With Peyton Barber, Auburn’s leading rusher last season, on his way to the NFL, Jovon Robinson is primed to become the Tigers’ No. 1 running back in 2016.

He put himself in that position with his performance in 2015. Robinson, limited to just eight games because of a lingering ankle injury, finished with 639 yards and 3 TDs on 117 carries to average 5.46 per attempt, which bettered Barber’s 4.3 average by more than a yard.

Robinson capped his first season on the Plains by rushing for a game-high 126 yards and a score to earn MVP honors in Auburn’s 31-10 victory over Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl.

Robinson started only four times, but over the final three games of Auburn’s 7-6 season, he gained 276 yards and scored 2 TDs on 56 carries. By comparison, Barber rushed just 31 times for 116 yards and a score over that same stretch. So based on those numbers, Robinson ended 2015 as Auburn’s primary back, and it’s time to forecast what he could potentially do over a full year. Robinson was clearly happy with how he ended 2015.

“My performance throughout the last part of the season, I think was a testament to my work ethic and during the summer and during the spring and during the winter,” Robinson told al.com. “I had experienced a slight injury that kind of injured me a little bit, but I felt like I had support of my teammates and just pushed through adversity. I was able to be successful.”

Robinson, who arrived at Auburn in December of 2014 after spending a year at Georgia Military College, rushed for at least 91 yards in five of his final six games.

If he were to average that total over a 13-game 2016 season, he would finish with 1,183 yards, which would make him the 10th Auburn player over the past eight years to eclipse a grand on the ground. So Robinson is obviously in the right system to have a big season. But that’s not all he has going for him in 2016.

Shon Coleman and Avery Young, both of whom are leaving early to enter this year’s draft, are key departures, but the Tigers’ other starting offensive linemen from 2015 – guards Alex Kozan and Braden Smith and center Austin Golson — are returning. Robert Leff, Will Adams and Mike Horton should also be back to strengthen a group Robinson should have no problem running behind.

Another thing that bodes in Robinson’s favor is Auburn’s shaky situation at quarterback, which should lead to him becoming the focal point of the offense.

Both Jeremy Johnson and Sean White are coming off less-than-impressive seasons, and incoming recruit John Franklin III could win the QB competition, which would make Robinson the featured player in Gus Malzahn and Rhett Lashlee’s attack.

Then there’s Robinson’s competition in the backfield as Auburn approaches spring ball.

Rising sophomore Kerryon Johnson rushed 52 times for 208 yards and 3 TDs last year, and rising junior Roc Thomas rushed 43 times for 261 yards and a score. Both are talented, but neither is built to be Auburn’s every-down back.

Johnson is 6-0, 195 pounds while Thomas stands 5-10 and weighs 203. The 6-foot, 230-pound Robinson has the size and strength to get the bulk of Auburn’s carries in 2016. Recruit Malik Miller, at 5-11, and 229 pounds, is the only running back on the roster who comes close to Robinson physically.

So Robinson appears to have a lot going for him as he approaches his second season at Auburn.

He has the talent, which he clearly showed while leading all JUCO players with 2,387 yards and 34 TDs for Georgia Military in 2013. All he needs now is the opportunity to be the main guy in the Tigers’ backfield. It’s a possibility that has at least one teammate excited heading into this season.

“That’s somebody that everybody should watch out for,” receiver Jason Smith told al.com.

Something tells us they already are.