When Auburn lost its leading receiver from 2021 in the offseason after an already mediocre year last season from the receiving core, a big question heading into this season was who would step up at receiver.
Auburn gave a strong response to that dilemma in week one against Mercer, gathering 172 receiving yards among four wide receivers.
Leading the receivers as one of few veterans, junior wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson had his best career performance against the Bears, finishing with a career high of 117 yards, including a 56-yard reception. Johnson led the team with an average of 29.3 yards per reception.
“I think what makes Var so tough is basically his speed, his style of play, and the way he gets in and out of his route. He can change pace very well," said junior safety Zion Puckett. "I feel like just contacting the ball and doing things like that help him a lot."
Adding to that 172 yards from receivers, senior tight end John Samuel Shenker tacked on 25 of his own, with one of his two grabs going into the end zone from two yards out.
Senior wide receiver Shedrick Jackson recorded a total of 47 yards, returning as another veteran receiver within the offense.
Shenker and Jackson followed Johnson's high with averages of 12.5 and 11.8 yards, respectively, but they were outpaced in the average by another youngster. Freshman running back Damari Alston held the team's second highest average with one 13-yard reception to his name.
Another underclassmen, redshirt freshman Tar’Varish Dawson Jr., made his first appearance with an eight-yard run.
Head coach Bryan Harsin, while previewing San Jose State in his weekly press conference, explained that he did see some nervousness from the freshmen on the offense, but preparedness in fall camp and playing time should help to settle those going into week two.
“Now they’ve done it. Now they got a taste of it. Now they’ve been out there," Harsin said. "They felt the grass, and got to play a little bit. They’ll be better this week."
Jackson also spoke with the media on Monday and, as a stated leader among that group, echoed Harsin's comments about their nerves as well as their skill. He doesn't see that anxiety as something that will be problematic going forward.
“They all know what they’re doing. They’re confident," Jackson said. "They can make plays, and I think they’ll do well for the rest of the season."
One area where Harsin commended the entire offense was in their discipline. One holding call and one false start were the only penalties the offense accumulated, while the only flag thrown on a receiver was an unnecessary roughness call on Jackson that was offset by the same call to a Mercer player.
“We didn’t have stupid penalties. We didn’t have alignment issues," Harsin said. "We didn’t have any false starts from that group, so they knew what to do."
Heading into week two, the receivers will continue to be an integral part of an Auburn's offense that is growing by the week. Along with the running back tandem of Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter, the receivers will need to be a staple to support the two-quarterback system Harsin is working to input.
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
