Auburn Football: Time for WR Trovon Reed to Step Up and Be a Weapon

Depth charts for Week 1 have started to trickle out, and with that comes a few surprises.

Auburn's depth chart for Week 1 featured one player as a starter who is loaded with potential.

Trovon Reed, a 6'0", 190-pound sophomore, was bracketed with Travante Stallworth as a co-starter at one of Auburn's three wide receiver spots.

Reed was battling for a starting spot all camp, but now that he's a starter, the pressure is on for Reed to live up to the hype that followed him to the Plains.

Reed was a 4-star prospect in the class of 2010, according to 247Sports.com, and he was ranked as the No. 24 player in the country. He is a big piece to the Tiger puzzle in 2012.

He was expected to be an immediate contributor, but injuries limited him to only two plays as a true freshman and forced a redshirt.

A shoulder injury suffered in late September limited him in 2011 and forced him to miss five games in the middle of his redshirt freshman season.

It seems like he's been around the Auburn program forever, but Reed is only entering his sophomore season. It's a season in which Auburn needs him.

Emory Blake is Auburn's only reliable wide receiver, and tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen is poised for a big season now that fullback Jay Prosch will have some of his blocking responsibilities.

But Auburn needs another threat, and a guy like Reed, who possesses 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash, can make Auburn's new offense click under first-year offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler. 

Loeffler will have pro-style elements in his offense, but there still will be some spread as well—especially with dual-threat quarterback Kiehl Frazier taking the snaps. If Reed can stay healthy and stay in the lineup, his ability to be dangerous in space and become a deep threat will make him a weapon for the 2012 Tigers.

Follow @BarrettSallee