Auburn Daily Weekly Roundtable

The Auburn Daily staff are joined by Justin Ferguson to talk all things Auburn

Welcome to the first Auburn Daily Weekly Roundtable!

Each week we will come together as a staff and answer questions based on what is happening that week in the world of Auburn.

This week, our guest is Justin Ferguson. Justin currently serves as a writer and podcaster for The Auburn Observer. He is also a weekly guest on Locked On Auburn every Friday for Ferg Fridays. 

Let's get to it, shall we?

What football position battles are you most looking forward to playing out in spring practice? Who are some names you think may shine during those battles?

© Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

JUSTIN FERGUSON: It all comes down to the passing game for me, since there’s little experience there at both quarterback and wide receiver but some intriguing names. At quarterback, I’m most intrigued by Zach Calzada — since he was the first get in the portal for Auburn — and new arrival Holden Geriner, because of his fit in a Bryan Harsin scheme. At wide receiver, I want to see if Tar’Varish Dawson Jr. can take a step forward after all that fall camp hype he had, and I like what Jay Fair brings to the table in terms of skill set.

LANCE DAWE: While quarterback is going to weigh heavily on the minds of Auburn fans, I’m very curious to see what the defensive backs look like during spring. The Tigers loaded up at that position during this recruiting cycle. Watching Jaylin Simpson and Ro Torrence compete at CB with guys like Keionte Scott, JD Rhym, and Austin Ausberry will be fun. I would also expect newcomers Marquise Gilbert to make some noise at safety.

ZAC BLACKERBY: I can't wait to see the wide receivers battle it out. There will be so much speculation about how it is a wide open battle at every spot. It will also be fun to see if some tight ends potentially slot out and work with the receivers.

LINDSAY CROSBY: Everyone's going to say quarterback, so I'll take a different approach. We have so much TE talent that I'm intrigued to see who gets snaps with what team. We know JSS is the starter, and will have a great chance to set new single season records for a TE, but behind him is where I'm going to be most interested in seeing how snaps shake out. Landen King has a good chance at getting some WR/"big slot" snaps, Luke Deal and Tyler Fromm have a lot of H-back in their games and so opportunities abound to get them involved, Brandon Frazier is a physical monster that hasn't really had a chance to play a lot, and you're bringing in another talented pass catcher in Micah-Riley Ducker. Lots of mouths to feed.

TREY LEE: I think the obvious answer here is quarterback. It will be interesting to see who Coach Harsin brings in for an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, because that could give an edge to one of the guys in the room. I think experience favors guys like Zach Calzada and TJ Finley, but I would not be surprised to see Dematrius Davis or Holder Geriner make a run for the starting gig.

MIKE G: QB and Wide Receiver

GRAY OLDENBURG: I know a lot of people would answer this with QBs or WRs with all the movement and confusion centered around those battles but I'm just as intrigued about the Safety's. With the loss of both your starters in Smoke Monday and ByDarrius Knighten, and the loss of Ladarius Tennison and Ahmari Harvey in the transfer portal, Im interested to see who steps up. Big roles ahead for Donovon Kaufman and Zion Puckett this upcoming year while also guys like Marquise Gilbert who was the number 1 JUCO saftey in the country coming in, and Cayden Bridges and Eric Reed Jr. still there. Should be a very important and interesting battle.

Who would you rather play: 5 Wendell Green sized Walker Kesslers or 5 Walker Kessler sized Wendell Greens?

© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

JF: Five Green-sized Kesslers are going to be less of a force in the paint due to their size and less miserable to cover on the perimeter due to Kessler’s game. Five Kessler-sized Greens would be nightmarish. You’re talking about five 7-foot-1 dudes with unreal confidence with the ball in their hands.

LD: I would much rather play 5 Wendell Green size Walker Kesslers. Can you imagine how unstoppable a starting five full of 7-foot guys that could handle the ball and make shots from 30 feet would be?

ZB: Five Wendell Green sized Walker Kesslers. This is a no brainer.

LLC: The tiny Walker Kesslers. Wendell Green Jr is way too fast to deal with already, but if you give him another foot of height? Might as well give up right there.

TL: 5 Wendell Green sized Walker Kesslers. You're telling me you want to play defense against a seven foot tall man who can shoot from the logo with ease?

MG: Walker sized Greens

GO: Oh boy, thinking about 5 Walker Kessler sized Wendell Greens is honestly horrifying. If you combine the length and size of Walker Kessler with the handle and quickness of Wendell Green with his shooting as well, theres not a team in CBB that could beat them and it would be hard for even some NBA teams to compete. So, I would definitely want to play against the 5 Wendell Green sized Walker Kesslers rather than the 5 Walker Kessler sized Wendell Greens.

Who do you think will be the offensive coordinator for the Auburn football team in 2022?

© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

JF: Eric Kiesau still makes the most sense to me. I wouldn’t be surprised, especially after all the staff turnover, to see Harsin stick with a guy he knows at the position — much like he did with the defensive coordinator job. There’s always a chance Harsin goes to the outside again, but I think Kiesau’s increased involvement with the offense after the Mike Bobo firing was a telling sign.

LD: It will most likely be Eric Kiesau, the current wide receivers coach. If it’s not him, a name to potentially watch for would be Major Applewhite, South Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Applewhite coached with Harsin at Texas, and has SEC experience.

ZB: I like the Applewhite idea. It wouldn't shock me if Harsin promoted Kiesau.

LLC: Going to give you three suggestions:

Xs & O's suggestion: Pep Hamilton. Ran those multiple TE offenses at Stanford, and since we can't get David Shaw we'll take his replacement.

QB coach suggestion: Tee Martin, Baltimore Ravens. SEC experience, experience with QBs

Recruiting suggestion: Dameyune Craig. Bring him home.

TL: I think the easy answer here is Eric Kiesau. A name I would like to see be considered is Dell McGee. McGee is the current run game coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs. I think it would be a slam dunk to take McGee away from the Dawgs, as he is an incredible recruiter and could split play-calling duties with Harsin and Kiesau.

MG: Bryan Harsin

GO: I think the earliest and the quickest they can find an offensive coordinator without rushing it will be beneficial to Auburn especially with Spring practice not too far away. I could definitely see them promoting Eric Kiesau who is the current WRs coach to offensive coordinator with his past with Bryan Harsin and already knowledge of the offense. I also could see them going and getting a former player and coach in Dameyune Craig. I would love to see Craig come back home to the plains after his wild coaching stint from FSU and Auburn and LSU and now at Texas A&M as the WRs coach.

Is there a particular team that you would like to see Auburn match up against at some point in the NCAA Tournament?

© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

JF: Auburn vs. Gonzaga would be the ultimate matchup because of Smith/Kessler vs. Timme/Holmgren, but it would most likely have to come either in the Final Four or the national title game due to seeding. But I would also like to see this team line up with Purdue — an offense that shoots exceptionally well from deep and has the size to match up with Auburn. That would be an unbelievable game.

LD: As far as fun, competitive matchups go, Oregon, Texas Tech, and Providence would all be fun games. If I’m looking to exact revenge, however, I would love to get another shot at UConn.

ZB: I want to see them take on Gonzaga for it all. The nature of March Madness doesn't always crown the best team in college basketball due to the chaos and the single elimination elements. I want Auburn to go up against the best for all the marbles.

I also want them to play Arkansas again for obvious reasons.

LLC: Can we beat Kentucky again? That was fun, and I filled up an entire salt cellar after the game.

TL: I think it would be interesting to see a rematch between Auburn and UConn. The matchup between Adama Sanogo and Walker Kessler would be an even more exciting matchup than before, with Kessler coming into his own during SEC play. I would also like to play Kentucky at full strength so Coach Cal will stop whining about their loss back in January.

MG: Gonzaga

GO: Both of theses answers may end up being pretty common among tiger fans but number 1, Id love to see a rematch against UConn, Auburn has gotten better and better since that loss in the Battle for Atlantis and I think that would be an incredible rematch game. Another one that a lot of others might think of as well is Duke. How fun would it be to watch the two 6'10" forwards projected top 3 in the NBA draft in Jabari Smith and Pablo Banchero go at each other while also having great matchups like the nations two best shot blockers in Walker Kessler and Mark Williams.

Winner of the Week (One Auburn player/alum, current or former, who had a great showing at some point this week)

© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

JF: It’s got to be Walker Kessler. Auburn basketball went over a century with just one triple-double, and now he’s got two in less than two months. He almost averaged a triple-double last week. It’s unreal what he’s doing right now.

LD: Shoutout Rams General Manager and former Auburn graduate Les Snead for winning the Super Bowl! Snead put together an all-or-nothing super team, and it paid off for him in the end.

ZB: I'll give some love to Blake Countess for winning a Super Bowl.

LLC: Blake Countess - my guy just won a Super Bowl. Doesn't get any better than that for a football player.

TL: My winner of the week goes to Les Snead. The Auburn alum put the right pieces together at the right time for the Rams to win the Super Bowl over Cincinnati. Snead went out on a limb and hired the youngest head coach in the league in Sean McVay in 2017, and the rest is history. That same year, the Rams drafted Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp in the third round. The additions of stars in Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, and Odell Beckham Jr. turned the Rams from bottom dwellers to Super Bowl champions.

MG: Walker Kessler. Auburn’s 3rd triple double in program history.

GO: How about the week Mr Walker Kessler had! In two of the most outstanding games of his season where in the tough loss to Arkansas he scored 16 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and blocked 7 shots. Then he came right back in the home victory vs Texas A&M with his second triple double of SEC play with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 blocks. Unbelievable week from Kessler as he is getting better and better as the season goes on.

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