Auburn HC Hugh Freeze urges fans to ‘continue’ praying for Tigers’ RB Brian Battie: ‘He’s still on a ventilator’

Hugh Freeze has urged the college football community to continue praying for Auburn running back Brian Battie. On X(formerly Twitter), the Tigers' head coach shared a health update on Battie, who was a victim of a shooting incident in Florida last weekend. He revealed that the 22-year-old is still on the ventilator.

The shooting incident was reported from Sarasota, Florida, early Saturday morning, claiming the life of one person and injuring four others. One of the wounded was Battie, who was reported to be in critical condition. According to the Sarasota County Sherrif, the victims were transported to local hospitals in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Here is what the Auburn Tigers head coach said in his update about running back Brian Battie on Monday.

“Auburn family. Please continue to pray for Brian Battie. There was a set back last night and he’s still on a ventilator,” he wrote on X with the hashtag AUSTRONG.

The one fatality in the incident so far was the RB’s elder brother, Tommy Battie. The 24-year-old was declared dead at the shooting scene when the emergency services arrived at the location.

According to local reports, the Auburn star remains in the intensive care unit in critical condition, with only the ability to move his hands. The college football world has also jumped in to help the family by setting up a GoFundMe page to collect donations.

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A look back at Brian Battie’s college football career so far

Brian Battie has spent four seasons as a college football player, with three of them coming for his hometown program the South Florida Bulls. He transferred to Auburn ahead of the 2023 season and played under Hugh Freeze. While he is a running back, the Tigers fans have primarily seen him as a kick returner on special teams at the Jordan-Hare Stadium.

NCAA Football: Alabama at Auburn: Nov 25, 2023; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Brian Battie (21) returns a kick during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

In the 2023 season, Battie raked up 227 rushing yards in 51 attempts, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He also had 52 receiving yards in seven catches. 2024 will be his fifth season at the NCAA level if he makes a comeback to the scene. His kick return average was fifth in the SEC last season, so he has been a key contributor in both offense and special teams.