AUBURN — Auburn football will certainly be impacted by the spring transfer portal, which is set to open Monday, but the current batch of players on the roster will largely be what coach Hugh Freeze has to work with come the season opener against Alabama A&M on Aug. 31.
The Tigers completed spring practice with A-Day on April 6. The offense started slow before finding the end zone with 8:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. The touchdown was caught by five-star receiver Cam Coleman, and it came from 39 yards out. The score and subsequent point after made it a two-point game, and freshman kicker Towns McGough connected on a 58-yarder to win the game, 28-27.
With 15 spring practices wrapped up, here’s our best attempt at predicting what the offensive depth chart looks like heading into the summer. The Tigers have 39 offensive players on scholarship, so all of them are included in this projection. Keep in mind that incoming freshmen DeAndre Carter, Perry Thompson, Malcolm Simmons and Amon Lane-Ganus were not early enrollees and did not go through spring practice.
SPRING:Auburn’s 5 biggest A-Day winners — yes, of course Cam Coleman is included
A-DAY:Cam Coleman shined in Jordan-Hare Stadium — he should still be in high school
Freeze has been consistent in the fact that Thorne entered the spring as the favorite to be the starter, and he’s done nothing to be unseated. The real battle is for the primary backup spot between Holden Geriner and Hank Brown.
Senior Jarquez Hunter didn’t get the most runs this spring, but that may be more due to his experience. The Tigers already know what they have in him, so there’s no reason to put any extra miles on his tires.
Coleman came in and took hold of a starting position right off the bat. He’s a true freshman, so putting the weight of the offense on him is less than ideal, but it certainly seems he’s lived up to the hype so far.
A Georgia State transfer who’s established himself as a starter, Robert Lewis has versatility to play both inside and the outside; he’s been getting a lot of reps opposite of Coleman. Keep in mind that receiver is a spot where players can move about. For example, Jay Fair got plenty of work on the outside at A-Day.
Sam Jackson V has a connection with Thorne, which stems from their time together at Naperville Central High School in 2018. Jackson, who was in a non-contact jersey throughout spring while recovering from shoulder surgery, has been one of the main options at receiver.
After having one of the best receiving seasons for a tight end in program history, Rivaldo Fairweather is back and is hoping, as he put it, to double his production from a season ago.
Percy Lewis started seven games at tackle for Mississippi State in 2023. That experience seems to have set him up as the starter for Auburn in 2024. Keep an eye on Tyler Johnson, who is clearly the main reserve at both tackle spots.
Moving inside after playing LT at Auburn last season, Dillon Wade is still getting used to playing guard. If he can get comfortable, there’s optimism for the left side of the line.
It was less than ideal when starting center Avery Jones went down with an injury last season, but it opened the door for Connor Lew to contribute as a freshman. Now a sophomore, he may have the highest ceiling of any offensive lineman on the team. Similar to receiver, keep in mind that someone such as Dylan Senda can move around to different positions along the OL.
Freeze has heaped praise on Jeremiah Wright for putting everything together this offseason. After four seasons, it finally seems like things are lining up for him.
Izavion Miller is poised to enter season No. 2 at Auburn as the starting right tackle once again. As mentioned earlier, Johnson would likely get time here if Miller were to struggle heavily or go down with an injury.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
