Auburn Daily

Ranking Auburn's Top 10 Sports Moments of 2025

Despite many heartbreaks, the Auburn Tigers saw a multitude of special moments across several sports.
Gunner Norene|
Johni Broome solidified himself as one of the greatest athletes to ever wear the orange and blue.
Johni Broome solidified himself as one of the greatest athletes to ever wear the orange and blue. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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To say the least, Auburn Tigers fans have experienced a vast roller coaster of emotions this year.

From witnessing the greatest basketball team in school history, to finding their football program a part of the coaching carousel for the third time since 2020, Auburn athletics have had an interesting 365 days.

As the New Year has rung in, Auburn Tigers on SI takes a look at the Tigers’ best moments of 2025.

10.  Auburn’s Win at Baylor

This may not seem like a big win in hindsight, but Auburn’s 38-24 season-opening win over the Baylor Bears back in August felt like a huge accomplishment in the moment.

Jackson Arnold led the Tigers’ 304-yard rushing effort, with the junior quarterback contributing 137 yards of his own on the ground. Auburn’s clash with Baylor was viewed as likely the most important game of the season, and undoubtedly the biggest of Hugh Freeze’s career up to that point, but obviously, the win in Waco wasn’t exactly indicative of how the rest of the season would unfold.

9. Auburn Wins Iron Bowl of Gymnastics in T-Town

Many Auburn fans may have forgotten about this, or may not have even known about it originally, but the head coach Jeff Graba and the No. 11 Tigers defeated No. 17 Alabama in Coleman Coliseum for the first time in program history.

The Tigers posted a season-high 197.750 points, topping Alabama’s 197.350, with Auburn’s final total tying the program’s highest road score ever. Anytime Auburn beats the Crimson Tide is a significant moment, but especially when the Tigers make history while doing so.

8. Deuce Knight’s Historic Day vs. Mercer

Despite an extremely disappointing season, ultimately finishing 5-7, freshman quarterback Deuce Knight brought a great load of excitement in their second-to-last game of the season.

Knight posted one of the best outings of any Auburn quarterback in the program’s history, recording 401 total yards and six touchdowns, which tied the school record for the most touchdowns ever scored by an Auburn player. His 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage against the Bears was one of the most electrifying moments of the season.

7. Auburn Baseball Regional Championship

The Tigers had one of the best seasons in recent years on the diamond last spring, ultimately leading to Auburn hosting its first NCAA Super Regional in school history.

Auburn defeated Central Connecticut State, Stetson, and NC State to win the Auburn Regional in three games before hosting Coastal Carolina the next week for a chance to go to Omaha. The Tigers fell in two consecutive games to the Chanticleers, but Auburn built a solid foundation for 2026 with a multitude of elite young talent.

Auburn fans also broke multiple attendance records in the newly renovated Plainsman Park.

6. Auburn Baseball Sweeps LSU

Auburn’s promising sweep of the No. 3 LSU Tigers was one of the most significant resume-building victories of the 2025 season that landed the Tigers a national seed in the NCAA tournament.

Butch Thompson and company defeated LSU in all three games at Plainsman Park, marking Auburn’s first sweep of the Bayou Bengals since 1988. LSU also went on to win the national championship later in the College World Series, making Auburn’s sweep even more impressive.

5. Miles Kelly’s Go-Ahead 3-Pointer vs. Tennessee

Former Auburn sharp-shooter Miles Kelly’s go-ahead three-pointer from the left corner to put the Tigers ahead Tennessee, 52-51, with 30 seconds remaining was undoubtedly one of the loudest crowd pops Neville Arena has ever produced. Tahaad Pettiford later made 1-of-2 free throws to extend Auburn’s lead to 53-51, eventually leading to a massive win to extend the Tigers’ current winning streak to 11 games.

ESPN’s College Gameday was in town earlier in the day, as Auburn students will always remember “The Great Stampede” at 5 a.m. that morning, so the electric finish on the national stage in The Jungle made it that much more special and is certainly a highlight of 2025.

4. Cade Belyeu Honors Mother With Homer on Opening Night

In the Tigers’ opening game of the 2025 baseball season on Feb. 14, Auburn outfielder Cade Belyeu highlighted one of the most memorable highlights of the year. Just a few hours after Beyleu’s mother, Staci, passed away from cancer earlier that morning, it was unknown if he was going to play.

However, the sophomore ultimately suited up for the Tigers, and in the bottom of the 6th inning, Belyeu drove a 0-1 pitch to deep right center field and out of the park. Belyeu went 2-for-4 on the day in Auburn’s 4-1 victory over Holy Cross, but his home run to honor his mother is up there with 2025’s top moments.

3. Auburn Invades Rupp to Clinch SEC Title

The Tigers absolutely took over Kentucky’s Rupp Arena on March 1, defeating the Wildcats 94-78 in dominating fashion. The victory marked Auburn’s first win in Lexington since 1988, nearly 40 years, and clinched at least a share of the regular season SEC title.

This might as well have been called “The Miles Kelly Game,” as the former standout Auburn shooting guard posted 30 points, including a whopping nine made three-pointers. 

2. Tigers Take Down Alabama in Historic Clash

Bruce Pearl’s common motto was “make history,” and No. 1 Auburn did just that in its 94-85 victory over No. 2 Alabama at Coleman Coliseum in February. The matchup marked the SEC’s first AP No. 1 vs. AP No. 2 clash in the conference’s history, and the Tigers never trailed in Tuscaloosa.

Johni Broome posted 19 points and 14 rebounds, while five other Tigers finished in double figures, leading Auburn to emerge victorious in the biggest Iron Bowl of Basketball in the rivalry’s history.

1. The “Miracle in Atlanta”

The greatest Auburn moment of 2025 was undoubtedly Johni Broome’s moment of revival in the Tigers’ Elite Eight clash against Michigan State in Atlanta.

Broome, arguably the most dominant player in program history, went down awkwardly with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second half. A few minutes later, Broome had what seemed like a revival out of the locker room, leading to the loudest eruption of the night inside State Farm Arena.

After returning the game with under five minutes left, Broome immediately drilled a three-pointer on the very next offensive possession, which commentator Bill Raftery described as “a miracle in Atlanta.” Broome ultimately lifted the Tigers to the program’s second-ever Final Four berth to cap off the best men’s basketball season in school history, and firmly solidified himself as one of the best athletes to ever wear the orange and blue.

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Gunner Norene
GUNNER NORENE

Gunner is a sports journalism production major who has written for the Auburn Plainsman as well as founded his own sports blog of Gunner Sports Report, while still in middle school. He has been a video production assistant for the Kansas City Royals' minor league affiliate Columbia Fireflies. Gunner has experience covering a variety of college sports, including football and basketball.

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