AUBURN, Ala. – On Monday, it marked one year to the day that Rivaldo Fairweather announced he was transferring to Auburn. He played his first three seasons at Florida International, winning a total of five games in that span, and he entered the transfer portal with the hopes of elevating his game to another level.
Fairweather found that at Auburn. The 6-foot-4, 251-pound tight end led the Tigers in receptions (33), receiving yards (349) and receiving touchdowns (6) in 2023 and was voted Second Team All-SEC by the league's coaches earlier this month.
"A year ago, I was in the portal," Fairweather said. "Coming here and being a part of Auburn and being a part of this Auburn Family, it's just a blessing. I'm thankful. It just shows all the hard work you put in in the offseason and you put in during the season, it's going to pay off. You just have to trust God and know that it's God's timing and never lose faith.
"Next year, I'm going to go come back 10 times harder and be First Team All-SEC and be the No. 1 tight end in the nation."
1️⃣3️⃣ is BACK 🙌⚡️@rivaldo_f13 pic.twitter.com/c4NnDOuGEd
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2023
Fairweather made it official Tuesday, announcing his intentions to return to Auburn for the 2024 season. He's looking forward to having a full offseason to work with Payton Thorne, something the Auburn quarterback is looking forward to as well.
"He's been vital to our offense," Thorne said. "He's come down with some big plays for us this year and been a good target on third down as well. I'm excited to get a full offseason with him. I thought we got a lot of work in during the summer, but having a full offseason with him is going to help a lot. We're going to work on some things together, and we should be even sharper next year. Valdo is a great guy. I love playing with him. His future is bright."
First up, however, is the bowl game. Auburn has been practicing all week and getting ready to face Maryland in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. Ironically, Maryland was one of the other main schools who recruited Fairweather while he was in the portal.
For Fairweather, it will be the first bowl game of his college career.
"I'm really excited to go out there in Nashville and have my family there and have fun," he said. "But the main thing is just getting the win."
There have been a lot of firsts this year for Fairweather. First game at Auburn. First SEC game. First Iron Bowl. With a little help from fellow tight end Luke Deal, who has also announced he's returning next year, Fairweather has taken it all in stride.
"It's just like how our season goes," Deal said. "You open up with a game, the home crowd is there. He never experienced that at FIU. That was a huge step for him, getting in front of that big crowd. And then you go first SEC game, first Iron Bowl. I feel like each time we talked about, 'OK, this is going to be a little bit different for you.' You could tell he was shocked at first, but he lived in the moment and performed better and better each time.
"Now he's kind of seen it all except for a bowl game. I've been very pleased to see how he's grown from spring ball to fall camp to now."
The last time Auburn played in Nashville, a road game at Vanderbilt earlier this season, Fairweather hauled in a 53-yard touchdown reception. The Tigers won 31-15 in front of a pro-Auburn crowd at Vanderbilt's FirstBank Stadium.
This time, the Tigers will get to play in Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, and Fairweather knows the Auburn Family will once again show up.
"I expect greatness from the Auburn Family," he said. "A couple days ago I went to the basketball game. We're not even in school and just seeing the stadium being packed out and having all the students there and having all the fans there, it was amazing to me.
"I thank the Auburn Family for always showing up. It's just different. I've never been a part of this big fan base. Me being here is just great. It's a blessing from God. The fans are amazing. I know they're not going to disappoint. The tickets are already sold out. I already know it's going to be an Auburn home game for us."
Auburn and Maryland will kick off at 1 p.m. CT on Dec. 30. Tickets are still available through SeatGeek. The game will be televised on ABC.