Auburn Football: 8 Predictions for the Tigers Spring Practice

Auburn heads into this spring with a head of steam following their big bowl victory over the Virginia Cavaliers.

There have been four early enrollees that will be a part of spring training, and there's a wealth of carryover at a wealth of positions from last season.

The Tigers are looking to springboard their season-finishing success into a big spring as the Tigers need to find leadership and playmakers in the 15 practices that will come in just a few months.

With Auburn looking to fight their way back into the top of the SEC West, there will need to be development on both sides of the ball that's substantial. The Tigers will need to find the right mix of personnel and execution if they want to be successful in 2012. It all starts in spring. 

Heading into spring, here are eight things that would make the spring a success for the Tigers. 

Kris Frost Earns a Spot

Auburn ended 2011 with one of the worst defenses in school history. For the past three seasons in a row, the Tigers have been unable to put together a successful defensive campaign. It has been a surprise to say the least considering Gene Chizik’s successful defensive background.

The Tigers had a huge drop off at the linebacker position this past fall as two three-year starters graduated and left the Tigers to piece together a unit of underclassmen and inexperienced players that severely underperformed in 2011.

This coming season, the Tigers will look to improve drastically as there's one year of experience under the belts of the primary players, but there will also be a wealth of talent at the position. Kris Frost will be one of the most talented players at the position this spring for the Tigers.

Frost came into last season expecting to make a major impact until a shoulder injury sidelined his freshman campaign. Frost was coming along well during bowl preparation and will likely be full speed by the time that spring drills make it around. If he is, he will finish spring as a starter on the outside. 

Kiehl Frazier Takes the Reigns

The Tigers added another chapter in the quarterback controversy after the bowl game as Barrett Trotter stepped in shortly into the first quarter and led the Tigers to victory. It may not be Trotter that makes it out of spring as the starter as his plans for the future are still unclear.

Auburn will have the resident starter on board as Clint Moseley is just a rising junior, but Frazier appears to be the front-runner for the position as the Tigers head into the New Year. The Tigers must find a playmaker for the offense, and there's no better place to look than in the direction of Frazier.

The biggest question that surrounds Frazier is his ability, or lack of, to pass the football. In virtually every opportunity this fall, he was put in a position to run. Frazier attempted a few passes, but every attempt was in a situation that was in a trick play like setting. Frazier needs to be able to face a real passing situation before judgment is passed.

Auburn Finds Additional Big-Play Threats Outside

Auburn was extremely limited on the outside offensively this season.

There were two to three options that the Tigers were able to utilize, but only one option was a pure receiver—Emory Blake. Blake was the only receiver that seemed to be able to find open space in opposing defenses this fall.

For Auburn to fight its way back into the top of the conference, they have to find more than one playmaker on the outside. There's a host of talented receivers that have made it to the Plains, but none of them have been able to make impacts just yet.

Auburn will finally see its young group of receivers mature this spring, and at least two more big-play options will appear for the Tigers this spring. Names like Sammie Coates, Trovon Reed, Quan Bray and Jaylon Denson are some that could make plays for the Tigers this coming season.

This spring is a great time for this young talent to develop and turn the corner. Auburn has to find ways to move the football, and it starts by having viable threats on the outside. 

Running Backs by Committee

Auburn lost a very dynamic talent this January when Michael Dyer made it apparent that his intentions were to transfer from Auburn to Arkansas State.

Dyer rushed for 1,000 yards two seasons in a row for the Tigers, putting Auburn with a 1,000-yard rusher in each of Chizik’s first three seasons at Auburn.

On most occasions, losing such a major talent unexpectedly would be a devastating blow to the offense and program. For Auburn, there's a host of running backs who will keep Dyer’s transfer from making too much of a negative impact on the Tigers.

Auburn will look to guys like Onterio McCalebb and Tre Mason to carry the load next season. The Tigers have been running with only three scholarship backs for the past three years, but this season the Tigers will have at least three additional options behind McCalebb and Mason.

The Tigers have Mike Blakely, Corey Grant and incoming freshman Jovon Robinson that will play backup roles this season. This spring, expect to see Blakely and Grant pushing hard for playing time as their talents will be tough to keep off the field.

With such a wealth of talent in the Tiger backfield, McCalebb will start the season as the listed starter, but the Tigers will have a running back by committee approach.

Auburn should be extremely productive on the ground this coming fall.

Tight Ends Become Playmakers

In the Gus Malzahn offense, the tight end played a role that was more of a slot receiver than true hands down tight end type.

The Tigers are in the process of finding a new offensive coordinator, and most signs are pointing toward the Tigers moving into the pro-style offense direction.

The Tigers have three very talented tight end types with Philip Lutzenkirchen, Brandon Fulse and C.J. Uzomah all being options for the Tigers this coming fall. As the Tigers struggled to move the ball last season, the tight ends were forced into a lead blocker, H-back type role.

Now that the Tigers are likely to find more traditional offensive sets, and now that the Tigers have more depth at key positions, the tight end could become a more viable threat in the Auburn passing offense.

Auburn would be wise to get the ball to these playmakers consistently in 2012. 

Auburn Moves Back to the Pro-Style Offense

As far as predictions go, this is one of the most difficult to point to with confidence.

As it stands today, there's no telling what direction the Tigers will go to find an offensive coordinator. At this point however, it seems safe to assume that Auburn will not continue with its spread, no huddle experiment.

Auburn would likely best be suited to return to a pro-style offense utilizing a mixture of formations and sets. Look for the Tigers to bring a big hire in within the next week or so and for a multiple type offense to come with the new coordinator.

Auburn has to find its way back to success offensively, and that will likely come with multiplicity in its play calling and formations in the future.  

Defensive Line Makes Leaps

This past season, Auburn had one junior, two sophomores and a wealth of freshmen who played on the defensive line. As the Tigers move into the spring practice session, the defensive line will be a veteran and battle-tested squad.

The Tigers saw how effective a game-changing defensive lineman can be, and they will look to this group to find another big-time playmaker. The Tigers have a wealth of talent that was baptized by fire last season, but this year, they look to head to spring and make leaps in their development.

The Tigers will need for the defensive line to make plays this season, and it all starts this spring.

Look for the Tigers defensive line to make huge strides this spring and be a major strength for the Tigers defense in 2012. 

No Questions on the Offensive Line

Auburn played with three different offensive line rotations in 2011.

The Tigers struggled to find continuity and consistency on the offensive front. The Tigers were still able to guide the way for a 1,000-yard rusher.

Auburn has a wealth of young talent that has developed well in the past few seasons, but there is still some question as to what the perfect mix will be for the Tigers up front.

The Tigers lose two seniors off the offensive line, but they return a host of players who have seen playing time.

It will all start at the center position for the Tigers as Reese Dismukes will be moving into his sophomore season after starting all 13 games as a true freshman.

With Dismukes anchoring the line, Auburn will have a great shot at building a special group for the 2012 season.