Each week Auburn Fan Club will update readers with everything going on with Auburn. This first one covers a little more than the past week, but I wanted to keep everyone up to date.
Each week Auburn Fan Club will update readers with everything going on with Auburn. This first one covers a little more than the past week, but I wanted to keep everyone up to date. Here's the first installment:
Star defender Xavier Atkins has been dismissed from the team. The junior linebacker was originally suspended for the UGA game, but was later removed from the team altogether (reported by Pete Thamel, ESPN). The first team All-SEC selection tallied 7.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and an interception through 5 games this season. Atkins had nothing but kinds words about Auburn following the split, and head coach Alex Golesh also had only nice things to say about Xavier, and wished him the best moving forward.
Auburn basketball lost the exhibition game with Alabama 87-85 in Birmingham. Some small scuffles broke out after the game, but nothing serious happened. Kevin Overton led all scoring with his 26 point contribution. The tigers were without potential star Mantas Rubstavicius who was still awaiting a court ruling about his eligibility. Speaking of...
Auburn fires basketball GM Brian Kloman. Auburn fired men's basketball general manager Brian Kloman after learning he withheld information central to Mantas Rubstavicius' eligibility case, according to On3 and a source who confirmed the news to ESPN.
Rubstavicius, a 24-year-old, 6-foot-6 Lithuanian guard, signed with Auburn in June out of Zalgiris Kaunas, a top club in the Lithuanian Basketball League, where he averaged 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He had already played professionally in Lithuania, and he sued the NCAA earlier this month in an attempt to gain eligibility for this season. However Kloman knew Rubstavicius had taken college courses in Lithuania before turning pro and never told anyone else at Auburn. Coaches and administrators only learned of the withheld information on Friday, and the school then moved to fire him. Kloman had been hired in March after a stint at Louisville, and he helped Auburn sign nine players from the transfer portal.
On Monday, Rubstavicius withdrew his lawsuit and plans to return to Europe to play professionally. "Mantas is an exceptional young man with a bright future ahead of him," Auburn coach Steven Pearl said in a statement. "We appreciate the time he spent as part of the Auburn basketball family and wish him nothing but success as he takes this next step in his career. We look forward to following his success both on and off the court."
The timing is rough: Auburn opens the season Nov. 4 against Southeastern Louisiana and is now searching for a new general manager days before tip-off. The Tigers went 22-16 and missed the NCAA tournament last season, Steven Pearl's first after succeeding his father, Bruce Pearl, and Rubstavicius would have been a significant addition.
Saturday's pregame flyover honored U.S. Air Force Maj. John "Alex" Klinner, a 2016 Auburn mechanical engineering graduate and third-generation Auburn alumnus who lost his life serving in March 2026. Four F-35s from the 187th Fighter Wing, flown by Auburn graduates, flew the flyover, and a scholarship in Klinner's name was established for Auburn engineering students in Air Force ROTC.
Equestrian stays No. 1 (Oct 23). Auburn edged No. 4 Texas A&M 11-9 at home.
Volleyball splits the weekend. Auburn swept Ole Miss 3-0 at home Oct 24, its first home sweep of the Rebels since 2011, then fell in four sets to LSU on Oct 25.
Soccer grinds out a draw (Oct 22). No. 25 Auburn earned a hard-fought draw at Florida. The Tigers lead the nation in goals-against average (0.267) with 11 shutouts on the season.
Swimming earns three SEC weekly honors (Oct 20). Zoey Zeller was named SEC Female Swimmer of the Week, Zetta Grace Bartee earned SEC Female Freshman of the Week, and Gabriel Machuco took SEC Male Freshman of the Week for their performances at the Georgia Tech dual meet tournament. Bartee also set an Auburn record in the 200 butterfly at CSL Match Six on Oct 24.
Women's golf tied for eighth at the Landfall Tradition.
Coming up this week (Oct 26-Nov 1). No. 1 men's golf plays the East Lake Cup in Atlanta, Oct 26-28, then heads to the Steelwood Collegiate in Loxley, Alabama, Oct 31-Nov 1.
Basketball's final exhibition is Thursday against Samford at 7 p.m. in Neville Arena (no streaming or tv). Cross country runs the SEC Championships Friday in Columbia, Missouri. Football is at Ole Miss Saturday at 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network.
Trivia section added! Finally, Auburn Fan Club added a Trivia section! Everyone starts at the beginner level, and if you score 90% or higher you can unlock the next difficulty tier! Share it with your friend who thinks they know everything about Auburn! The trivia section is brand new, so if you spot a question that is incorrect or doesn't make sense, please e-mail me and let me know.