On Sept. 2, Auburn will open its fifth season under head coach Gus Malzahn.

Preparation for that opener against Georgia Southern begins this week. It comes on the heels of the Tigers’ preseason, which concluded Saturday with their third scrimmage of camp. The most important takeaway from the Tigers’ camp came at quarterback, where a starter was named.

Following the third (and final) preseason scrimmage, Malzahn was pleased, telling reporters Saturday “was a very good day.”

Here’s a look at what has been solved and what questions remain heading into the opener.

What has been solved

There’s clarity at quarterback: From the day he signed with Auburn, Jarrett Stidham, a former Baylor quarterback, was expected to win the starting job. And before preseason camp even ended, he had done just that. Malzahn made the announcement via a tweet from his official Twitter account last week.

What now?

Stidham has two more weeks to get locked in with his receivers and continue to master the terminology of first-year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s scheme. It will be interesting to see how Stidham fares this fall. After all, he hasn’t played in a live game since 2015. But when he was on the field for the Bears, he excelled, throwing for 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns against just two interceptions in 10 games.

Despite his lack of game reps recently, expectations for Stidham are high, as some posit him as a dark-horse candidate to win the Heisman Trophy this season.

Redshirt freshman defensive lineman earns rave reviews: Nick Coe didn’t set foot on the field last season. Instead, the North Carolina native redshirted, as the Tigers didn’t want to waste a year of the defensive lineman’s eligibility fighting for reps on one of the deepest units of last season’s team.

The year off did him good.

Since the end of his high school career, Coe has gained more than 30 pounds — mostly muscle. And his emergence comes at a good time for the Tigers. That deep defensive line from last season had four players depart: Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams, Devaroe Lawrence and Maurice Swain Jr. In addition, fellow 2016 signee Antwuan Jackson Jr. transferred out of the program in May.

While Coe has yet to see the field in a college game, fellow defensive lineman Marlon Davidson — who had a stellar season as a true freshman in 2016 — gushed about his teammate.

“Nick is a freak of nature. Like the real deal. I look at him like Myles Garrett,” Davidson said, according to the Opelika-Auburn News. “He can really do it all.”

Junior college transfer tight end will find way to contribute: Sal Cannella is a tight end by trade. At least, that’s how he’s listed on the official roster.

But Cannella has also spent plenty of time split out wide as a receiver. Where he spends his time depends on the day. Sometimes, it’s largely at tight end. Others, he’s huddling with the receivers.

Wherever Cannella lines up this season, running back Kerryon Johnson expects him to make a difference.

“I think Sal is really good, honestly,” Johnson said, according to Auburn247Sports.com. “He catches a lot of contested balls, he’s a big target, he knows how to use his body to block off defenders. He knows how to go and get the ball. He’s a sneaky athlete. I think he’s going to be very big for us this year, I think he really will.”

What’s left to solve

Offensive line still murky: Malzahn said Saturday that Auburn has yet to settle on its starting offensive line. But, he said, that was “not a bad thing.” That’s likely because the Tigers have already started to narrow the battles down. Lindsey said last week that eight players were fighting for the five starting spots.

As it stands, the Tigers are working with two potential lineups.

One look features Prince Tega Wanogho at left tackle, Mike Horton at left guard, Austin Golson at center, Braden Smith at right guard and Darius James at right tackle. The other possibility has a little less clarity, with either Wanogho or James at left tackle, Marquel Harrell or Wilson Bell at right guard, with Smith moving out to right tackle. Further, two-time FCS All-American Casey Dunn, a graduate transfer from Jacksonville State, has seen reps at center. If he locks down that position, Golson would play either left or right guard.

If nothing else, the Tigers have plenty of options it can sift through prior to taking on the Eagles.

Running back unsettled beyond top two: First things first: Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson are unquestionably at the top of the running back depth chart.

The next man up is where things get muddled.

There, three players are battling it out for third-team reps: Sophomore Kam Martin, redshirt freshman Malik Miller and true freshman Devan Barrett.

Lindsey told reporters he’s “looking for the most well-rounded back that we can find” to fill the No. 3 spot.

Each candidate brings something different.

Martin was an all-state track athlete in high school and one of the fastest players on the roster. Miller, 5 feet 11, 225 pounds, is a bruising runner. Barrett might be the most natural receiver of the three and refuses to shy away from contact.

Barrett specifically drew praise from Lindsey last week, with the coordinator noting that the freshman’s skill set was perfectly suited for the third-string position.

Still, the running back who receives third-team reps could vary by the week.

It’s a good problem to have.

Defensive tackle rotation must be fleshed out: Dontavius Russell. Derrick Brown. Andrew Williams.

Those three will see plenty of reps inside this fall and might as well be listed as co-starters. But there is still uncertainty behind them. Many expected junior Byron Cowart, a five-star signee who began his career at defensive end, would finally start to shine after being moved to the interior. But it appears that has yet to happen.

“He’s just got to keep improving,” defensive line coach Rodney Garner said last week, according to AL.com. “He moved to a new position, which is totally Greek. He’s at defensive tackle, which that’s a different position. So he has to learn the techniques and fundamentals … (to) be successful at that position.”

Perhaps even more worrisome for Cowart is that younger players are already impressing. Last week, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele lauded two freshmen who have been competing with Cowart for those reps as the No. 4 tackle: Alec Jackson and Tyrone Truesdell.

The good news for the Tigers is that the top three in their rotation should have solid, if not stellar, seasons. But to avoid getting worn out, they need other players behind them to step up.