Auburn’s first-year head football coach Hugh Freeze saw the Tigers’ transfer tight end Rivaldo Fairweather for the first time years ago.

The Florida International Panthers were welcomed to Liberty’s Williams Stadium on Sept. 26, 2020 in front of a crowd just 1,000 fans due to Covid-19. The Liberty Flames, who were piloted by Freeze, squeaked out a 36-34 win at home and it was a catch made by Fairweather that allowed FIU to bring the game within a possession.

“I do remember gameplanning and then watching them and thinking, ‘Dang, that dude’s good.’,” Freeze said of Fairweather. “So when he did go in the portal and we came here, we were on it in a hurry, because I think he’s a really talented kid.”

At 6-foot-4, Fairweather held his breath for Division I basketball offers that never came so he shifted his attention to football and committed to FIU over schools like Bethune-Cookman, UT-Martin and Western Kentucky.

With the Panthers, Fairweather tallied 838 yards on 54 receptions with five touchdowns through three seasons and was named to the 2022 all-CUSA team.

Fairweather’s time at FIU earned him a 4-star rating as a transfer prospect and a phone call from Freeze and the Tigers which evidently went well and resulted in Fairweather transferring to Auburn in December.

“He fits in like a glove, man,” said Auburn’s veteran tight end Luke Deal. “He’s a great guy. He’s bought into our culture in that room. Like I said, it’s an old room. It’s a room that’s been together for a long time. So that can be kind of intimidating to start. And I think that he’s done an incredible job with just buying into that culture, being one of us.”

Fairweather joins a seven-man tight end room that features returning seniors Tyler Fromm, Brandon Frazier and Deal.

Together, the trio combined for just eight receptions in a 2022 offense that underutilized the tight end.

With the addition of Fairweather and an offense called by Freeze and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, the tight end position will likely be more remarkable in 2023.

“You’ve seen him on the field,” Deal said. “He’s explosive. He’s got great hands. He runs really good routes and he’s going to be a really good asset to our team this year.”