football
27/08/2022 21:48:00
By: Jeff Shearer
Derrick Hall
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AUBURN, Ala. – Cedric Hall says he’s been an Auburn fan since birth.
“Ever since the Auburn blanket was wrapped around me,” said Hall, a native of New Site, Ala., near Alexander City, who moved to Auburn 10 years ago.
Hall brought his children with him to the second annual Auburn Family Football Preseason Kickoff presented by Golden Flake on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Before the Tigers’ practice, the Halls joined hundreds of Auburn fans on the East Stadium Green Space where they met Aubie, listened to the Auburn University Marching Band and watched the routines of the Auburn Cheerleaders and Tiger Paws.
“We’re out here enjoying the festivities before practice, trying to see what the Auburn Tigers are going to be like this season,” Hall said. “They loved the bounce houses and face painting and now they’re excited to go see the game.”
The event also featured tailgate games and poster and schedule giveaways.
Inside the stadium, the Tigers practiced for 14 five-minute periods, although the final period was considerably longer to allow more players a chance to compete in a tackle-free game.
Brad Larrondo, AD associate and head of football personnel, served as announcer, describing the features of each practice period.
“The goal of this event is to get the fans excited about the start of the season,” Larrondo said between periods. “It also gives the players a chance to play in the stadium, the stage we’ll be in next week when we play Mercer, and get a bit of crowd noise, put on the uniforms, a bit of practice general
“A lot of excitement for the season, five games in a row at home. We have to get (the fans) in season shape right away. This allows them to train.”
For the past three weeks, the Tigers have been preparing for the 2022 season, Auburn’s second under head coach Bryan Harsin.
“There’s a really good synergy with this team right now,” Larrondo said. “They’ve put in a lot of work during fall camp, right now getting ready for Mercer. There’s a lot of guys that feel like the chemistry on this team is coming together. A lot of talented players.
“I think now is the time to do it on the field against somebody else. They’re tired of beating each other. It’s a week until the next game and it’s an opportunity to get on the field and have a scoreboard that measures you in that moment. A very strong atmosphere right now.”
The Hall family is part of this environment. They’ll be back next Saturday when the Tigers host Mercer at 6pm CT in the season opener.
“We’re ready. We’re pumped,” Cedric said. “We’re excited and ready to go.”
“Really good synergy with this team right now.”
🗣@AuburnFootball head of staff @BradLarrondo is on the 🎙 of Auburn’s preseason family football kickoff (presented by @Golden_Flake)
Highlights and a selection of six from @SosaKaufman
One week until the start of the season.#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/r13UH4icsA
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) August 27, 2022
Jeff Shearer is a senior writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
