Senior receiver Will Hastings’ spring ACL injury was obviously a huge blow to the Tigers’ offensive outlook for the 2018 season, but past efforts on the recruiting trail allowed Chip Lindsey and company to reload.
Auburn’s four “phenomenal" freshman receivers — Shedrick Jackson, Matthew Hill, Anthony Schwartz and Seth Williams — have excelled in fall camp. Still, none of them are Hastings, a 5-foot-10, 166-pounder who burned SEC defenses downfield and hauled in passes above much larger defenders.
“Will (Hastings) is just different,” Stidham said during fall camp. “I’ve never seen anyone move like Will.”
But Darius Slayton has.
Slayton identified the freshman Hill as the most likely replacement for Hastings’ production, which is expected to be lost until at least midseason after Hastings had surgery on his leg last spring.
“Probably…Matthew Hill, one of our freshmen that came in, has done a really good job,” Slayton said. “He’s really quick, like Will is, really good at maneuvering through defenses, like Will is. I think he’ll do a good job of helping fill that void.”
In Auburn’s first scrimmage, the “savvy” Hill showed quickness in space and the ability to see openings in coverage. In camp, Hill has been working in the slot with Schwartz, tight end Sal Cannella and senior Griffin King, who had a few notable plays in Auburn's final scrimmage.
“(Matthew Hill) may not be the fastest guy but he knows how to wiggle,” Stidham said. “He knows how to run the ball. He sees the open field. That’s something that I really love.”
After the second scrimmage, Kodi Burns and the coaches began to force the newcomers into first-team roles, lessening reps for the likes of Slayton, Ryan Davis and Nate Craig-Myers.
Hill and company showed no dip in production. Although Lindsey said the new playbook and complex schemes are making their “heads spin,” Slayton has been nothing but enthralled.
“They’ve done a really good job, surprisingly, making plays in 7-on-7, 1-on-1 team sessions,” Slayton said. “I’m really confident in all of our young guys if any of them get a chance to play.”
The freshmen will get their shot against Washington. But for Lindsey, it’s not as simple as tossing them on the field in a random package. Against the Huskies’ suffocating defense, which Lindsey saw first-hand as offensive coordinator at Arizona State (2016), the Tigers will have to be smart about how they introduce the first-years in favor of the veterans.
“I think they all do,” offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said when asked which freshman receivers have a chance to see the field against Washington. “I think Shedrick Jackson, I think Matthew Hill, I think Seth Williams, I think Anthony Schwartz. I think they’ll all have the opportunity, how much depends.
“Do you want to take Ryan Davis off the field? I don’t know, we’ll have to see how the gameplan works out; he can’t play every snap. Do you want to want to take Darius Slayton off? You have to ask yourself, in certain situations, how important that is. But at the same time, I do think they’ll all have some kind of role.”
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
