Auburn Football: Week 1 Fall Camp Stock Report
AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn Tigers are now seven days, five practices, one scrimmage and one Fan Day through an extremely important fall camp ahead of the 2015 season.
Head coach Gus Malzahn's team made its long-awaited return to the blazing heat of the practice field on the Plains last Tuesday and wrapped up its first week Monday morning with a scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Tigers welcomed several newcomers to the practice fold this past week, while returning playmakers looked to provide leadership as the season opener with Louisville approaches.
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Auburn also had to deal with some early absences and injuries—including a huge one that has commanded national attention in the early days of fall camps.
Let's recap the highlights of Auburn's first week of fall camp:
Where's Duke, and what's next?
Wide receiver D'haquille "Duke" Williams, the top returning offensive star at Auburn this season, hasn't been on the practice field since last Thursday.
The story dominated the Plains over the weekend, and there's no telling when it will end. Malzahn said Saturday that Williams was out with a "discipline issue" and didn't field any questions on the situation.
"When he takes care of that, he'll be back on the field," Malzahn said. "I'll make that decision, and I will let you know when he'll be back. The bottom line is that nobody is bigger than the team around here. That's between me and him, and that's all of the questions that I'll take on that."
Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee didn't tackle questions on the Tigers' top receiver, either, when he took the podium after Friday's practice.
"I’m going to talk about the guys who were out there working hard today," Lashlee said, according to Tom Green of the Opelika-Auburn News.
Williams' absence from practice is a small concern that could grow throughout the month of August.
Without him, Auburn will be missing 79 percent of its receiving yards and all but five of its 23 touchdowns in that category from last season.
The Tigers do have options, though, if Williams continues to stay away from practice.
Ricardo Louis has several years of experience for the Tigers and looks to be the best bet to replace the blazing vertical threat of Sammie Coates. The veteran Melvin Ray has also received high praise from his coaches so far in camp.
"Melvin Ray has done a solid job," Malzahn said Saturday. "[Ray and Louis] are two players—along with Jonathan Wallace—we're relying on those guys for leadership."
Following his move from the quarterback battle to the wide receiver room in the spring, athletic JUCO transfer Jason Smith is also impressing through the first few days of camp.
Smith, who starred with quarterback Jeremy Johnson in an Alabama-Mississippi high school All-Star Game back in 2012, has caught the eye of Lashlee.
"You can just tell he's in a good place, and he's been one of those guys in the first four days that's been really impressive," Lashlee said Friday, per Brandon Marcello of AL.com. "I mean, if you were to ask me some guys that stand out, he's really stood out. And again, him and Jeremy, they seem to have a pretty good connection so we're optimistic and excited about what he can do this year."
Running backs are still racing
For the second straight year, Auburn will head into the season needing to replace the production of a running back who led the SEC in rushing last season.
According to Malzahn, 2015's rotation of rushers still hasn't been sorted out yet, and playing time is still up in the air for the quartet of candidates.
"The good thing is we've got options and we've got guys we feel good about," Malzahn said last Thursday, per Matthew Stevens of the Montgomery Advertiser. "You can never have enough running back depth. We've been fortunate the last two years with very little injuries as far as the running backs are concerned. You can't have enough."
Junior Jovon Robinson, who broke the single-season rushing record for JUCO football during his first season at Georgia Military College, fits the Cameron Artis-Payne mold of bruising running back. Lashlee said he could fit the third-and-short role that Artis-Payne and Tre Mason excelled at during their times under Malzahn.
"[Robinson] didn't have a real showy spring game but those two third-and-shorts were big because that can keep you from winning games and staying on the field," Lashlee said, per James Crepea of AL.com.
For more of a big-play burst out of the backfield, Thomas could become the top back after working on his ball security and north-south running in the offseason.
One of the biggest critiques of Thomas is that he spins and jukes too much. Thomas also had two costly fumbles during his true freshman season, and he didn't see the field much after his mistake in the Iron Bowl.
"I feel a lot different. I also feel a lot more confident out there [this fall]," Thomas said, per Ryan Black of Auburn Undercover. "Last year I felt pretty uptight. Now, it's pretty much fun every practice, and I think it will be pretty much fun in the games also."
Third-year sophomore Peyton Barber is once again a true wild card in the running back race. Barber has only recorded 10 carries in his Auburn career and is in another uphill battle against the blue-chip talents of Robinson, Thomas and true freshman Kerryon Johnson.
Barber brings a balanced skill set to the table for the Tigers and something that none of the other players on the depth chart has—multiple years of experience in Malzahn's offense. He could use that to turn heads this fall.
"I feel like I can do it all," Barber said, per Crepea. "I feel like I'm an every-down back. I can catch, run. Anything you need me to do, I can do."
"10 times more physical"
The players who have taken the podium after Auburn's first week of practices are all repeating one specific word—and it isn't "Duke" or "Muschamp" or "Jeremy."
It's "physical."
"[Practice] is 10 times more physical, and I like it," sophomore linebacker Tre' Williams said Saturday. "You have to be physical in this league. Last year, we kind of lacked at that. This year, we are going to be much stronger."
Malzahn started preaching the need for more physicality from the Tigers immediately after last year's 8-5 campaign. "Getting our edge back" has been one of the head coach's most common phrases of 2015.
Bringing in defensive coordinator Will Muschamp seemed to set those wheels in motion during spring camp, and that work has continued into fall practices.
"I feel like as a defense we're getting a lot more physical in everything we do, whether it be taking on blocks, tackling physical, getting the ball out every chance we get," senior linebacker Kris Frost said. "Everything we do is a mindset. We're trying to build a culture here."
Auburn practiced in full pads for the first time Saturday, with most of the players on the team "thudding"—hitting without bringing opponents to the ground.
But according to Williams, the newcomers on Auburn's squad got the full brunt this weekend as they went full contact in their scrimmage.
The physical nature of the defense carried over into Monday morning's scrimmage as the unit completely shut down Malzahn's prolific offense:
"It’s about toughness," Frost said. "It’s about pushing through the nicks and bruises and doing everything we can to have that tough mindset that is expected of us at Auburn."
Quick hits
- Offensive line coach J.B. Grimes was available for the start of fall practice just six days after undergoing cancer surgery. According to Marcello, Malzahn called him "the toughest coach in college football."
- Sophomore defensive end Carl Lawson is back to 100 percent after missing all of last season—and he's ready to start hitting people again.
- Projected starting center Austin Golson missed Saturday's practice and Monday's scrimmage with an injury, but Malzahn expects him to return soon.
- The return specialist battles look to be wide-open at Auburn. In Saturday's practice, Smith, Marcus Davis and Blake Countess highlighted the punt return portion, while Johnson, Louis, Johnathan "Rudy" Ford, Myron Burton and Stanton Truitt all fielded kickoffs.
All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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