Auburn’s 2023 position battles: Outside wide receivers

Who will Auburn football start at outside wide receiver in 2023?

Joshua Collins | Jul 23, 2023

Auburn’s 2023 position battles: Outside wide receivers /

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Auburn Tigers

Visiting our Auburn football 2023 position battles series once more, this time with our focus firmly set upon the wide receivers’ room, we ask again that familiar question as to who will Auburn football start at the outside receiver position this upcoming season?

With a retooled offensive scheme headed by Coach Hugh Freeze and Coach Philip Montgomery, the Auburn Tigers are looking to air the ball out much more frequently and consistently in 2023. Coach Montgomery has a knack for lulling defenses into complacent positions, then hitting them over the top with a deep passing attack. This new scheme places high priority on big body, explosive, and speedy receivers who are capable of breaking away from coverage to make big plays down the field.

With the recent addition of former Auburn Alum, Coach Marcus Davis, who is now leading the wide receivers’ room, the Auburn faithful can rest assured that he will be looking to make a difference right away. Accomplishing this task by fielding the right fit players to this new scheme to make an immediate impact.

In keeping this scheme and the skillset required to make it successful in mind, we now make the case for six young men, all vying for that coveted top spot as the starting outside receiver for the Auburn Tigers this upcoming 2023 season.

The Case for Shane Hooks:

We begin by making the case for the newly minted plainsman, Shane Hooks. The 6-foot-4, 191-pound receiver hails from Orlando, Florida and joins the roster as a graduate transfer from Jackson State University. Hooks originally committed to the Ohio University Bearcats with their 2018 high school recruiting class, where he played for two seasons before transferring to Jackson State.

This young man has played in a total of 35 games during his collegiate career and has posted some respectable numbers so far. Boasting 116 receptions for a total of 1,609 receiving yards, while also lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 18 total touchdowns.

Hooks is a very physical receiver with quick feet and solid hands. In watching film, he could be more consistently explosive off the line at the snap, but he has enough breakaway speed to counter this slight shortcoming. With his strong route running and ball securing ability, Hooks looks to be an extremely strong contender for earning the starting call at outside receiver this upcoming 2023 season for the Auburn Tigers.

The Case for Camden Brown:

Continuing with the battle for starting reps, we will next make the case for a familiar face on the plains, Camden Brown. The returning 6-foot-3, 203-pound sophomore receiver committed to the Auburn Tigers with the 2022 recruiting class by way of St. Thomas Aquinas High School out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Brown made appearances in 12 games for the Tigers during the 2022 season, putting up nine receptions for a total of 123 yards amounting to two touchdowns for his freshman debut.

Camden is a speedy receiver with great explosiveness off the snap. This speed allows Brown to get great separation of his defender in coverage, making him a solid big play target. This young man could be more physical on and off the ball during his reps, however he is a young player, and this skillset could be developed with solid coaching.

The Auburn faithful could be hearing much more about this young talented player come Fall camp, as he puts in the hard work to place his name in the mix to earn starting outside receiver reps for the Tigers this upcoming 2023 season.

The Case for Jyaire Shorter:

Highlighting another new face to the plains, we make the case for Jyaire Shorter. This young man joins the Auburn roster as a graduate transfer from the University of North Texas, joining his fellow teammate Larry Nixon III for another season of collegiate play. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound senior has appeared in a total of 32 games, where he has put up some respectable numbers thus far. Boasting 58 receptions for a total of 1,320 receiving yards to the tune of 20 total touchdowns.

Shorter is a competent route runner with solid hands and decent breakaway speed allowing him to bust up coverages. One glaring concern that other media outlets have highlighted is a reoccurring knee injury that has plagued this young man for at least two seasons of his collegiate career.

Providing that Jyaire is able to remain healthy throughout the Fall camp and throughout the season, Shorter could be a strong contender to earn the starting outside receiver position for the Auburn Tigers this upcoming 2023 season.

The Case for Malcom Johnson Jr.:

Closing out our top four is returning junior, Malcom Johnson Jr. another familiar plainsman having played his entire collegiate career with the Tigers. The 6-foot-1, 193-pound receiver presents a strong case for starting reps this upcoming 2023 season. Malcom has played in a total of 18 games for the Auburn Tigers, having put up 8 receptions for a total of 110 yards amounting to one touchdown thus far.

Johnson has great hands in tight coverage with lightning speed off the snap, making him a formidable receiver to line up against. Malcom is a very physical receiver and has the speed to effectively run the jet sweep from the outside spot. With a few years of eligibility remaining, I imagine this young man will soon be garnering more media attention as he settles into the new offensive scheme on the plains. Rest assured he is looking to place his name in the mix for starting reps this upcoming 2023 season.

The Case for anyone else on the roster:

Having picked up some solid receiving talent this offseason with the transfer portal, Coach Hugh Freeze & Co. has put their best foot forward to address a need on the offensive front. This being said, there are a few other plausible contenders for at least rotational if not starting reps this upcoming 2023 season. Two players worth mentioning are transfer additions Nick Mardner and Kassidy Woods.

Nick Mardner was one of the first transfer portal receivers to join the Auburn football roster this offseason. The 6-foot-6, 206-pound senior comes to the plains having five seasons of collegiate play under his belt. Mardner has appeared in 46 games boasting 81 receptions for a total 1,488 receiving yards which has amounted to 11 career touchdowns thus far. This young man has some familiarity with Coach Davis already, as he played under his tutelage at the University of Hawaii during the 2021 season.

Mardner has great size as an outside receiver with quick feet and decent speed. Despite having good hands, Mardner has been seen as being slightly inconsistent when targeted by the passer. Hopefully with some additional development this Fall, this issue can be rectified. I believe Mardner will see the field this upcoming 2023 season, the question is just in what capacity will it be.

Kassidy Woods has flown under the media radar with his graduate transfer to the plains by way of Northern Colorado University this offseason. The 6-foot-4 215-pound receiver joins the Auburn roster with four seasons of collegiate play so far. During this career, Woods has put up a total of 63 receptions amounting to 691 receiving yards to the tune of 4 total touchdowns.

This young man is a physical player with quick feet and solid hands. Kassidy has decent top end speed which could allow him to breakaway for some big play catches if targeted. Woods could become a key rotational player for the Tigers this upcoming 2023 season.

Although all these young athletes look good on paper, it is important to remember that it is not only the stat sheets that determine who play and who doesn’t, its also the player’s determination, drive, hard work, and passion for the game that plays a huge role in the final squad selections.

In closing Coach Hugh Freeze & Co. have made some valuable additions to the receiving core this offseason. Adding not only top end talent, but even more so by adding some valuable experience to the receiving room. Should the pieces all fall together. The Auburn fanbase has a lot to be excited about this upcoming 2023 season. Making for some exciting football this year at Auburn University.

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Published Jul 23, 2023

JOSHUA COLLINS