Ranking the position groups of Auburn football: Why TE deserves to be high
AUBURN — Auburn football isn't yet done tinkering with its roster, but the two-deep pecking order is largely set with spring practice over and summer arriving.
In terms of a positional rankings, here's how we breakdown what the Tigers have:
10. Quarterback
Expected starter Payton Thorne is taken into account here, of course, but this ranking has a lot to do with the depth behind him. The three other scholarship quarterbacks — Holden Geriner, Hank Brown and true freshman Walker White — have a combined 63 career snaps. In short: The inexperience is troublesome.
9. Defensive line
Auburn did its best to shore up the defensive line by adding transfers Trill Carter (Texas) and Gage Keys (Kansas) before spring practice and Philip Blidi (Indiana) and Isaiah Raikes (USC) after spring. But it's still a unit that lost a handful of key contributors from a season ago such as Marcus Harris, Mosiah Nasili-Kite and Lawrence Johnson. Someone is going to have to step up.
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8. Safety
Texas transfer Jerrin Thompson and third-year defensive back Caleb Wooden figure to see a lot of time on the backend together. There's some decent depth behind them, too, between junior college transfer LaQuan Robinson and underclassmen Terrance Love, Sylvester Smith and Kaleb Harris, among others. Not having a standout playmaker such as Jaylin Simpson, who was recently drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, may hurt this unit.
7. Cornerback
Cornerback likely would've been higher on this list had redshirt freshman Colton Hood not transferred to Colorado in April. Hood was high up on the pecking order at CB, appearing to only be behind starters Kayin Lee and Keionte Scott on the outside. With Hood out, expect to see Alabama transfer Antonio Kite with an increased role. Champ Anthony, heading into Year 2 with the Tigers, is expected to see the majority of reps at nickel.
6. Receiver
Auburn clearly improved at receiver this offseason, bringing in seven newcomers between freshmen Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain and Malcolm Simmons and transfers KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Penn State), Robert Lewis (Georgia State) and Sam Jackson V (Cal). The question, however: Will the youth, namely Coleman and Thompson, be able to contribute early?
5. Offensive line
The Tigers appear to have five competent starters in left tackle Percy Lewis, left guard Dillon Wade, center Connor Lew, right guard Jeremiah Wright and right tackle Izavion Miller. The depth behind them isn't too shabby, either, with redshirt freshman Tyler Johnson and former Tulsa transfer Jaden Muskrat likely set to contribute as rotational pieces. There doesn't seem to be a dominant force — Lew may get there eventually — but it's a solid group.
4. Pass rusher
Given his production at a premium position, buck linebacker Jalen McLeod may be the most valuable player on Auburn's roster. He didn't skip a beat last season after transferring to the Plains from Appalachian State, and he's now paired with Arkansas State transfer Keyron Crawford as well as a few blue-chip freshmen in Amaris Williams, Jamonta Waller and Joe Phillips.
3. Linebacker
After a breakout season in 2023 that featured him racking up 86 tackles and five sacks, Eugene Asante is back for another year with the Tigers. Former Ole Miss transfer Austin Keys returns, too, and Auburn added Duke transfer Dorian Mausi Jr. in December. Expect a fourth option — perhaps one of freshmen Demarcus Riddick or DJ Barber — to step up ahead of the season.
2. Tight end
Amongst SEC tight ends in 2023, Rivaldo Fairweather ranked No. 2 in catches (38), No. 3 in receiving yards (449) and was tied for No. 1 in receiving touchdowns (six). The player who ranked above him or tied with him in each category? Georgia's Brock Bowers, who was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the first round. With Bowers out of the SEC, expect Fairweather to become the conference's top TE. That's why this unit is so high, and that's without mentioning the veteran depth such as Luke Deal and Brandon Frazier.
1. Running back
It's simple: Auburn has four capable running backs between Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, Jeremiah Cobb and Brian Battie. There may not be a superstar on the list, but it could be argued all four are capable starters. Hunter has showed it throughout his career, Alston flashed before getting injured last season, Cobb passed the eye test in his limited attempts as a freshman in 2023 and Battie was a 1,000-yard rusher at South Florida in 2022.
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: Ranking position groups on both sides of the ball
