AUBURN — Congratulations, Auburn football fans. You’ve essentially made it.
The offseason is all but over, and the Tigers will open preseason practices Thursday in preparation for their season opener against Alabama A&M in 33 days. Vibes are high around the program − landing five new commitments at Big Cat Weekend on Saturday will do that − but attention will soon shift from the success on the recruiting trail to the results on the field.
Much of Auburn’s depth chart already seems established, especially at the top. There aren’t many fall camp position battles for starting roles to monitor, but that doesn’t mean guys won’t be competing for meaningful reps elsewhere.
Between the backup for Payton Thorne at quarterback and a struggle for snaps along the defensive line, there’s plenty of intrigue to keep track of over the next month.
Here are five of the biggest contests to keep an eye on:
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Payton Thorne’s understudy
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze is running it back with Thorne as his starter, but that doesn’t mean the QB has carte blanche. Thorne doesn’t have a never-ending leash, and Freeze mentioned at SEC Media Days how he needs to see what he’s got behind Thorne on the depth chart “in case he does not perform well.”
One of Auburn’s four scholarship QBs is Walker White, a true freshman still acclimating. That leaves redshirt sophomore Holden Geriner and redshirt freshman Hank Brown in contention to be Thorne’s primary backup. Geriner has the experience advantage as an older player, but Brown impressed − completed seven of nine passes for 132 yards − in limited action against Maryland last season.
Desperately needed cornerback depth
Redshirt freshman Colton Hood appeared to work his way all the way up to being the No. 3 cornerback on the depth chart by the end of spring practice, but he transferred to Colorado in April to go play with his brother. Auburn’s depth at CB took another hit when second-year man Tyler Scott went down with a season-ending ACL injury during workouts this summer.
Kayin Lee and Keionte Scott are penciled in as the starters. Beyond them, though, it’s a bit of a mystery. Someone such as Alabama transfer Antonio Kite could step up, or the Tigers could turn to other options like true freshman Jay Crawford or redshirt freshman JC Hart.
Top pair of defensive linemen
Freeze also discussed his defensive line at SEC Media Days, noting how he felt he had six players at defensive tackle and nose tackle in which he could rotate. While he didn’t name those players specifically, he’s assumingly talking about Philip Blidi, Trill Carter, Bobby Jamison-Travis, Jayson Jones, Gage Keys and Isaiah Raikes. Four of those linemen − Blidi (Indiana), Carter (Texas), Keys (Kansas) and Raikes (USC) − transferred in this offseason.
Blidi and Keys profile more as defensive tackles, while Carter, Jamison-Travis, Jones and Raikes each look to be more in the mold of a nose tackle. There will be plenty of rotation at both of these spots, but the opportunity is there for someone to prove why they deserve the majority of snaps.
First-off-the-bench linebacker
Returning linebackers Eugene Asante and Austin Keys will be the starters. That’s almost certain.
What’s not certain is who will complement them. Duke transfer Dorian Mausi seemed to carve out a nice spot for himself as the No. 3 option at LB during the spring while battling with some of Auburn’s youth, but the Tigers went out and added another veteran option earlier this month in Maryland transfer Fa’Najae Gotay. Will Mausi hold onto his role by keeping Gotay and redshirt sophomore Robert Woodyard Jr. away?
Jerrin Thompson’s running mate at safety
It didn’t take long for Texas transfer Jerrin Thompson to claim one of Auburn’s starting spots at safety. A former four-star recruit in the Class of 2020, Thompson used his four years of experience to his advantage during spring practice. It quickly became clear he would be a big part of the secondary for the Tigers.
The spot next to him has been battled for by a few options, namely redshirt freshman Sylvester Smith and junior Caleb Wooden. Junior college transfer Laquan Robinson has also been in the mix. Similar to defensive line, there will be rotation here. But can someone stand out amongst the group?
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Position battles to watch as fall camp approaches
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