Auburn fans will get their first chance to see the retooled and revamped Auburn football team on A-Day.
After a 3-9 campaign that led to the exit of Gene Chizik and his coaching staff, Auburn looks to tap into the high-octane offense of former offensive coordinator now head coach Gus Malzahn and his hand-picked cast of assistants.
A spring game isn't the ideal setting for displaying the offense. Things are still in the tinkering stage with Malzahn's no-huddle, high-tempo offense, and the defense will likely steal the show.
Auburn struggled in most facets of the game last season, but the passing attack struggled the most. The Tigers finished next to last in the SEC in passing efficiency with 156.6 yards per game.
Junior Kiehl Frazier and sophomore Jonathan Wallace have been splitting first-team reps all spring, and the coaches insist there isn't any separation between the two.
Auburn will have three more quarterbacks arrive in the summer--Nick Marshall, Jeremy Johnson and Jason Smith--so it's unlikely Frazier or Wallace will be named starter at the conclusion of spring practices. But a strong showing on A-Day could be a springboard for whichever one has the best performance.
The quest for a threat at receiver will continue through the spring. Junior Jaylon Denson, who caught one pass for 12 yards last season, has been the biggest surprise of the receivers. Sophomores Ricardo Louis and Sammie Coates could provide deep threats on the outside.
Junior running back Tre Mason will be the workhorse in the backfield next season, but the 1,000-yard rusher from a year ago will probably be limited for A-Day. He's been dealing with an injury for most of spring practices.
With Mason limited, be prepared to see a heavy dose of juniors Corey Grant and Cameron Artis-Payne, as they battle for the backup running back spot.
Auburn's defense allowed a whopping 420.5 yards per game last season, ranked 13th in the SEC. Malzahn brought in Ellis Johnson, known for his 4-2-5 defense, to be defensive coordinator.
Auburn intercepted two passes last season, and the secondary caught none of them. Despite the lack of production, the cornerbacks seem to be the strongest group on defense. Johnson called them the "most pleasing position" this spring, and cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith challenged them to lead the SEC in interceptions.
Perhaps the most surprising player in spring practices has been junior Justin Garrett. Garrett has been tabbed to play the Star position, a hybrid linebacker-safety position in Johnson's defense that requires roaming all over the field.
The defensive line will be a solid rotation of experienced players. Jeffrey Whitaker, Dee Ford, Angelo Blackson and Gabe Wright figure to be key members of the rotation but most of Auburn's two-deep along the defensive line won't arrive on campus until the fall when the freshmen are added into the mix.
Jake Holland, Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy have been rotating on the first team of linebackers. Holland is the most experienced of the group, but he has a class that interferes with some of the spring practices, leaving the door open for the linebackers below him.
Malzahn's high-tempo offense will be on display for the fans in attendance.
It will be interesting to see whether Johnson gets creative with his 4-2-5 defense and challenges the quarterbacks, or keeps it simple and operates out of the simpler plays.
However the format plays out, fans just want to see progress from last season, one that was worth forgetting.
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