Auburn entered spring practice in need of more depth at receiver.

D’haquille Williams and Ricardo Lewis return, but the Tigers need some more players to catch Jeremy Johnson’s passes. One of those, it seems, will be Jonathan Wallace, the former quarterback.

As a true freshman in 2012, Wallace started the final four games at quarterback, but threw just five passes the last two seasons. Auburn experimented with the 6-foot-2, 207-pound athlete last fall as he toiled behind Nick Marshall and Johnson on the depth chart. Wallace even caught a pass for 18 yards against Samford.

Now it appears that move will last for his entire senior season.

“Jonathan Wallace has made the transition to receiver,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said Thursday.

Malzahn then compared Wallace to fan favorite Kodi Burns, who caught 11 passes for the 2010 national championship team after transitioning from quarterback to receiver.

Auburn tried a similar experiment with Kiehl Frazier last season after he got buried on the depth chart. Frazier bounced from boundary safety back to quarterback and then to receiver mid-season, but he didn’t catch a pass and since has transferred to Ouachita Baptist.

In addition to some time at the position last season, Wallace will get the benefit of all 15 spring practices, then an entire summer and fall camp at receiver to prepare.

The Tigers’ hurry-up, no-huddle offense is expected to feature the passing game more prominently this season with Johnson at quarterback. Wallace, a former three-star, dual-threat quarterback for Central-Phenix City, is expected to line up inside. According to AL.com, Auburn uses six or more receivers per game on a regular basis, and the team is counting on Wallace to be among those players.

Wallace won’t lead the team in receptions, but he should play a role in the offense, perhaps as a fifth or sixth option, which is exactly what Auburn needs at receiver.

“He is in a position to help us this coming year.,” Malzahn said. “He’s a smart guy, he’s showing some toughness.”