Auburn 2012 Spring Football Schedule: Pre-Spring Depth Chart Battles

The 2011 college football season may have just ended, but that doesn't mean that the players and coaches go sit on the couch for seven months. No, first it was the recruiting process, and now it's time to begin preparing for spring practices.

These practices are extremely important, as they will help the coaches answer questions and help them put together their depth chart for the upcoming season. This is also a chance for the younger players to prove themselves and earn more playing time than they probably would have normally received.

The Tigers' spring game takes place April 14th. Here are a few position battles for you to keep an eye on.

Linebacker

Auburn has a very talented group of linebackers to choose from, but they will need to find a replacement in the middle, as Eltoro Freeman is no longer there. Players like Jonathan Evans, Daren Bates and Jake Holland are the likely favorites to fill in the three spots, but that doesn't mean there isn't competition that will push them for the starting role.

Former 5-star recruit Kris Frost should not be taken out of the conversation. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last year, but should be ready to contribute this season. Chris Landrum is a big body that redshirted last year. Other players include Jawara Wright, Daren Bates and Justin Garrett.

Linebacker is a deep position for the Tigers this year; the coaching staff just needs to find out exactly who will play where.

Wide Receiver

Much like a lot of teams in the SEC, the wide receiver position isn't exactly the strong suite. And for Auburn, that was the case as well, as only two players caught over 30 passes last season. Philip Lutzenkirchen and Emory Blake will return, which isn't bad, but whoever wins the quarterback competition will need more options.

Jaquay Williams, who has terrific size at 6'4", may step in and help contribute. As should Trovon Reed and Travante Stallworth, who should also see the field and earn quality minutes this year.

Auburn could have one of the better wide receiver corps in the SEC if just a couple of players out of this group step it up this spring.

Running Back

Losing a running back such as Michael Dyer is not going to be easy to replace. But Onterio McCalebb is going to try his best. He rushed for over 600 yards last season with minimum carries and has averaged no less than five yards a touch for his career.

Now, who will be the backup is the question.

Sophomore Tre Mason will likely fill in this role, as he averaged nearly six yards a carry last year and has fantastic speed to complement McCalebb. Other players such as Quan Bray and even new recruit Jovon Robinson should get solid carries as well.

With so many questions surrounding this offense as we head into the spring, the Tigers need a solid running game that they can rely on to help them win football games.

Quarterback

Much like every team this spring, the Tigers will try to settle to the quarterback position as well.

Auburn was one of the worst passing teams in the country last year. They were ranked 105th in the country with only 155 yards in the air a game. It didn't take long to notice that Barrett Trotter can't be the quarterback for the Tigers to get where they are trying to go. And even if he was, he's no longer on the team anyway.

That now leaves things down to either Clint Moseley—who replaced Trotter last season and completed 61 percent of his passes for five touchdowns—or athletic quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who many expect to be the future of this program and who is already being compared to Cam Newton.

You also can't count out Zeke Pike, who was recruited this year and has the size and the ability to develop into a strong quarterback. With a new offensive coordinator calling the shots, it's important that the decision is made and that the quarterback is able to improve last year's horrible numbers.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].