Unlike in years past, when Auburn football head coaches and their player representatives made the two-hour jog to Birmingham for SEC Media Days, Hugh Freeze and the Tigers’ player representatives are set to arrive at Music City Tuesday for their turn with media members at Nashville’s Grand Hyatt.

Alongside Freeze will be three Auburn veterans in tight end Luke Deal, Jack linebacker Elijah McAllister and offensive lineman Kam Stutts.

Here’s an early look at what might be thrown at Freeze and his entourage and what we might learn in return.

Hugh Freeze

When head coaches take the podium at SEC Media Days, they generally start with an opening statement. What that opening statement looks like in terms of length is up to them and whoever helps them prepare it.

Last year, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea had the longest opening statement in league, coming in at 2,340 words. Meanwhile, the late Mike Leach, who was at the helm of Mississippi State, said all of seven words ahead of fielding questions.

When Auburn’s Hugh Freeze takes center stage of the media room Tuesday afternoon, don’t be shocked if he takes an approach closer to Lea’s.

Why? The longer Freeze speaks, the fewer questions he’ll have to take.

And that’s not to say Freeze doesn’t want to take questions about what’s ahead for Auburn football, surely he does. But one of the main narratives likely to run through this year’s SEC Media Days with Freeze’s return to the league is the controversies of his past.

It’s likely Freeze also gets asked about running back Jarquez Hunter’s availability. In May, news surfaced that Hunter might be suspended after a sex tape, allegedly involving Hunter, surfaced on social media.

When all is said and done, don’t expect to have learned anything earth-shattering from Freeze this week.

Instead, be prepared to hear about the rebuild he and his staff have on The Plains and how Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Luke Deal

Auburn senior tight end Luke Deal comes to Nashville as the lone offensive skill player representing the Tigers, which means he’s likely going to be the one to field a bunch of questions regarding the Robby Ashford-Payton Thorne quarterback battle.

Considering Thorne announced his transfer to Auburn in May, the former Michigan State starter hasn’t gone through a full camp at Auburn and won’t until fall camp starts later this month. That being said, the quarterback battle at Auburn is likely just that – a battle. Deal will probably tell the media that both Ashford and Thorne are working hard and getting ready for a competitive fall.

Aside from quarterback questions, expect Deal to be asked what the marriage of Freeze’s offensive mind and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery looks like.

Again, considering we have no idea who will start between Ashford and Thorne – two guys with very different skillsets – it’s probably still unclear exactly what offensive scheme Auburn will attack with in the fall. However, if anyone will be asked to provide insight, it’s likely to be Deal.

Some low-hanging fruit Deal might address is what he’s seen out of transfer tight end Rivaldo Fairweather and how the Auburn offensive line, which brought in five transfers, is coming together.

Elijah McAllister

Bringing Jack linebacker Elijah McAllister to Nashville was an interesting choice for the Tigers considering the grad transfer from Vanderbilt has yet to play a down in an Auburn uniform. Maybe he just really missed the sights (and smells) of Broadway. But that’s unlikely.

Instead, it’s likely McAllister got the nod because he’s a seasoned guy who is bound to take on a leadership role among the defense this fall.

Like its offensive counterpart, the Auburn defense is poised to look very different in 2023. Not only in terms of personnel, but scheme, too.

With former Baylor defensive coordinator Ron Roberts taking on the same role at Auburn, the Tigers won’t use your typical edge rusher. Instead, Roberts and Auburn are set to unveil a different defensive approach, which features a ‘Jack linebacker’.

While we have an idea, which is that the Jack linebacker is a multi-dimensional position that’ll be asked to get after the quarterback and drop back in coverage, McAllister will be the one to address what exactly that looks like.

In addition to that McAllister will be asked about Auburn’s additions on the defense and perhaps his thoughts on true freshman Jack linebacker Keldric Faulk, who was the gem of Auburn’s most recent recruiting class.

Kam Stutts

Auburn senior offensive lineman Kam Stutts joins Deal as another offensive player representing the Tigers at Media Days this year.

Stutts is likely to field a lot of the same questions as Deal. What’s the quarterback situation look like? How does a Freeze-Montgomery offense run?

But more than anything, expect Stutts to be asked a lot about how the Tigers’ offensive line is coming along. Again, considering the struggles the offensive line had last fall and many new faces it added in the offseason, the offensive front is going to be a hot topic.

Another area Stutts will be able to offer insight into is the general culture of Auburn football under Freeze. Considering Stutts arrived at Auburn as a freshman in 2019, he’s now on his third head coach in four seasons. What about this situation feels different?