Link sAUsage: 29 July 2016

News and notes from the Auburn corners of the Internet

SOFTBALL

What a run Kasey Cooper has had over the last few months. College World Series Finals, numerous highlights on  national TV, winning the Elite90 fan vote award, a finalist for the Softball Player of the Year, and now a gold medal winner with USA Softball at the World Championships.

FOOTBALL

We have the ability to do things that the beat writers can't... like write things that are off the wall, often make no sense, and are just all around goofy fun. So, I highly recommend you check out WarRoom Eagle's "Three Bone Chilling Questions for Auburn Football Before Fall Camp" if you haven't already.

The 2017 recruiting class is coming together nicely as Auburn picked up a commitment from 4* RB Devan Barrett, yesterday. Watch his highlight films. He's the type of back you dream of. No wasted movements, just let the hole develop and then use your speed to burst through it.

It's a bit ahead, but the 2018 ESPN rankings are out and Auburn QB commit Joey Gatewood is the 12th ranked player in the nation and #1 Dual-threat QB. Gatewood has been a strong recruiter for Auburn, too. It was reported by 247Sports that he even reached out to Devan Barrett after his commitment, yesterday.

Braden Smith is rated the SEC's most efficient pass blocking guard according to ProFootballFocus. Smith will be entering his junior, and surely final, season on the Plains this year hoping to dominate his way to a 1st round NFL draft choice.

Will a deeper defensive line improve for Auburn following 2015? Probably. It better, anyway. There is so much talent and depth at that position that it's hard to see the Tigers' DL not being the best we've seen in years.

More early opponent scouting! Now it's Vanderbilt, who will have a tough defense. Vandy made some strides last season under Derek Mason on the defensive side of the ball. If they'd had an offense, they might have been pretty good.

So after saying over and over that there's no way the College Football Playoff would move away from its planned New Year's Eve schedules... it is moving away from the New Year's Eve schedules. That will start in 2018. The only other CFB Playoff games to be played on NYE in the future are when that is the Friday federal holiday.

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