough talent to win games — and we do, and we’re not going to run from that. We’re excited about it, and now we have to go prove that.”
Auburn hasn’t won a road game against a team that went on to finish above .500 since 2021, when the Tigers took down Arkansas before a late-season slide. A nationally televised Week 1 test won’t make or break a season, but it feels like a lot could hinge on how Auburn performs Friday night at Baylor.
On Monday afternoon, Freeze kicked off Baylor week with his main press conference. Here’s what we learned from that time as the Tigers gear up for the big trip, starting with the all-important availability report.
A rather clean injury report, headlined by a pair of starters
Auburn was fortunate not to experience a major injury during preseason camp. Baylor didn’t get that same luxury: Its No. 2 running back from 2024 (Dawson Pendergrass) has been ruled out for the season. Baylor freshman running back Michael Turner also won’t play in the opener, along with junior defensive back Carl Williams IV.
The biggest injury concern for Auburn heading into game week was transfer wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr., who suffered a “deep thigh bruise” after getting kneed by a teammate in practice less than two weeks ago. Singleton is expected to be Auburn’s starting slot receiver, as he is one of the most prolific returning wideouts in the nation.
“He looked good yesterday,” Freeze said. “I think he's close to being 100%. We'll continue to protect him a little bit and get him some conditioning. He'll be ready to give it a go, Lord willing, given that nothing else happens this week.”
Freeze went on to say that every player who hasn’t already been ruled out for the opener — like freshman cornerback Devin Williams, who is out for the season with a torn ACL — should be available against Baylor or, at the very least, “to give it a go.”
“We're pleased and thankful for that,” Freeze said.
The one other major health concern for the Baylor game is kicker Alex McPherson, who was limited to just one game last season due to a battle with ulcerative colitis. McPherson had his colon removed last December and has been limited throughout the preseason as the medical staff continued to monitor him.