War Eagle faithful will get their first look at new head coach Bryan Harsin’s Tigers on Saturday, as Auburn will host its annual A-Day game at Jordan-Hare Stadium at 1 p.m. local time.

The scrimmage will be just the second of the spring for the Tigers, but it’s a big opportunity for a number of players on a team in a real transition.

Here are 5 players to watch Saturday:

QB Bo Nix

There’s just no way you could make this list without Bo Nix.

About a month ago, I wrote a piece examining whether Harsin and new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo could fix the enigmatic Tigers quarterback by doing their best Geppetto impersonation and completely stripping down and reconstructing the junior’s mechanics.

Well, it’s time to see if there’s been any progress after a month of work. No one expects for Nix to be a totally different quarterback after limited time with a new staff, but how does he fit in a different scheme? Are his fundamentals better? Has his decision making improved? We should at least at an idea this weekend.

Nix is a toolsy player with plenty of upside, and it seems that Harsin & Co. are rolling with No. 10 as QB1 right now, so what will that look like on Saturday?

DL JJ Pegues

Auburn’s 300-pound Swiss Army knife drew headlines earlier this week when it was revealed that Pegues had moved to the defensive line this spring.

As a freshman in 2020, the former Oxford High (Miss.) star played H-back, tight end, pretty much every special team and even some WildTiger quarterback for Auburn.

Although Pegues wasn’t particularly productive —  he caught 7 passes for 57 yards and had 5 rushes for 14 yards — he flashed absurd athleticism for a player his size. With a new staff in town though, Pegues’ role was up in the air this spring, but the move to the defensive line makes all the sense in the world for the 6-3, 300-pound sophomore.

It’s a simple math problem: There are only so many humans on the planet at Pegues’ size who can move, drive and explode like he can. Lining up at the 3-technique or 4i gives the sophomore a chance to emerge as a much more impactful player for the Tigers on a down-to-down basis.

The transition will surely take some time — Pegues didn’t even play much DL in high school — but the raw potential is there and should be on display Saturday afternoon on The Plains.

DB Devin Guice

The Tigers entered spring practice with an opening at nickel-back after longtime starter Christian Tutt entered the 2021 NFL Draft.

New DC Derek Mason has experimented with multiple options at the spot this spring, including giving little-used defensive back Devin Guice a real look.

The super-senior has seen action in just 11 games (with only 4 career tackles) for the Tigers over the last 4 seasons, but a new staff has presented a fresh opportunity for the feisty 5-9, 170-pound defensive back.

This spring, Guice’s play in practice has caught the attention of Mason and his teammates, and he’s now seriously in the mix with Nehemiah Pritchett for the starting job. The battle won’t be determined on A-Day, but Saturday is another opportunity for Guice to leave a mark.

LT Alec Jackson

Auburn returns 8 players with starting experience along the offensive line, but the unit wasn’t very effective in 2020.

The Tigers hope to change that this fall, starting with a leap from left tackle Alec Jackson. The former defensive lineman started 8 games at left tackle last season, but the 6-5, 330-pound junior struggled for much of the season, allowing a team-high 18 pressures and 4 sacks, per Pro Football Focus.

Jackson has focused on improving his technique this spring under the stewardship of new OL coach Will Friend, and according to teammates, he’s seen real results with improved play. Thus far, Jackson has held off pushes from Kilian Zierer and Austin Troxwell, among others, for the starting spot and will be out their with the first-team OL on A-Day.

WR Elijah Canion

With Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz and Eli Stove off to the NFL, the Tigers must replace some serious production at receiver in 2021 — like nearly the entire team’s stats with a combined 145 receptions, 1,755 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Auburn’s top returning wideout is senior Shedrick Jackson, who recorded just 6 catches for 84 yards in 2020, but the most promising playmaker in the unit is redshirt freshman Elijah Canion.

The South Florida native saw action in just two games last season, but he showcased his potential as a rangy X-receiver (6-4, 215 pounds) with after-the-catch ability in the bowl loss to Northwestern. Against the Wildcats, Canion caught 3 passes for 80 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown where he stiff-armed a defender for the last 15 yards to reach the end zone.

Williams is gone, so the Tigers (and Nix) need a big target to emerge on the outside. Can Canion be that guy with a strong finish to the spring?