Grading Auburn's Position Groups After A-Day

Spring practice is over, so now it's time to overreact.

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Spring practice has come and gone on the Plains, which means it is now time for overreactions from the spring game. The Tigers were injury-ridden at many important positions, but they still managed to muster up an interesting A-Day game. All eyes are now on fall camp for position battles to be won.

Here are my grades for Auburn's position groups after spring practice:

Quarterbacks

© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s tough to grade this position without Zach Calzada playing and with the quarterbacks not being live. The stats from A-Day were not atrocious, but they were nothing to write home about. 

Incumbent starter TJ Finley had a few good passes, including the touchdown he threw to Malcom Johnson Jr. However, it was Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner that had everyone talking after the spring game was over. Even though the quarterbacks were not live, Ashford showed off his athleticism with a few scrambles. Geriner looked the part with an impressive drive to end the game that was capped off with a beautiful catch by Landen King. 

The A-Day game left us with more questions than answers at the most important position on the field, so the grade will suffer because of that.

GRADE: C

Running Backs

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

You would think the absence of freshman standout Jarquez Hunter would hurt this group, but it in fact did not.

One of the biggest stories coming out of spring was the emergence of Sean Jackson. The redshirt freshman out of Hewitt-Trussville earned himself a scholarship this spring, and the power back may get some valuable reps this fall. Auburn has a hole in their RB3 spot with Shaun Shivers transferring to Indiana after the season. Jackson is a complete opposite of what Shivers was in running style, but he might just be what the Tigers need to succeed.

Obviously, Auburn brings back Tank Bigsby for his third season on the Plains. He may be Auburn’s most important player this season, and the coaching staff has already been up front about the fact that the offense is going to rely heavily on the junior tail back. That was made evident in the A-Day game where Bigsby was lined up as a receiver during a few plays and caught numerous passes out of the backfield. One thing is for certain: Auburn will go as far as Tank Bigsby will carry them in 2022.

GRADE: B+

Wide Receivers

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletic

The biggest question heading into the offseason is what Auburn would do with its wide receiver room. The Tigers have a lot of talent in the room, but not a ton of experience.

Shedrick Jackson returns as the elder statesman of the receiving corp, and he seemed to improve based on his spring game performance.

Speedsters Malcom Johnson Jr. and Ja’Varrius Johnson will be relied on heavily as deep threats in this offense. Tar’Varish Dawson and Ze’Vian Capers also look for a bigger workload after quiet 2021 seasons. Newcomers Jay Fair, Camden Brown, and Omari Kelly will even be vying for playing time in their freshman seasons.

If there is any position Auburn needs to reload at through the Transfer Portal, it’s wide receiver.

GRADE: C

Tight Ends

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Auburn’s deepest offensive group showed out on A-Day. John Samuel Shenker (rocking the new number #25), Luke Deal, Tyler Fromm, Brandon Frazier, and Landen King all recorded catches during the spring game.

Auburn will look to the tight ends as a safety net for whoever the quarterback ends up being this season. With the receiver room being a bit thin on experience, the tight ends will be some of the top receiving threats on the team. Landen King has taken advantage of this, becoming a hybrid player for the Tigers because of his go-up-and-get-it ability.

I expect this tight end room to be the best in the conference this season. Auburn fans, you get your wish. The quarterback will indeed throw to the tight end.

GRADE: A

Offensive Line

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Like the quarterbacks, it is hard to grade this position group because of the injuries along the offensive line. Veterans Brandon Council and Nick Brahms missed spring practice due to injury, giving way to younger players getting a chance to shine in their place.

Auburn did not improve its offensive line from last year in the transfer portal or their recruiting class. If this veteran offensive line does not take strides forward in 2022, it could be a long season for whoever ends up starting at quarterback.

GRADE: C-

Defensive Line

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

If Auburn succeeds in 2022, it will be because the defensive line imitates the 2019 team. You may remember a few of those players. While Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson aren’t suiting up for the Tigers in 2022, there are a few absolute units that will be on the defensive line. 

Derick Hall and Eku Leota bookend the line at the EDGE position, and could legitimately be one of the best one-two punches at EDGE in the SEC. The Tigers also have key pieces in Marcus Harris and Colby Wooden that can play inside and also flex outside if necessary. 

Throw in newcomers Jeffrey M’ba and Jayson Jones and you are looking at Auburn’s best position group heading into the 2022 season.

GRADE: A

Linebackers

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

In some cases, injuries can hurt a position group during spring practice. However, for Auburn’s linebacker room, it may be a blessing in disguise.

One of Auburn’s most important missions this spring was to replace a giant Zakoby McClain-sized hole at the linebacker position. Owen Pappoe will be charged with filling that role in the fall, but the junior linebacker missed spring practice due to injury. The Tigers have had multiple linebackers playing depth roles the past few seasons step up this offseason. Wesley Steiner and Cam Riley were names that stood out to the coaching staff, and their play on the field during A-Day proved it.

Joko Willis and Eugene Asante also will be vying for playing time, making this room one of the most competitive groups on the team.

GRADE: B

Defensive Backs

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

The loss of Roger McCreary was the biggest story for the Tigers on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. Veterans Nehemiah Pritchett and Jaylin Simpson will be charged with accomplishing that feat. Newcomers JD Rhym, AD Diamond, Austin Ausberry will look to make a name for themselves, while veteran transfers DJ James and Keointe Scott have the ability to come in and start day one.

The loss of Smoke Monday, however, has not been noted enough. While Smoke had his fair share of moments getting burnt by defenses, he brought a competitive edge and leadership to the Auburn defensive back room that will be hard to replicate. Donovan Kaufman is now the leader in the safety room, with spring standouts Cayden Bridges and Caleb Wooden looking to get some playing time. Zion Puckett will also return from injury this season and could see a hybrid type role between safety and linebacker.

One thing to note from A-Day is that three defensive backs (Donovan Kaufman, Caleb Wooden, and Marquise Gilbert) recorded tackles for loss. Don’t be surprised to see defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding send his DBs on blitzes this fall to create havoc for opposing QBs.

GRADE: B

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