On Tuesday, Aug. 29, Auburn announced its four captains for the 2023 football season. Kam Stutts, Elijah McAllister and Luke Deal are all seniors, concluding their collegiate careers as captains. Finishing the four is junior quarterback, Payton Throne. The announcement of this season's leaders was posted via social media.
When selecting captains for the season, Auburn left it up to the team to vote for who they want to lead. The announcement video featured running back coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams reminiscing on his time as a team captain and what that means to him and to the team.
“There's nothing more special than that. I mean it's two decades later, man, and I still got a brick out there in Jordan-Hare of being a team captain,” Williams said. “It never leaves you.”
Stutts, an offensive lineman from Killen, Alabama, committed to Auburn back in 2017. Stutts has spent his entire college career with Auburn and was one of the five Tigers voted to the 2023 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team on Aug. 22.
“It's an honor, War Eagle,” Stutts commented on social media.
McAllister, an edge transfer from Vanderbilt, is set to begin his Auburn career this weekend. McAllister comes to the Plains with 38 solo tackles, 27 assists and 2.5 sacks.
Not only did McAllister’s preseason with the Tigers prove successful given his most recent captain position, his passion for the community earned him a spot on the Wuerffel Trophy watchlist for 2023. This award is given to a player who represents his team not only on the field but also with community service and in the classroom.
“I want to get all the infinity stones I can in life,” McCallister said in a preseason interview. “The end goal is to elevate who I am as a person, emotionally, physically, spiritually in all facets of life.”
A tight end, Deal rounds out the senior captains with his experience in earning the Tigers 110 yards receiving in his first four years. Deal started at Auburn in 2019, but his journey with the Tigers has been far from easy.
Deal came into Auburn prepared to make his mark, but suffered an ACL tear at his first practice as a Tiger. After a brief recovery period, Deal continued to fight for progress on the Plains. Alongside co-captain Stutts, Deal was also selected for the 2023 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team.
Thorne, a transfer from Michigan State, was the only junior amongst this season's captains. During his time as a Spartan, Thorne earned over 6,000 yards passing, 167 yards rushing and 55 touchdowns. Thorne also secured himself a spot on the Golden Arm Award watchlist during his preseason run with the Tigers.
Both McAllister and Thorne were part of Freeze’s top-five transfer portal recruiting ranking and have yet to play a game for the Tigers. In contrast, both Deal and Stutts have been at Auburn since the start of their college careers.
As Saturday swiftly approaches, the captains and head coach Hugh Freeze are set to lead the team for the first time this season. Though the outcome of the game is unknown, these four captains hope to lead the Tigers to a win.
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