This time last year, expectations were sky-high for the Auburn Tigers. Their magical run to the BCS National Championship Game, punctuated by the “Miracle at Jordan-Hare” and the “Kick Six”, marked Auburn’s return to the pinnacle of the college football universe.
And then 2014 happened.
After a blazing start to the season, the Tigers couldn’t get out of their own way, and fell in four of their final five games to finish at 8-5 on the season.
Yet, somehow, the excitement around the program has gotten even higher.
It began with Will Muschamp, whose hiring sent shockwaves throughout the national landscape. Suddenly, one of the brightest offensive minds in college football in Gus Malzahn would be paired with a defense whose mastermind was notorious for leading tenacious, relentless, hard-hitting squads year in and year out.
And now that Nick Marshall has departed for the NFL, junior Jeremy Johnson finally is able to step into the spotlight and demonstrate why he was so lauded coming out of high school. Armed with a cannon arm, laser-like accuracy and two years of learning the intricacies of Malzahn’s system under his belt, Johnson has the potential to launch himself into the upper echelon of Auburn quarterbacks. He’ll be throwing to Duke Williams, the preseason All-American wide receiver, who ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. named his number one overall receiver prospect in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The defense, on the other hand, will most definitely experience a rebirth. Starting linebackers Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost, both of whom likely would have gotten selected in the NFL Draft, elected to return to anchor Muschamp’s defense. Carl Lawson, the massive defensive end who set the world on fire his freshman year, returns after missing one year because of an ACL injury. And the secondary, although thin, returns their most consistent cornerback in Jonathan Jones, along with Georgia safety Tray Matthews.
To top it all off, Malzahn reeled in yet another phenomenal recruiting class.
The highest-rated defensive end in the nation, Byron Cowart, has already solidified himself as a perennial force in the backfield, if post-practice comments by impressed teammates and coaches are to be trusted. Five-star running back Kerryon Johnson joins an already talented stable of running backs to add yet another wrinkle to one of the nation’s most feared offenses.
Even in the few short weeks that the team has been practicing, there is already a noticable difference in nearly every aspect of the players: their demeanor has completely lightened; they speak of practice being much more ferocious; they seem more relieved in a way, and the mood around the team has, quite simply, been much better than at the end of last season.
The defense feels like they are finally ready to embrace being a source of intimidation for opponents, not just a doormat.
Add in the nation’s largest collegiate video board and a revamped Jordan-Hare Stadium sound system, and you’ve got one of the most anticipated Auburn seasons in recent history.
Regardless of how the team fares, this year promises to have its share of thrills.
So get ready for a heavy dose of heart palpitations.
Sam Butler is Sports Editor for The Auburn Plainsman. He can be reached at sports@theplainsman.com.
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