A pair of Alabama natives have been awarded football scholarships, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze announced Thursday morning ahead of the Tigers’ first practice of spring camp.
“Happy to announce that we’ve honored Justin Jones and Griffin Speaks with a scholarship,” Freeze said.
Jones, a Bessemer native and junior running back for the Tigers, was a staple on Auburn’s special teams last fall and appeared in every game.
The year prior, Jones’ action was limited to two games.
Before making his way to Auburn, Jones was at UAB, where he was a two-year member of the Blazers’ football team, but never saw playing time.
Playing a Bessemer Academy in high school, Jones won all-state and all-city honors as a running back who rushed for more than 2,500 yards throughout his career.
Meanwhile, Speaks, an Auburn native, came back to his hometown team ahead of last season after four seasons at Baylor.
At Baylor, Speaks appeared in 31 games, primarily contributing on punt and kickoff coverage.
Speaks spent his high school career at Auburn High School, and piloted the Auburn High Tigers to a 10 wins as the team’s quarterback in 2018.
During his first season back home with Freeze and the Tigers, Speaks appeared in 13 games and recorded seven tackles.
“That’s well-deserved. They’ve earned it,” Freeze said of the pair of scholarship additions. “Excited that we could do that for them, too.”
