Dating back to his time at Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze always has plans to make the tight end a vital part of his offense.
Freeze produced Evan Engram, an NFL tight end for six years and counting, with the Rebels, and now in his first season at Auburn, has an experienced group he can use for the 2023 season.
Freeze grabbed Rivaldo Fairweather from Florida International in the transfer portal, but also has veterans in his tight end group in Tyler Fromm, Luke Deal and Brandon Frazier, all seniors.
Fromm, who is entering his fifth season with the Tigers, is now with his third head coach at Auburn and said he's "pretty much transferred like three times already to just stay in the same place," gave his outlook and expectations for his position group for the upcoming season.
"Honestly, just to ball out," Fromm said. "I want all the guys to just get after it on the field. I hope that we're a threat just as much as the receivers are... I'm excited about it for everybody."
Fairweather is the only newcomer among the tight end group but practiced with the team in the spring. Because of Fairweather's early entry to the program plus the three seniors spending at least four years together, Fromm felt the tight end group has bonded well through the spring and summer. Calling the tight end room the "tightest-knit group," Fromm said he thinks his group of guys will be "really fun to see in the fall."
As Fromm has been at Auburn since 2019, he's seen Auburn through the highs and lows. Because of that experience and witnessing how different coaches handle a program differently, Fromm is aiming to be a leader among the whole team.
"I always want to be the guy that people can look at and lean on... even if it's not a vocal thing, I still want people to see what I'm doing for the younger guys for them to look up to me and just see how I handle things and how I approach workouts, academics, practice and all that stuff. I want to be that guy for them," Fromm said.
One of the young guys Fromm often finds himself around is Micah Riley, a redshirt freshman in the tight end room. Rated as a 4-star out of high school according to the 247Sports composite rankings, Riley only played in four games in 2023, but Fromm has high expectations for him entering his second season on the Plains.
"He's gotten more comfortable just being a tight end and being in college football," Fromm said. "Every single practice and every rep he has he's always trying to figure out what he can do better, and he's always asking questions to figure that out. He's just really taken the student approach to the game, and he's gotten way better... so he's been really good. He's gonna be a threat, for sure."
Fromm and the rest of the tight end group begin the season in just under a month with Auburn's season opener set for Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m. CST against UMass. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Jacob Waters is a senior majoring in journalism. From Leeds, Alabama, he started with The Plainsman in August, 2021.
Twitter: @JacobWaters_
