Have you ever wondered who the iconic Aubie mascot is? Me too.

The question of who Aubie is has been asked for generations. I decided that it was finally time to start taking the search seriously. So, I started doing my research to find out who the main hype man is on campus. While I couldn’t find out who was behind the mask specifically, I did manage to cross off a few suspects on the list.

Ryan Gosling

Have you ever seen Aubie and Ryan Gosling in the same room before? Suspicious… If you’ve seen the new Barbie movie, then you know that the only person with the level of Kenergy to match Ryan’s is our very own Aubie. That, plus his football background in Remember the Titans, proves that Ryan has the passion and knowledge needed to be the best college football mascot. I have found a lot of evidence to back my reasoning, but ultimately, I had to rule Ryan out because he brought patriarchy to Barbieland, and Aubie would never.

Taylor Swift

If the Era’s Tour has taught us anything, it’s that Taylor Swift can bring in a crowd. Who else do you know that can cause that much hype? Aubie, duh! Not to mention his skills with a guitar are top-tier. The only thing that kept me from confirming this theory was that Taylor and Aubie have in fact been in the same room together, and there is photographic evidence (photoshop conspiracy?). Either way, neither Taylor nor Aubie is ever going out of style.

Harry Styles

I honestly don’t know who could rock a boa better, Harry or Aubie. But why choose if they are the same person? Just kidding– this is who we eliminated from the list, remember? Like Taylor, Harry has the charisma and stage presence needed to be our iconic Aubie. However, he has been on tour for like, three years. Aubie is fully committed to Auburn University, so, unfortunately, Harry is out.

Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana has been MIA ever since the final episode of her titular show in 2011. Coincidence? Who’s to say? My main hypothesis was that the show ended because Hannah wanted to pursue her true passion of being Aubie for Auburn University. However, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that if she were Aubie, we would have gotten a performance of Best of Both Worlds by now. I mean, what would be better than being both Hannah Montana and Aubie?

We may never know who is behind our favorite mascot, but the mystery is part of what makes him so iconic. As long as he keeps being the best hype tiger around, Aubie will always have a special place in my heart.

Be well, Auburn.