Auburn’s Freeman set to make big impact

By Robert Rousseau  |   Sunday, May 24, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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Coming out of high school in 2007, linebacker Eltoro Freeman was a four-star prospect who committed to the Auburn Tigers. Unfortunately, he was found academically ineligible to play for them. Thus, he enrolled at Gulf Coast Community College where; as a freshman there, he posted 65 total tackles (including 17 for a loss) and five sacks. He then took a year off to preserve his eligibility to play for Auburn.

"(Tommy) Tuberville wasn't on my scholarship, (James) Willis wasn't on my scholarship. Auburn University was on my scholarship," Freeman said. "When I didn't qualify, Auburn, they didn't drop me. When Auburn had a down season, I sat back and thought about (how) they were with me when I was down. I decided to stick with them when they were down. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Now Freeman, who took the long way to get to the Tigers, is truly impressing. His strength (nearly a 400-pound bench press), speed, quickness, and sheer explosiveness were all on display during a spring football season that saw him overtake Spencer Pybus for the weakside linebacker starting position. Really, there doesn't seem to be anything on the physical end of things that he can't do. What's more, he's been working tremendously hard on the more mental aspects of the game.

"I'm taking my work very seriously. I'm trying to understand the game instead of just running to the football," Freeman said during spring ball. "The first day, I was getting kind of frustrated with the plays --- the terminology and everything. Day 2 got better, Day 3 got better and I'm just getting better and better."

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof has also noticed that Freeman is beginning to recognize his mistakes, which is the first step toward improvement. Freeman has the stuff to make an immediate and strong impact on Auburn's defense. What he will be missing from the experience end, he'll more than make up for with his athleticism and determination.

Expect to hear a lot from Freeman in 2009.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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