Spring preview: 5 wild cards on offense

[aubiefifty 18,238]

Auburn spring preview: 5 wild cards on offense

ByNathan King

7-9 minutes

---

Late Kick Blitz: Jayden Daniels commits to LSU

 

Spring football officially gets rolling next week on the Plains. Bryan Harsin’s second spring practice period at Auburn is set to begin March 14 and culminate in the A-Day scrimmage April 9.

Auburn Undercover will continue to preview a different facet of Auburn's upcoming spring practices until things get rolling on Monday — from wild-card players to freshman fits to position battles to depth charts.

We'll continue with a look at five wild cards to watch on the offensive side of the ball — players who possess an eclectic skill set and whose contributions for the upcoming season can best be described as unpredictable.

QB ROBBY ASHFORD

If each member of Auburn’s five-man quarterback battle is truly going to get an equal opportunity, then Ashford might be the biggest wild card of the room.

A four-star recruit out of Hoover in the 2020 class, Ashford was recruited by Auburn before things started to fade away closer to signing day, and the Tigers ultimately signed three-star Chayil Garnett instead.

So Ashford chose Oregon, where he was a two-sport athlete, also playing baseball for the Ducks. On the gridiron, Ashford never appeared in a game, being passed up on the depth chart by transfers and Oregon’s newer QB recruits.

Aiming for a fresh start — and much closer to home — Ashford transferred out and committed to Auburn in January. He enrolled for the spring and has been part of the winter workout period.

Ashford’s largely unknown skill set makes him a bit of a mystery when it comes to the Tigers’ quarterback equation in 2022. Of course, players like Dematrius Davis and Holden Geriner also have never seen the field in college, but Auburn’s staff has evaluated both closely over the past year — Davis in practice every day, and Geriner as a prized recruit.

Veteran QBs like T.J. Finley or Zach Calzada from Texas A&M are presumed to have the upper hand in the starting competition once things get under way, but there’s no way of knowing whether Ashford might possess some tools that could raise some eyebrows among the coaching staff.

WR MALCOLM JOHNSON JR.

Auburn’s already inconsistent receiving corps took a decent blow this offseason, losing leading target Kobe Hudson to transfer. Starter Demetris Robertson (graduation) and young depth piece Elijah Canion (transfer) are gone, as well.

Things looked even more dire when Ja'Varrius Johnson transferred, leaving Auburn with just one of its top four receivers set to return in 2022. But all signs are pointing toward Johnson remaining with the team.

Still, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for increased playing time in the main rotation of pass-catchers this spring. Johnson and Shedrick Jackson have plenty of experience and should be the leaders, but the way the rest of the lineup shakes out is anyone’s guess.

Players like Malcolm Johnson Jr., who contributed last season but weren’t heavily utilized down the stretch, are now in position to earn starting roles. The former four-star recruit from the 2020 class didn’t record any stats as a true freshman and appeared in just one game. But in Harsin’s offense last year, he played in 11 of 13 games and had six receptions, including three in SEC play and a long touchdown against Alabama State.

Regarded as one of the fastest players on the roster since he arrived, Johnson Jr. is hoped by the coaching staff to give Auburn a deep threat next season in a receiving corps that doesn’t have many other options to do so.

Someone like Ze'Vian Capers also figures to rise up to a bigger role in 2022, though Johnson Jr. nearly doubled his snaps last season.

TE LANDEN KING

Speaking of depth at wide receiver, there might be another solution for Auburn one room over.

Though he’s still listed on the roster as a tight end, King last season developed into a hybrid between his original position and wide receiver. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, King took only four snaps at an inline tight end spot last year, as compared to 29 snaps at big slot receiver.

Over the course of the season, King displayed his athleticism as a pass-catcher. When the receivers were struggling with drops, King was given an opportunity by the coaching staff because of his production on the scout team. He appeared in six of the remaining eight games, catching five passes on the year for 59 yards.

Against Alabama, King made one of Auburn’s best individual plays of the season — a one-handed touchdown catch from Finley in the first overtime to extend the game.

King wants to play receiver. Check his social media, and in all of his bios, he calls himself a receiver at Auburn. Seeing as the Tigers don’t have an established, big-body, red-zone threat at the position, it will certainly be worth monitoring where King lines up this spring, and if a full-scale position change might be in the cards.

OL JEREMIAH WRIGHT

Wright is expected to be back, at least in a minor capacity, this spring from his knee injury nearly a year ago.

But on which line of scrimmage will he play?

Originally recruited as an offensive guard, Wright made the switch during the 2020 preseason to defensive tackle, where he was praised by the old coaching staff during the season, and the new one in spring practices. Many considered him the standout player of last spring on the defensive side of the ball before he tore his ACL in a scrimmage.

He was out for the season, but in Birmingham Bowl practices, Wright was getting non-contact work in with the offensive line. Harsin hasn’t confirmed as much yet.

But will that return to offense stick heading into spring ball? Auburn lost eight defensive linemen to the transfer portal, so a known commodity like Wright might be of great importance for the defensive front. His switch back to offense was just a couple months ago, but that was before the upheaval on the other side of the ball.

On the O-line, Auburn returns four of five starters, including both guard spots (Brandon Council and Keiondre Jones). But we’ve seen how much Auburn likes to rotate; Tashawn Manning and Alec Jackson weren’t starters last season but still played in most games.

OL KILIAN ZIERER

A massive offensive tackle specimen at 6-foot-7 and 298 pounds, Zierer will be a major factor in Auburn deciding how its starting tackle spots will play out.

He figures to be the natural replacement for Brodarious Hamm at right tackle, seeing as Zierer started four games last season and was Hamm’s replacement when he opted out of the bowl game. Starting left tackle Austin Troxell is also returning.

But a couple other faces at offensive tackle are planning on providing plenty of competition. Jackson his back for his super senior season, and fellow JUCO product Brenden Coffey is looking to crack the starting five once again. Jackson was Auburn's starting left tackle in 2020, and Coffey started two games on the right side after an injury to Hamm.

Auburn's staff thinks highly of Zierer, and if he comes out and continues to impress at the start of spring practice, there probably won't be much drama at either tackle position. Seeing as right tackle is the only offensive line spot not returning its full-time starter from last year, if Zierer becomes the obvious choice, Auburn will likely have its starting five solidified heading into the summer — which would be important for an offense breaking in a new quarterback.

6COMMENTS

*** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***

[AuburnNTexas 7,317]

I think we might be surprised by Colby Smith. He has the height and frame of a true OT and from the HS film I saw he has pretty good feet. After a year in the weight room I am sure he is stronger then before and might surprise some people and win a starting OT position. Another freshman from last year Garner Langlo also had the height and frame but was not thick enough when he arrived I am excited to see if he has added bulk and will compete as a starter or backup at either guard or tackle. Both should at least provide quality depth this year and probably help us in 2023 after all the super seniors leave.