Auburn got bit hard by the injury bug during spring practice, and while some of those players appear on the cusp of returning to the field, others are still nursing their way back to full health.

From torn ACLs for wide receivers Will Hastings and Eli Stove, to an ankle injury for center Nick Brahms and a torn achilles for JUCO transfer Daquan Newkirk, some were wondering if the Tigers had already put themselves in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

Now it appears at least some of those players will make a return this season after a summer of rehab.

“We feel like [Hamm] will have a chance to be back before fall camp,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn told reporters Friday. “Nick Brahms is still recovering from his injury in the spring. We feel kind of the same way, that before fall camp he’ll have a chance. And then Daquan Newkirk was limited today, too, coming off that Achilles. We’re hoping we get him back after a short period of time.”

According to Brandon Marcello of Auburn Undercover, both Hastings and Stove were able to practice Friday. The pair combined for 55 catches, more than 700 yards receiving and four touchdowns last season, and their return provides some depth at the slot receiver position.

One of the bigger positions of concern remains the center spot where the Tigers are thin with just Brahams and Kaleb Kim, but Auburn’s injury situation headed into the season doesn’t look nearly as bleak as it once did.