Auburn has caught a serious injury bug this offseason, but according to Gus Malzahn, the Tigers’ strength and conditioning program is not to blame for all the unfortunate injuries the team has suffered.

Jarrett Stidham is back at practice but offseason shoulder surgery forced him to miss the first portion of spring practice. Auburn lost two receivers to significant injuries as Eli Stove and Will Hastings suffered torn ACLs. Tiger athlete Daquan Newkirk tore his Achilles while offensive linemen Kaleb Kim and Nick Brahms have both gone down to injury — leaving the Tigers with no true healthy center for the remainder of the spring.

Despite the training room being among the most active rooms in the Auburn football facility this spring, Malzahn was quick to defend his strength and conditioning program. These quotes come via Tom Green of AL.com:

“Our strength and conditioning program is one of the best in the country,” Malzahn said. “Really, last year, we stayed really healthy for the most part without just a couple of minor things. So, I feel very good about that…. Really if you look back at, I guess, since we’ve been here, five years or whatever. Maybe this is the sixth spring. We’ve had very few season-ending injuries in the spring. Probably count them on one hand. Russell is the best, there’s no doubt about that.”

Malzahn has a good point. Last season his program was one of the healthiest in the SEC, especially when you consider the massive amount of injuries their in-state rival suffered by the end of the regular season.

The fact that Auburn has had so many injuries can’t be completely overlooked, however. Should the disturbing trend continue, the team may need to make some adjustments to what is currently being asked of the players on The Plains.