As the Tigers look forward to the annual A-Day events, a few of Auburn players, both new and returning, spent time sharing their thoughts on spring progress, excitement for the upcoming season and praise for their fellow teammates. 

QB Jackson Arnold:

On how he fits into Coach Freeze’s offense: 

"I think I fit very well. That was one of the things he told me out of the portal too is just he knows what I did in high school and what we did in college and my scheme has always been similar to what Coach Freeze runs. I know what he expects out of the RPO system and just his system in general. I feel like for me coming in it was big because all these plays I’ve run before and they’re just called something different, so I was able to pick up the offense pretty quick and be efficient early on in my decision making and accuracy and what not."

On Deuce Knight’s practice performance:

"Deuce is a baller man. Deuce is going to be really good in the future. I believe that arm strength, accuracy, and I think the biggest, most impressive part I’ve seen from Deuce is just picking up the offense. I know some systems are easier than others, but being his age and his maturity level, it’s pretty impressive to see how well he’s picked up and how much he takes care of the ball and makes the right decision."

K Alex McPherson:

On his return from illness: 

"I’m so pumped to finally get back on the practice field, get back to doing what I love, being around the guys. It’s been a blast, you know, getting back for spring practice, just all of the hard work, all of the time we spent trying to figure everything out there, to see the fruit from everything that we’ve been going over. It’s awesome to finally get back out there."

On getting his strength back: 

"You know I got down to 110 pounds. I did that twice actually once when we were in the summer and once right before I had surgery. I want to be like 170, I think I’m like 160 right now, so I’ve pretty much gained the majority of my weight back so far and trying to get a little bigger. It’s been great. My progression to getting my strength back has been going great. I’d say I’m probably at 90% right now, not full strength, but accuracy wise and everything is pretty much the same. Now it’s just the repetition of kicking."

QB Deuce Knight:

On the receivers and how they affect his confidence: 

"They’re different. That’s all I’ve got to say. The receiver room, those guys make it easy. You just get the ball to them. I could throw a little screen to those guys, you know, that’s 60 passing yards for me that quick. So, I love playing with those guys. They’re different… You know you look out there and see Cam Coleman pressed up, you get a little smile on your face because it’s like, you already know if I throw this ball up, nine times out of ten Cam Coleman’s going to come down with it. Even the other guys, you know, Perry and Horatio, just getting the ball to guys like them, Malcom, Bryson, and Eric, you know, it just puts a little weight off of your shoulders. You’ve just got to get the ball to them and let them run it."

On working with Jackson Arnold: 

"It’s been great. Jackson is super smart. I feel like he’s another coach on the field for me and I’ll call Jackson late at night if we’re just looking over a script or something and ask him questions and he’ll know how to answer for me. It’s like another coach on the field. He’s just a cool guy."

DL Malik Blocton:

On going from a “new guy” to a leader: 

"Last year, I was a new guy, but coach already expected me to come in and play, so I already had like the mindset of the older guys. I was just trying to soak in stuff from those guys that were older than me, but this year I know I’ve got a lot of knowledge that was passed on to me from the older guys that I can give to the new guys. I’m trying to be that leader for them. You know, it ain’t easy. Games are going to be hard for sure, but it’s not just like the one game is hard, it’s going to be the building on games, playing one good team and another good team right after that. I’m trying to tell them to take care of their bodies and there’s just some little stuff that will make them even better."