Auburn Football: Position Battles Symbolize Beauty of Spring Practice

Spring football is like a hor' devours to college football fans.  It's a little taste of what the main course could be like in the fall. 

The concentration on one's own team is almost 100 percent, unless you happen to live in the state of Alabama. 

Nevertheless, for many fans across the nation, spring football gives the public a bit of real morsels to chew on before the stat laden preview books come out during the long days of summer. 

What are those tasty morsels you ask? 

They are some of the most exciting things to talk about before the season ever gets started. 

The battle for playing time on the ol' gridiron. 

For Auburn, the quarterback race picks up nearly all the headlines.  Today's practice saw Cameron Newton and Barrett Trotter take more snaps under center.  Though it probably shouldn't be taken as anything, it does show that the quarterback race is too early to call.

The race under center may very well carry over into fall.

Junior College transfers Roszell Gayden and Brandon Mosley, both shooting for the right tackle position, has been a fun battle to cover as both young men fight for the right to start.

It has also been fun to see which receivers will be sharing time with Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery. Quindarius Carr, Emory Blake, and other receivers have made noise in competing for catches. 

The defensive position battles have been more about shuffling players that have experience into the best positions possible. It also has been about building a core unit.

The defensive line has pretty much a set group of guys, but redshirt freshman Nosa Eguae has been making noise.

Linebackers have mostly familiar faces, and the secondary has some recognizable names as well. 

However, the secondary has much needed experience and leadership in Aaron Savage and Mike McNeil coming back with younger talent.

Word from the special teams front also is that Darvin Adams is making a push in kick returns with Carr and Phillip Pierre-Louis, though Pierre-Louis is out with what is thought to be a knee injury.

While there isn't much action to behold for fans on Pat Dye field, the action during the spring is all about these young men striving to make their dreams come true. 

Whether fans realize it or not, that is what is discussed all over the state and beyond.

That is what makes this game something more than just X's and O's.