Auburn Football: Tigers' 2015 Offseason Checklist

Gus Malzahn told reporters in March that he had three goals for his Auburn Tigers during spring practice: to learn the playbook, develop trust and get their edge back.

By camp's end, the head coach said he was satisfied with the results.

"Overall, I was very pleased," Malzahn said, via AL.com's Brandon Marcello. "Our three goals that we went into spring with, we feel like we accomplished them all."

Now, with spring camp behind them, the Tigers head into the summer months with their eyes on August, when they return to the practice field and get ready for their tough 2015 schedule.

But the hard work can't stop with the practices. There's no doubt Malzahn and his staff have goals for the program this summer.

"Our coaches have a better understanding of what we have," Malzahn told Marcello. "Our players are extremely close, and they're trying to do what our coaches are asking them. I'm looking forward to the summer, but overall I think we're in a really good spot."

Here are a few of those goals for Auburn as the long offseason continues on the Plains.

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Continue learning the playbook

Auburn can't quite continue its work toward getting its physical edge back this summer, but players can continue working on one of Malzahn's goals: learning the playbook.

With Will Muschamp taking over the defense, Auburn has a brand-new system that is quite different from the 4-2-5 look under former coordinator Ellis Johnson.

That means every defensive player, from the veterans down to the freshmen, will continue to learn Muschamp's playbook this summer.

And while Auburn ran an extremely "vanilla" offense at A-Day, don't expect to see the same old things from Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee this fall. The offensive personnel, especially the new starters, can't stop studying.

"I've just been putting in the work. It’s just been paying off. I study the film every day," running back Jovon Robinson told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer's Ryan Black. "I study my playbook when I can."

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Plug in the true freshmen

Members of Auburn's 2015 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 9 in the country, are expected to play important roles for the team this fall.

Several of them, such as 4-star defensive back Tim Irvin, enrolled at Auburn in time to go through spring practice with the team. The rest are transitioning to campus in order to begin preparations for the 2015 season.

These summer months are an important time for the veterans on the team to start working with the young players and develop the chemistry they'll need.

"I know they're ready for (the freshmen) to get up there," 5-star defensive end Byron Cowart told AL.com's Wesley Sinor last week. "The D-tackles and ends, we're a group. We're one unit. The wheels shouldn't stop moving or slow down, it should be the same pace."

While these newcomers can't hit the practice field yet, they can hit the playbook and weight room with their new teammates. That time could go a long way toward Auburn's success this year.

Recruit, recruit and recruit

Perhaps the most visible thing Auburn can do this summer to build momentum for the future is recruit.

The Tigers are well behind their fellow recruiting powers in building their 2016 class, but the recent commitment of 4-star cornerback John Broussard could be the spark for a big summer.

One of the biggest times in Auburn's recruiting calendar comes next Saturday, May 30, when the program has its annual "Big Cat Weekend."

Auburn is expected to host many of their top targets for the 2016 and 2017 classes. According to 247Sports, the Tigers have seven different 5-stars as top targets in this class, including five top-20 players on the defensive side of the ball, so fans should expect to hear that several of them visited the Plains.

The staff will hope the momentum from Big Cat Weekend will continue into the next several months, when some top recruits will announce their commitments or make important visits.

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Have a quiet summer

Perhaps the most important goal for Auburn in the eyes of its fans is for the team to have a low-profile summer on the Plains.

A recent transfer spree has thinned some positions on the depth chart, and the dismissal of former 5-star defensive end Elijah Daniel, who was charged with several felony counts of theft and burglary, hurt a line that struggled in 2014.

Last summer, Auburn was hit by the news of quarterback Nick Marshall's marijuana citation and season-long injuries for key underclassmen Alex Kozan and Carl Lawson.

During these next few months, the Tigers need to stay together, out of trouble and away from the injury list. Any more departures or injuries could derail the momentum Malzahn claims the team has built this spring.

Outside of some commitments or notable quotes from SEC media days in July, Auburn fans probably wouldn't mind if their team stayed out of the spotlight for a few months—at least until fall camp begins.

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.