King settling into hybrid role

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Auburn Football

Landen King settling into hybrid role in Auburn’s offense

Published: Mar. 29, 2022, 7:05 a.m.

Auburn tight end Luke Deal (86) hugs Auburn tight end Landen King (40) as King celebrates a one-handed touchdown reception against Alabama during the first overtime of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, in Auburn, Ala. The touchdown sent the game to a second overtime, a game won in four overtimes by Alabama, 24-22. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)AP

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Landen King was one of two true freshmen to really see the field for Auburn during Bryan Harsin’s first season as head coach. Now the former three-star tight end could see an increased, and more diverse, role within the offense this fall.

King appeared in eight games last season and caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, with that lone score coming in the first of four overtime periods in the Iron Bowl, as part of a deep tight end group for Auburn. This spring, though, he’s splitting his time in practices and could have more of a hybrid role in offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau’s system.

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“We’re going to kind of use him at both (tight end and wide receiver),” Kiesau said. “We still want to develop him as a tight end, but his strength for us moving forward will definitely be maybe as an extended receiver or a bigger body inside where he could get linebacker or even a nickel who’s going to try to play a bigger body like that. We can create that advantage.”

At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, King would be the tallest and biggest option at wide receiver for Auburn this season. He’s an inch taller than Ze’Vian Capers and two pounds heavier than J.J. Evans, who is sidelined this spring after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his left knee. While King doesn’t have the bulkier frame of some of Auburn’s tight ends to be a hand-in-the-ground type of player who can take on opposing defensive ends, he has the versatility and playmaking ability to be a potential mismatch in the passing attack — especially if he lines up in the slot and finds himself matched up against a smaller linebacker or nickelback.

Getting to this position has taken time for King, a native of Humble, Texas, who was rated as the No. 594 overall prospect in the 2021 class. He was an early enrollee last spring, which gave him the advantage of a full offseason of work before his first collegiate season.

Still, he had to be patient in a crowded tight end room that included veterans John Samuel Shenker, Tyler Fromm and Luke Deal, as well as Brandon Frazier and, at times, J.J. Pegues — who moved to defensive tackle but still saw some reps on the offensive side.

King barely saw the field through the first five weeks of the season, and his first career receptions came in Auburn’s loss to Georgia. He caught two passes for 31 yards in that game. He followed it up a week later with two catches for 23 yards in a win at Arkansas, but he didn’t record another catch until that memorable Iron Bowl.

After Alabama staked its first lead of the night on a pass from Bryce Young to Slade Bolden to open overtime, Auburn answered with a strike from T.J. Finley to King over the middle. King lined up out to the right of the formation on that play and hauled in the pass between a pair of Alabama defenders to help force a second overtime period.

“He cut his teeth, right?” tight ends coach Brad Bedell said. “Usually as a freshman, during the recruiting process, they all want to play early. Then they get here, and they’ve got to get through it. Another early enrollee. Weight room, running, getting bigger, getting stronger and things like that. Landen got through all of that. He played. He made some big plays for us. That’s the one thing with Landen is that he comes with maturity.

“There’s an understanding of when you get here and step into the stadiums as a young kid, you’re like, ‘Oh, OK.’ He did that, and now he’s successful. His confidence is higher, his maturity has grown.”

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King is hoping this new role will grow, too, especially with Auburn somewhat thin at wide receiver this offseason. The Tigers lost four receivers from last year’s team, including two of its top-three players at the position in Kobe Hudson (dismissed) and Demetris Robertson (graduated). Auburn has just six healthy scholarship receivers on roster this spring, with Evans sidelined and two more 2022 signees joining the fray this summer in Camden Brown and Omari Kelly.

The 6-foot-5 sophomore split time between the two positions during the portion of Monday’s practice that was open to the media. He spent the first period working with receivers during position drills before moving back to tight end during skeleton period, displaying good hands and route-running, as well as an impressive ability to high-point the ball—something Harsin has harped on with other receivers throughout the spring.

Given his size and skillset, as well as Auburn’s need for playmakers on offense, the opportunity is there for King to emerge as a much-needed weapon in the passing game and ease some of those depth concerns at receiver for Auburn.

“We’re going to do everything we can with Landen,” Bedell said. “Look at what he did last year, so young. We can do a lot of things with Landen, and we’re excited about Landen and how multiple he can be.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.