5 Auburn football freshmen who could make noise in spring practice
AUBURN — Auburn football has yet to announce when spring practice will start, but it did recently release the date for coach Hugh Freeze's second A-Day on the Plains: April 6.
The spring period consists of 15 practices spread out over five weeks, with the last practice being A-Day. Spring break is typically in that time frame, too, and players get that week off. Using some extrapolation, fans can expect practices to begin some time in late February. The start date last year was Feb. 27.
Auburn is expected to have the majority of its scholarship freshmen partipcating. The Tigers have 19 players signed in the Class of 2024 and one verbal commitment who has yet to put pen to paper in three-star defensive lineman Dimitry Nicolas. Of the 18 players inked, 14 are early enrollees, according to 247Sports.
The four signees who won't be on campus include five-star receiver Perry Thompson, four-star receiver Malcolm Simmons, four-star offensive lineman DeAndre Carter and four-star cornerback A'Mon Lane-Ganus. That quartet will arrive in the late summer ahead of fall camp.
Here are a handful of early enrollees to keep an eye on once spring practices get rolling:
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5-star WR Cam Coleman
The biggest fish Freeze and his staff hauled in this past recruiting cycle, five-star receiver Cam Coleman has a shot to establish himself as a contributor in Year 1. The Tigers didn't have much production from their WRs last season, and some pieces from 2023 such as Malcolm Johnson Jr. and Omari Kelly have hit the portal.
Coleman's presence in the spring could help him be prepared for fall camp, where coaches will be watching closely and building a depth chart. His youth and inexperience may hurt him, but Coleman's talent may be too great to keep him off the field.
4-star edge defender Jamonta Waller
With Elijah McAllister running out of eligibility, the Tigers need someone to step up at pass rusher alongside returning senior Jalen McLeod. That opens the door for four-star edge defender Jamonta Waller, who is one of three jack linebackers listed on Auburn's roster.
Waller had 69 tackles and nine sacks as a senior at Picayune Memorial High School in Mississippi.
4-star WR Bryce Cain
Speed kills, and four-star receiver Bryce Cain has a lot of it.
Cain has registered 40-yard dash times in the high 4.3s, according to Ben Thomas of Al.com. That quickness helped him catch 69 passes for 1,445 yards and 21 touchdowns over his two-season career at Baker High School in Mobile. Perhaps more of a slot type given his size — 5-foot-11, 170 pounds — Cain, similar to Coleman on the outside, could prove capable of playing early.
4-star DL Malik Blocton
No one played more along Auburn's defensive line last season than seniors Marcus Harris and Justin Rogers, who received 533 and 375 snaps, respectively. They're both off pursuing professional opportunities, and Purdue transfer Lawrence Johnson, who saw 238 reps, per Pro Football Focus, is out of eligibility.
That means there'll be ample opportunity for someone such as four-star DL Malik Blocton, the younger brother of Harris. Auburn has added a couple of transfers such as Gage Keys (Kansas) and Trill Carter (Texas), but Blocton could get on the field, too. That process starts in the spring.
3-star LB D'Angelo Barber
Auburn ran a two-deep rotation at linebacker last season that consisted of Eugene Asante, Austin Keys, Larry Nixon III and Cam Riley. Nixon is out of eligibility, and Riley recently entered the transfer portal. The Tigers did land former Duke LB Dorian Mausi from the portal, but that still leaves a spot open. Maybe it'll go to a veteran such as Wesley Steiner, but there's also a chance it could go to a freshman.
Barber may be the most ready to take on that challenge. His recruiting ranking isn't as high compared to other LB signees like Joe Phillips and Demarcus Riddick, but his stats are second to none. He tallied 152 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception amidst his senior season at Clay-Chalkville High School. Included in that production is the game-winning tackle he made in the Class 6A state championship.
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.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: 5 freshmen who could stand out at spring practice
