Diving into Hugh Freeze's history with TEs, what it means for Auburn football's Rivaldo Fairweather
AUBURN — Aside from Evan Engram at Ole Miss, coach Hugh Freeze hasn't had a tight end as dynamic as Rivaldo Fairweather.
The 6-foot-4, 251-pound Florida International transfer entered the portal in December and later committed to Auburn football that same month. He spent three seasons with the Panthers, totaling 54 receptions for 838 yards and five touchdowns; three of those scores and 426 of those receiving yards came in 2022.
Fairweather has been a standout throughout this preseason ahead of Auburn's season opener against UMass on Sept. 2, catching passes and proving to be a real commodity for the Tigers through the air.
"We're kind of putting more on his plate as far as the pass game and the RPO world," tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua said Aug. 15. "... Everyday he’s doing something spectacular out there with the catches, taking the ball off a DB’s head, whatever it is.
"He’s been really, really impressive during camp with the work he’s been doing in the passing game. Run-game wise, we’ve got to keep improving and keep getting stronger. But overall through fall camp he’s come a long ways."
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Dating back to Freeze's time at Arkansas State in 2010, his offenses have featured a tight end going over 200 receiving yards on five occasions, with Engram accounting for four of them from 2013-16; Johnny Huntley at Liberty in 2020 was the other.
Fairweather profiles in a similar manner to both Engram and Huntley, who are each listed at 6-3, 240 pounds — one inch shorter and 10 pounds lighter than Fairweather. Fairweather has also been used some as a receiver, essentially playing as a big slot option.
Engram, who recently received a lucrative contract extension from the Jacksonville Jaguars, has been doing similar things since his time under Freeze with the Rebels.
"We work with the tight ends every day," wide receivers coach Marcus Davis said Aug. 15. "Rivaldo is somebody I'm with every day. ... I can't wait to see Micah (Riley) and Rivaldo. I feel like that's the duo in the passing game, for sure. ... They're very explosive players."
What makes Fairweather's upside even more intriguing is the fact that he started playing football in 2018; he was mainly a basketball player for much of his life before he became his high school team's punter during his junior year.
By his senior season, though, he was the focal point of coach Darion Gray's offense at Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida.
"(Fairweather's) role means a lot because we can do a lot of different things when he's in the game and when Luke (Deal) is in the game or with (Brandon Frazier) and Tyler (Fromm)," Aigamaua said. "Him and Tyler, they've got to be healthy for us because it creates a lot of mismatches, it creates a lot of problems.
"And defenses, they've got to figure how they want to play a two-tight-end system. We'll even throw three out there and they've got to figure out how to do it. It's very valuable to have guys like him out on the field. That's a big body that can jump and run and be able to do the things that we ask them to do. It's huge."
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: How Hugh Freeze has previously used his tight ends
