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Auburn recognizes Brian Battie on Senior Day vs. Mercer

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh59 minutes agogriffin_mcveigh
Auburn RB Brian Battie
© Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday was a feel-good one at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn put together a nice on-field performance, blowing out Mercer behind a great performance from true freshman quarterback Duece Knight. Senior Day also took place, where multiple players were recognised for their time with the program.

One was running back Brian Battie, who has not played football since the end of the 2023 season. He was shot in May 2024, spending a good amount of time in the hospital. But Battie still returned to be honored, getting to walk on the field.

You can hear the home crowd cheering him on, only to be met by interim head coach DJ Durkin. A nice overall moment for Battie, one you can watch in full here.

Battie began his college career at USF, spending three years in Tampa. He then entered the NCAA transfer portal and landed at Auburn in 2023. In 13 games, Battie recorded 51 tackles, 227 yards, and a touchdown. Another season of eligibility meant Battie could have returned for 2024, getting the extra year due to COVID-19.

However, Battie was injured in a shoot back in his home state of Florida. He was rushed to the hospital while the family dealt with the loss of Battie’s brother, Tommie. As the tweet mentioned, three months were spent in the hospital with the goal of making a full recovery.

“He’s in a battle, but obviously the battle now is just the recovery part and the rehab part and his brain starting to work back properly that controls him,” former Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said back in Aug. 2024. “Walking is still now a challenge for him. But he’s in a great — he’s got a great spirit about him. Wants to get up to Auburn to a game and it was really good to spend some time with him.

“We FaceTime at least once a week, typically. Or at least me with his mom, if not him, if he’s not up to it,” Freeze said. “And today was my first time in person. We had two others scheduled and both times the weather wouldn’t let us fly and today was our first time and I got to spend the entire morning with him up until his therapy began and with his mom and father and his sister.”

If Battie stayed for the full game, he got a good show. Auburn rushed for 277 yards in a 62-17 win over Mercer, setting up for an incredibly important Iron Bowl.