A little more than a week away from its Sept. 5 season opener against Louisville at the Georgia Dome, Auburn has set its sights on the Bobby Petrino-coached Cardinals. While we eagerly anticipate kickoff, let’s catch up on the five biggest developments of the Tigers’ preseason so far.
1. The starting center spot is still up for grabs
Finding a replacement for Reese Dismukes, last season’s Rimington Trophy winner and a starter at center the last four seasons, is the Tigers’ primary concern on the O-line. Ole Miss transfer Austin Golson and former JUCO transfer Xavier Dampeer are battling to take over for Dismukes.
Golson came into camp with experience as a starter — at guard — but Dampeer, a senior, has gotten more snaps at center after serving as Dismukes’ backup for all of 2014.
“Xavier had a very good spring and has had a good fall camp,” Gus Malzahn told the Opelika-Auburn News earlier this month. “Both of those guys are very solid guys. That makes you feel very good going into the season.”
2. Jalen Harris is impressing his coaches in camp
Harris is competing with redshirt freshman Chris Laye for the Tigers’ starting tight end spot. A three-star prospect from St. James School in Montgomery, Ala., Harris was not a touted prospect in Auburn’s 2015 recruiting class but he could see some action in the Chick-fil-A kickoff game.
“You know Jalen Harris is another guy with a whole lot of reps already,” Malzahn recently told the Montgomery Advertiser. “He is a guy that will help us this year, we will just see how much. So far we’ve been pleased with him.”
3. Will Muschamp plans to move Carl Lawson around to create 1-on-1 matchups
This could be an indication that the defensive end, who missed all of last season after having knee surgery, is recovering just fine.
“You have to account for him on every snap,” the Tigers’ defensive coordinator told AuburnSports.com earlier this week. “The guy plays with a tremendous motor. He’s a smart football player. He’s not just a one-way player.”
4. No one has emerged in the three-man battle at running back.
Roc Thomas, Peyton Barber and Jovon Robinson are still fighting for snaps in a competition that might not be settled until well into next month. Earlier this week, Malzahn said that he would like to identify a starter before Auburn’s game at LSU on Sept. 19.
“I think that would be the plan that you would really like,” Malzahn told al.com. “We’re just going to let it happen. We’re going to see how everything works out. That would be nice.”
5. Jeremy Johnson has already won a “major” award
The junior, who has gotten a lot of preseason Heisman hype, has won a “Herbie” in the “Welcome to the Party” category, holding off two other quarterbacks and two defensive backs, including Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick.
You can see the rest of Johnson’s competition here.
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
