Name: Auburn’s A-Day Spring Game

Time: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Ala.)

Trying to bounce back from a disappointing 7-6 season, the Auburn Tigers have had a great spring and are looking forward to wrap up all their good work during their spring game on Saturday.

Here are five of the biggest topics worthy of discussion and a good look during the game:

1. Finding a quarterback they can count on

Auburn is one of several SEC schools with a wide-open quarterback race. The trio of Jeremy Johnson, Sean White and newcomer John Franklin III have been sharing duties all spring and there’s no clear winner – at least so far – in this all-important race.

Johnson and White both had chances last year and often struggled. Johnson was benched after getting off to a slow start when the Tigers, a preseason No. 6-ranked team, struggled out of the gate. White played well at times but then was injured.

That opens the door for Franklin to steal this starting spot. The former Florida State recruit is lightning fast and can run like Nick Marshall did a few years ago. How well he can throw the ball remains to be seen, and we’ll see some of that on Saturday.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has been complimentary of all three QBs so far. Johnson had the longest play of the scrimmages, a 75-yard wheel route score to Roc Thomas. White has been steady and accurate. But it’s Franklin who provides the juice.

2. Getting a comfort level with Kevin Steele

Auburn’s defense really struggled last year, and that might have been the biggest surprise of the SEC season considering defensive guru Will Muschamp was in charge of the group. They struggled at every level, though the Tigers did play better defensively at the end of the year, especially in the bowl game when they shut down a vaunted Memphis attack.

Enter Kevin Steele, who takes over as the fifth defensive coordinator in six years at Auburn. The veteran coach has a lot of work to do, but so far so good.

“The biggest thing is the attitude that they’ve had about working hard and responding to demanding to play with great effort and that you’re physical and that you tackle,” Steele said last week. “The way they’ve bought into that has been — I wouldn’t say it’s a pleasant surprise, but I would say it has been a joy to see.”

Having Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams back to anchor what should be a very good and very deep defensive line is a good start. Seeing improvement every day is critical.

3. Establishing the starters on the offensive line

Several moving parts on the offensive line might be a good thing for this group. The sum of the parts might make for a sizable jump in execution this year, which is badly needed.

Xavier Dampeer, a two-year backup who became more well known for being the guy punched out and injured by former WR Duke Williams, has had a great spring and looks to be the starting center. Alex Kozan is set at left guard and Austin Golson looks comfortable making the move out to left tackle from center.

“For Xavier, he’s pretty strong, and he’s pretty fast,” Kozan said recently. “But for him, it’s kind of been on the mental side. He’s really come along mentally as a player, really gotten his calls down and done a good job of helping direct the unit.”

4. Proving there’s improvement on the defensive line

Lawson and Adams are studs, and the Tigers were thrilled to have them both back in 2016. If they stay healthy, they’ll contend for all-conference honors and anchor what should be a solid D-line.

They’ve got company too. Newcomer Marlon Davidson, an early enrollee from Montgomery, has taken reps at strong-side defensive end opposite Lawson in several recent practices and he’s been the biggest pleasant surprise of the spring. Coaches and players all say he looks like a veteran out there already.

That’s good news for the Tigers, who really struggled getting to the quarterback last year. That has to be a huge area of improvement. They might also get a boost from sophomore Jeff Holland. He’s mostly played outside linebacker, but has been working as a pass rusher all spring and could make a big impact.

5. Starting the countdown to Sept. 3

It’s 147 days from Saturday to Sept. 3, the day the Tigers open the regular season with the toughest opening-act task in college football this season, the national runner-up Clemson Tigers. That’s a tough opener to be sure, but what’s most important this spring for Auburn is to get back that winning attitude. Going 7-6 last year was rough, especially when it included only two wins in the SEC.

At least so far, there’s a fresh look of confidence and some renewed energy in Malzahn’s program. Wrapping up the spring with a feeling of accomplishment that they got a lot of good work in during the past month will be a good thing.

There’s a lot to look forward to. Jevon Robinson and Roc Thomas look good at running back and Steele has the defense on pace to be much better. If the quarterback position plays out well, the Tigers will be looking to improve drastically on that 7-6 mark.

“I’ve been around them a lot and they are really working hard,” former receiver Ricardo Louis said Tuesday night. “There’s a lot of talent there and I think they’re going to surprise some people next year. ”