Auburn Football: 5 Most Important Post-Spring Dates

As Auburn turns to summer workouts and summer classes, there are five important post-spring dates that you need to mark in your calendar.

Knowing when the first game is obviously carries weight, but there are a host of other dates to keep in mind as Auburn steams toward the 2012 season. 

There will be parts of the 2012 class that will appear in Auburn within the next 30 days, while others will wait until the fall. Auburn will be busy in the next three months as the new year approaches, so grab your Sharpie and flip the calendar as we review the five most important post-spring dates for the Tigers. 

April 23: Summer Workouts Begin

A week after spring, the Tigers were back at it in the weight room. There is no “official” start date to the summer workout period as the workouts are voluntary, but the Tigers want to win championships and they know hard work will get them there. 

Summer workouts are where the team builds inner leadership and grow. Strength and Conditioning Coach Kevin Yoxall is known to build some of the best workouts in football. 

Auburn gets Yoxercised every summer and winter. This past winter saw numerous weight gains that were tremendous, and credit goes to the diet and workout plans put forth by the Auburn training staff. 

Expect big things from the Tigers this summer.

May 15: First Round of Players Report

The first summer session sees a large number of new signees join the football team and start school. The new recruits get their first taste of college football when they wake up to older teammates shuffling them out the door to early morning workouts. 

The summer workout period will be in full swing by the time these new additions make it to campus. 

Arriving in the first summer session is very helpful. The young Tigers will not be coached by the staff, but they will receive instruction and guidance from the leadership on the team. 

This is where new freshmen are integrated and have the chance to push themselves into the fold nicely once August hits. 

August 1: First Practice

The exact day of the first August practice has yet to be set. Auburn will look to have a few weekend scrimmages, so starting the fall practice camp in the first week of August looks to be in the cards. Monday tends to be a good day. Wednesday will do, I would assume.

If I were to guess, practice will begin on August 1. That means the Tigers will open camp on a Wednesday. The Tigers will have about two weeks prior to the start of classes, which will help work the youngest of Tigers into the college level expectations on the football field and in the classroom.

It will also give the Tigers the mandatory days of no pads well before school begins and could all take place in the first week of camp. 

The Tigers could theoretically be scrimmaging by the first Saturday. 

August 16: Fall Classes Begin

This may be the most important date on the schedule for the Tigers football team. The first day of fall classes marks a huge influx of students and back-to-school distractions. 

This will be a tough transition for the youngest Tigers, especially the recruits who make it to campus just before the start of fall classes. 

The Tigers typically add walk-ons in the first few days of classes. This season Auburn will have a number of recruits that will join and look to make an impact on the field immediately. 

The most difficult transition comes in the fall, and the young Tigers will battle a host of new responsibilities. Team leadership will keep them focused, helping guys like Jovon Robinson and JaQuay Williams make an impact early. 

September 1: First Game

An obvious date that must be circled on your calendar is the Tigers first game of the season. 

Auburn will travel to Atlanta to face off with Clemson in the Chick-fil-A kickoff classic in the Georgia Dome. The Tigers were blasted by Clemson a year ago in Clemson, S.C.

Auburn and Clemson both return a great deal of starters to both sides of the ball but face issues along the offensive line. Auburn has a shaky situation at quarterback and receiver currently, while Clemson is settled with starters. 

This game is the first of the season, but Auburn needs this win. This will be a major gauge showing the Tigers offseason progression. 

As college football continues to grow its national audience, games like this will continue to mark the college football opening weekend landscape. 

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