Vanderbilt player leaks Auburn coach's recruiting text after SEC road win

Vanderbilt Linebackers Bryan Longwell posted a Screenshot of a text message he received from one Auburn Coach on Christmas Day 2022 after Saturday's win over the Tigers. Longwell did not reveal the coach's identity, but the news was in reference to recruiting the former three-star defensive back from Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy.

“Bryan, I'm sorry buddy, we most likely won't be signing a (high school) linebacker in this class. You are a great player with a bright future! I hope you and your friends have a Merry Christmas!”

It's a thoughtful message, but looks like motivational material for Longwell, whose team improved to 6-3 overall and earned bowl eligibility after the 17-7 win at the Plains. For the first time since 2018The Commodores will play in the postseason and have several more big chances for big wins this season, including South Carolina next week and later against Tennessee.

For the first time, Vanderbilt won a game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. And it beat both Alabama and Auburn in the same season for the first time since 1955.

“Obviously, this is a great moment for our program and one that we need to celebrate in the right way,” Vanderbilt coach said Clark Leah said. “If you look at where we've come to, I think we've had an incredible journey now after 11 months. … This is a milestone for us. It’s not an arrival.”

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia wasn't flawless but continues to haunt the Auburn coach Hugh Freeze with a third straight win over him in as many seasons. Pavia completed just nine of 22 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers suffocated Vanderbilt's receivers, and he added just 26 yards on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Commodores' defense played its best game of the season. Auburn managed 327 yards on offense but never really got going. Star traffic jam Jarquez Hunterwho gained 278 yards Kentucky Last weekend he ran for just 50 yards on 12 carries.

There were more missed opportunities for the Tigers and Freeze as the game progressed will continue to doom Auburn this season.

“We have to find a way to finish drives and score points, but we just can’t do that,” Freeze said. “We don’t play well on third down and finish the drives we have. You know, I thought the first drive of the third quarter was great. And we'll go straight down and, you know, hopefully get away with points and we won't. And that's kind of a momentum killer.

“And compared to last night in Kentucky, we didn’t manage to maintain our energy on the sidelines either.”

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Robbie Weinstein of Vandy247 contributed to this report.