Top goals for Auburn Football this spring

Here are the top goals for Auburn football and Bryan Harsin to accomplish during the spring.

© Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

It’s over. The week long drama that engulfed Auburn Football has come to an end. The result of an inquiry by the administration into Auburn’s Football program yielded nothing actionable, and now Bryan Harsin must turn his attention to preparing his team for spring practice. With practice scheduled to begin in early March culminating with an A-Day game set for April 9th, here are the top priorities for Bryan Harsin this spring.

Find a Quarterback

This is the top priority for the offense in 2022. Bo Nix took the Oregon trail west and Robbie Ashford hit the I-40 east to Auburn. Ashord joins fellow portal jumper Zach Calzada coming into a QB room with incumbent TJ Finley and Dematrius Davis. Calzada brings the most starting experience to the QB room but it should be fierce off season battle for the top spot in the pecking order. 

Identifying the right guy to drive the ship will be the single most impactful decision Harsin has to make this offseason, as the winner will likely dictate what direction Auburn goes on offense this fall. If we learned anything about Bryan Harsin it’s that favorites are not a thing anymore. The next one needs to be the right one as Auburn navigates its SEC West schedule in ‘22.

Get better in run blocking

Auburn’s poor run blocking left star tailback Tank Bigsby fighting for his life at times last year. Auburn had so little faith in its run blocking that they threw the ball on 3rd/4th and short in situations where they should have been able to pound it forward for a single yard. This will need to improve next season to take the pressure off the passing game and help Auburn control the clock better.

Identify a star receiver

With leading receiver Kobe Hudson entering the portal, Shedrick Jackson is the only receiver left with an impactful amount of yards and catches. Auburn lacked a consistent deep threat which impeded the offense and made them much easier to defend. Malcolm Johnson showed flashes of competence at times and Auburn will need him to step up this season to stretch the field and help keep defenses honest. After the spring, it’s not hard to see Auburn raiding the portal for more experience to add to the receiving core.

Establish an offensive identity

It’s hard to know what kind of offensive team Auburn was based on last year’s film. Lack of success on first down left Auburn throwing the ball more than Bryan Harsin had envisioned. When asked, Bryan Harsin has stated he would like to be a down hill running team but that vision never came to fruition. Can Auburn be a down hill team? They’ll have to figure that out this spring once they’ve had a chance to evaluate the offensive line in run blocking but establishing an identity will be the key to implementing a system that plays to the teams strengths and covers their weaknesses.

There’s lots to evaluate this spring for the second year head coach and his staff this spring. With one the hardest schedules in the country year in and year out Auburn will need to get these things done to improve on a 6-7 season.