Auburn Football: Strengths, Weaknesses and Secret Weapons
Judging by the wide range of predictions national and regional media publications have given Auburn this offseason—anywhere from a College Football Playoff contender to another eight-win club—Gus Malzahn has a hard team to figure out.
Auburn must replace several of its biggest offensive stars from a year ago, including the likes of Nick Marshall, Cameron Artis-Payne, Sammie Coates and Reese Dismukes.
The defense lost some key starters and role players to graduation, but the addition of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and several blue-chip recruits has Tiger fans dreaming of a quick turnaround on the other side of the ball.
Malzahn's staff still has plenty of talent on its hands, but a lot of it is unproven heading into the 2015 season. This program has been known to compete for national titles with first-year players and underwhelm after receiving tons of hype—and that's just taking the last decade into account.
While Auburn has several areas of major talent and a few under-the-radar players who could break out this fall, the roster is still clouded in a good amount of mystery. Let's take a look at those strengths, weaknesses and secret weapons for the 2015 Tigers.
Strengths
Talent in the Backfield
It's safe to say that in Malzahn's first two seasons at Auburn, the Tigers backfields exceeded expectations.
Nick Marshall was a 3-star JUCO athlete—and a former college cornerback—who became one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in program history. Tre Mason was a borderline 4-star/3-star running back out of high school, while Cameron Artis-Payne was another 3-star junior college recruit.
Now take a look at the talent Auburn has in the backfield this year.
Jeremy Johnson was a 4-star quarterback who now has a 198.58 passer rating and a 73.2 percent completion percentage coming off the bench in his first two collegiate seasons. Roc Thomas and Jovon Robinson were both 5-star recruits out of high school and junior college, respectively.
Malzahn tweaks his offense to whatever he has available on the roster, and Johnson's efficiency in the pocket should make for more traditional passing plays than what fans saw with Marshall.
But defenses won't sleep on a team that has had so much past success running the ball and now has a pair of 5-star recruits coming out of the backfield.
The talent might not have full-time starting experience at this point, but there's a lot of skill at quarterback and running back right now. Playing to their full potential means these backs could go beyond what Marshall and company put up in their last two record-breaking seasons.
Success on the Offensive Line
Although Auburn only returns two starters from last season's offensive line, the front five should once again be a strength of Malzahn's attack.
According to Football Outsiders, Auburn ranked No. 5 nationally last season in Adjusted Line Yards, which determines the success rate of offensive linemen on running plays. The Tigers also improved their sack numbers along the offensive line from 2013, allowing only 15 quarterback takedowns all season.
Expect similar numbers in 2015 with the amount of talent Auburn has in this unit.
"Continuity is a big deal and chemistry with the offensive line," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee told ESPN.com's Greg Ostendorf. "Two years ago, we were fortunate enough to stay healthy all year. Those guys played together all year. By the end of the season, you were able to see how successful we were."
Avery Young seems to have settled into a role at right tackle after playing different positions throughout his Auburn career, and left tackle Shon Coleman has turned last year's shaky pass protection into one of the most consistent performances throughout spring camp.
Left guard Alex Kozan returns to the starting lineup this season after missing all of 2014 following offseason back surgery. He was a driving force in front of Auburn's devastating rushing attack in 2013 and earned SEC All-Freshman honors for his play.
The two newest faces in the projected starting five—center Austin Golson and right guard Braden Smith—come with plenty of promise. Golson became the surprise offseason favorite to replace four-year starter Reese Dismukes, and Smith might be the most physically gifted lineman Auburn has on its roster.
If this unit can avoid the injury woes of 2014, conditions are favorable for even better stats for the entire offense this fall.
Experience at Linebacker
With Will Muschamp, Auburn will be moving into its third defensive system in four years. However, the amount of experience the Tigers have at linebacker will be able to help ease the transition.
Seniors Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost were the top two linebackers in Ellis Johnson's 4-2-5 scheme over the last two seasons, and they will be relied on heavily under Muschamp.
Frost has the athleticism to line up at multiple spots, depending on whether Auburn runs a 3-man or 4-man defensive front, while McKinzy was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 1 run-stopper in the SEC among inside linebackers last season, per PFF's :
Auburn has a decent amount of experience behind McKinzy and Frost, too. Tre' Williams and Javiere Mitchell both appeared in all 13 games last season as underclassmen, and senior Justin Garrett is a valuable member of the rotation—if he can stay healthy.
Throw Cameron Toney, Kenny Flowers and Deshaun Davis into the mix, and the Tigers have plenty of depth at linebacker.
Four-star recruits Jeff Holland and Richard McBryde might be able to step in and get some valuable playing time early this fall, especially at weak-side linebacker. Fortunately for Auburn, the two freshmen are walking into a situation where they have a chance to excel next to some veteran faces on a new-look defense.
Weaknesses
Inexperience at H-Back and Tight End
Perhaps the biggest question mark on Auburn's offense comes from positions that were held by a pair of seniors last season.
At tight end, C.J. Uzomah caught three touchdowns in each of the last two seasons and was also used as a receiver in some sets. Brandon Fulse was rarely used as a weapon in the passing game, but he was an experienced player at H-back.
Now Auburn has nothing but freshmen between the two spots—Kamryn Pettway, Chandler Cox, Chris Laye and Jalen Harris.
Both Pettway and Cox showed flashes of potential during spring practice, but the Tigers will enter the season with completely unproven talent at H-back and tight end.
Pettway, who has impressive size at 242 pounds, just moved to the H-back position during Outback Bowl practices after arriving at Auburn as a traditional running back. Cox arrived on campus as an early enrollee and began pushing for playing time at both spots.
Jay Prosch proved in 2013 that excellent play at H-back could be the difference between a good rushing attack and a great one, while Uzomah kept defenses on their toes as a passing target. The potential is there for these young Tigers, but right now, these two spots are big question marks.
Defensive Line Depth
Carl Lawson's return is nothing short of excellent for Auburn's defense, which could hardly rush the passer last season.
The sophomore looks set to take over the hybrid "Buck" role in Muschamp's system, leaving some more issues along the traditional defensive line spots. Auburn also dismissed Lawson's fellow Class of 2013 star Elijah Daniel during the offseason.
For a typical three-man front for Muschamp's defense, Auburn has Montravius Adams and DaVonte Lambert coming back for the 2015 season. Both players could play either end or tackle in this system, meaning the Tigers need new faces to step up quickly.
"Will Muschamp's biggest challenge this year is not only finding capable defensive linemen who are up for the challenge, but simply finding bodies," Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee wrote in May.
Outside of Adams and Lambert, Devaroe Lawrence is the only other traditional defensive lineman on Auburn's roster that recorded a tackle last season. Gimel President and Raashed Kennion are expected to fill in behind Lawson at Buck.
Byron Cowart, a 5-star recruit, has the ability to play from day one at Auburn, and junior college pickup Maurice Swain turned some heads during spring practice. Auburn is going to need their contributions and more in order to be successful with its thin defensive line in 2015.
Consistency in the Secondary
Unlike the defensive line, a quick look at Auburn's secondary reveals a solid amount of collegiate experience.
Jonathan Jones and Joshua Holsey are returning starters, along with the constantly moving Johnathan "Rudy" Ford at safety. Now eligible at Auburn, Tray Matthews could be a game-changing safety in place of Jermaine Whitehead, and Michigan transfer Blake Countess was a former All-Big Ten performer.
But while the pass defense numbers improved slightly for Auburn last season, there were still a few games in which teams feasted on the secondary. South Carolina, Texas A&M and Alabama all had at least 275 yards and four touchdowns through the air against the Tigers.
Auburn had the third-worst pass defense in the SEC last season despite forcing the most interceptions in the entire conference. Five players from that up-and-down secondary also left the team this offseason.
Several of these defensive backs have recorded some solid performances during their Auburn careers—the interception spike has been a welcome sight in the Malzahn era—but unfortunately there are a lot more underwhelming ones.
A new defensive coaching staff could once again get the most out of this unit. But the lack of success and consistency is still a major problem for a rebuilding defense.
Secret Weapons
Kerryon Johnson
The combo of Robinson and Thomas—and the added relief of highly touted running back Peyton Barber—has dominated the offseason spotlight.
So it may be a bit of surprise to see Johnson, who was Alabama's Mr. Football winner and the nation's No. 2-rated athlete, listed as a "secret weapon."
But Johnson gives Auburn additional speed and versatility on offense as well as experience on special teams. He was a do-it-all player at Madison Academy and had the tendency to take over games with his big-play ability.
If Auburn can find a way to get Johnson the ball in his freshman season, the offense could become even more dangerous. Don't be surprised if he provides a Thomas-like burst off the bench in 2015.
Stanton Truitt
Truitt was the talk of spring camp last year and was an early rotation player in the slot before suffering a season-ending injury.
Auburn needs new playmakers to step up at wide receiver, and Truitt has the speed to become a valuable option for Johnson.
Whether it's on a sweep, a screen or a short pass, Truitt can make defenders miss and turn short plays into huge gains.
If he's fully healthy and can showcase the bright potential that earned him early playing time, Truitt will be an under-the-radar player who just might find the end zone a few times in 2015.
Raashed Kennion
Lawson will be able to boost Auburn's pass rush in a big way, but the Tigers are going to need more than one player to produce in that category this season.
Enter Kennion, a 6'6" sophomore defensive end who transitioned to the Buck spot and told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer's Ryan Black that he now weighs 243 pounds.
"He pushes me every day to get better," Lawson told the Ledger-Enquirer. "I see that from him and it makes me want to go hard because he’s good in his own right. ... Certain guys separate themselves with technique and just being smart about the game, but Raashed always stands out to me because he’s so fluid."
Kennion has perfect size and speed for the Buck position and is determined to improve upon his true freshman campaign. A breakout 2015 season from him would mean opposing offenses would have to worry about a prototype pass-rusher at all times—even when Lawson is getting a breather on the sideline.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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