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Hey everyone.

Fielded a great question inside the forums this morning. How many players does Auburn have on scholarship?

Auburn doesn’t release a list of exactly who is on scholarship, but we generally can get very close (or spot on) when it comes to creating our own list. So let’s do that.

CURRENT PLAYERS (66)
OFFENSE (29)
• QB (3): Kiehl Frazier, Clint Moseley, Zeke Pike
• RB (5): Onterio McCalebb, Tre Mason, Mike Blakely, Corey Grant, Jay Prosch
• WR (8): Emory Blake, Trovon Reed, DeAngelo Benton, Travante Stallworth, Jaylon Denson, Quan Bray, Sammie Coates, Anthony Morgan
• TE (4): Philip Lutzenkirchen, Brandon Fulse, C.J. Uzomah, Blake Burgess
• OL (9): John Sullen, Eric Mack, Chad Slade, Reese Dismukes, Greg Robinson, Christian Westerman, Tunde Fariyike, Patrick Miller, Shane Callahan

DEFENSE (35)
• DL (14): Nosa Eguae, Corey Lemonier, Dee Ford, Jeffrey Whitaker, Gabe Wright, Ken Carter, Craig Sanders, LaDarius Owens, Devaunte Sigler, Angelo Blackson, JaBrian Niles, Jamar Travis, Keymiya Harrell, Justin Delaine
• LB (10): Jake Holland, Daren Bates, Jonny Evans, Kris Frost, Justin Garrett, Chris Landrum, Anthony Swain, Ashton Richardson, Javiere Mitchell, Jawara White
• DB (11): T’Sharvan Bell, Chris Davis, Cadillac Therezie, Jonanthon Mincy, Ryan White, Ryan Smith, Demetruce McNeal, Erique Florence, Jermaine Whitehead, Ikeem Means, Jonathan Rose

SPECIAL TEAMS (2)
• P Steven Clark, K Cody Parkey

PROJECTED SUMMER ENROLLEES (17)
• QB: Jonathan Wallace
• RB: Jovon Robinson
• WR: JaQuay Williams, Ricardo Louis
• TE: Ricky Parks, Darrion Hutcherson
• OL: Avery Young, Jordan Diamond, Alex Kozan, Will Adams, Robert Leff
• DL: Tyler Nero, Gimel President
• LB: Cassanova McKinzy
• DB: Josh Holsey, Jonathan Jones, T.J. Davis

HOW DOES THAT ADD UP? : Based on the educated guesses above, Auburn has 66 players on scholarship at this time. I expect another 17 signees to enroll at various points this summer, which bumps Auburn’s scholarship population to 83*. Maximum is 85.

* = Note that LB Jawara White remains on scholarship at this time. He retired from football last month due to a congenital spinal defect and is expected to be placed on a medical scholarship beginning this fall. That will free up an additional athletic scholarship.

“Thanks for the question. Now on with the countdown.” -Casey Kasem

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS

Hey everyone.

Busy day of soccer here in the Capital City, but some Auburn items of interest have gone down today.

• Arkansas State will play at Auburn in 2013. We know this because Arkansas State announced the news via its website. As you know, former OC Gus Malzahn is now with the Red Wolves and probably will be there a few years. Also, former Auburn RB Mike Dyer is expected to be eligible at Arkansas State beginning in 2013. Could be a fun game.

Why “probably” in the headline? A wildly successful performance in Jonesboro this fall could lead to some big-school offers. Remember that he was The Main Guy at both North Carolina and Kansas a few months ago before the video of his wife went viral. So he already has a résumé worthy of a major gig.

• Auburn has signed another basketball player. Our friends at AuburnSports.com, AuburnUndercover.com and ITAT reported this afternoon that F Sharief Adamu has signed with the Tigers. He’s 6-foot-8 and was projected as a do-everything slasher during his lone season at Alabama State two years ago. Adamu transferred to Georgia Perimeter college in 2011. He averaged 10 points and six rebounds last season. Sharief told AuburnSports.com that he’ll be groomed to handle a role similar to Kenny Gabriel’s, but he took only 10 shots from beyond the perimeter last season. He’s not exactly a shooter.

Either way, he’ll be a junior in 2012-13 with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS

Hey everyone.

I’ve been away covering several local soccer teams as they progressed through the AHSAA tournament this past week. I love soccer. Three teams from Montgomery and Prattville have qualified for the state semifinals, which begin this weekend in Huntsville.

Layoffs and associated cut-backs have forced everyone at the Advertiser to expand their role. That’s why I’m spending more time of late away from the blog and focusing on other subjects. I am not abandoning the blog. I just have to concentrate on some other things right now.

On to Auburn …

BASEBALL ENDURES SWEEP AT GEORGIA: I wasn’t expecting the Tigers to dominate in Athens last weekend, but I also didn’t expect a sweep. Friday was a mess because Georgia’s ace is really good. Saturday was a mess because of a bullpen problem. Sunday simply was a big mess. Auburn is now 25-22 overall and 10-14 in league games. With series remaining at No. 20 Arkansas and at home against No. 6 Florida, nothing easy remains. Coach John Pawlowski’s team still is in good position to qualify for the SEC Tournament, but the margin for error is narrowing and the level of competition is increasing. If Auburn somehow falls behind either Tennessee (8-16) or Alabama (7-17) in the standings, Jay Jacobs may consider a coaching change.

SOFTBALL TAKES 7th: The Tigers (33-20, 12-16) ended their regular season last weekend with a series win against Mississippi State and enter the SEC Tournament as the No. 7 seed. They’ll play second-seeded Tennessee on Thursday. That game will be telecast live on ESPNU beginning at 1:30 p.m. CDT.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS

Hey everyone.

It was a weekend rife with good news for Auburn. Let’s jump in:

• DUFNER EARNS FIRST TOUR WIN: Auburn graduate Jason Dufner (Class of 2000) beat Ernie Els on the second playoff hole Sunday in suburban New Orleans. He is the first former Auburn golfer to win a PGA event since John Huston captured the Southern Farm Bureau Classic title in 2003.

“It’s always really tough playing on Sundays whether you’re in lead or middle of pack, and today I was fighting, trying to win event, and I think I showed myself a good bit out there,” Dufner said. “To get the monkey off of my back, it’s a great feeling.”

• BASEBALL DOMINATES IN SWEEP: Auburn capped a 4-0 week with a thrashing of Tennessee. The Tigers won all three weekend games by a combined score of 35-12. The closest game included a 7-run margin. Auburn also beat Troy 7-0 on Tuesday.

Catcher Blake Austin was 9-of-14 for the week with a homer, two doubles and 10 RBIs. He also gunned down two of the three runners who attemped to steal second base against him. Senior Derek Varnadore, who was moved to the bullpen to open the week, picked up a win and a save in relief. He didn’t allow a run in eight innings of work.

The Tigers are now 10-11 in the SEC. A .500 record means an NCAA appearance is all but assured, though 14 wins may be enough. Remaining series include at Georgia, at Arkansas, at home against Florida.

• SOFTBALL SWEEPS, TOO: Auburn took three from lowly South Carolina and clinched a spot in the SEC Tournament for a fifth consecutive year. The Tigers are 10-15 in league play with only a home series against Mississippi State remaining in the regular season.

“Making the SEC Tournament for a fifth straight year was one of our team goals going into the season,” Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. “Our team has overcome some injuries and obstacles, as most every team has to do, and achieved one of our goals. I’m very happy for the players, especially our seniors. They have worked very hard to this point, but we know there is still a lot of work ahead of us.”

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS

Hey everyone.

Brandon Mosley, formerly the starting right tackle for the Auburn Tigers, is now taking his talents to Gotham. Perhaps they have a beach there.

Mosley because the New York Giants’ fourth-round pick on Saturday. The last Auburn player to be plucked from the college scene by the Football Giants? Reggie Torbor. He’s been a good one. He was signed by Tommy Tuberville as a tailback, I might add.

“I was getting tired of seeing everyone go ahead of me and tired of watching (the draft), so I laid down to rest and right away I got a call from New Jersey and my heart dropped and I said ‘here we go,’” Mosley said. “I was speechless when they called. I didn’t know what to say — I was so excited.”

Mosley was at his family’s home in Jefferson, Ga., when he received The Call. He was feted with a fine meal at Texas Roadhouse in honor of his new gig. Mosley said he’ll be reporting to the Giants’ rookie camp during the next 10 days or so.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS