Auburn Spring Game 2016: Date, Start Time, TV Schedule, Live Stream and More

A-Day 2016, otherwise known as the 2016 Auburn spring game, has a dramatically different feel to it compared to past years.

The Auburn Tigers don't roll into the event triumphant on the shoulders of head coach Gus Malzahn this time, not after a 7-6 campaign with plenty of jobs riding on the team's 2016 performance.

Those folks on the hot seat have to find new starters under center, in the backfield, in both trenches and yet again re-tool a defense.

With such a theme in mind, here's a look at everything to know about one of the most important Auburn spring games in recent memory.

2016 Auburn Spring Game

When:  Saturday, April 9, at 4 p.m. ET

Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium

TV: SEC Network

Live Stream: SECSports.go.com.

It's not hard to figure out where to start when it comes to Saturday's event.

John Franklin III, a transfer, is the man tasked with turning the offense around next season. Considering Jeremy Johnson only threw 10 touchdowns to seven picks last year and Sean White one and four, respectively, it's safe to assume Franklin has his hands on the starting gig.

That doesn't mean he isn't under the microscope. Franklin only comes in at 174 pounds. He's fast and a dual-threat option in every sense of the description, but he'll have to show he can get the most out of guys around him and also hold up under the rigors of play.

At the very least, everyone seems to love Franklin's versatility, as captured by SEC Football:

The offense will need to fall in around Franklin. Behind him, running back Jovon Robinson returns after a season in which he turned 117 totes into 639 yards and three scores. Good, but the rest of a committee will need to sort itself out.

It's a similar story at wideout. The top two wideouts from last season (Ricardo Louis and Melvin Ray) are gone, so it will be interesting to see which former depth players can emerge as the best fit for the Franklin-led offense.

Again, same story in the offensive trenches. Xavier Dampeer is the focal point at center. A senior, he'll get the nod as starter with Austin Golson moving to left tackle to shore up the blind side.

“Dampeer is playing at a pretty good level at center right now,” offensive line coach Herb Hand said, according to Bryan Matthews of Rivals.com. “He's another guy that I've been very, very pleased with.”

The same pressure applies to the defensive side of the ball, which suffered last year under the much-hyped Will Muschamp. Now new coordinator Kevin Steele directs the attack, also inspired by the Nick Saban coaching tree.

In other words, fans shouldn't expect to see much difference Saturday compared to last year, except in the effort department.

“We’ve kept it pretty vanilla because we wanted to find out who would play with toughness, who would play with great effort and if you’re thinking and worried about making mistakes and busting then that’s pretty hard to do,” Steele said, according to Brandon Marcello of SECCountry.com. “We’ve kept it very, very vanilla.”

It's hard not to sense the positive vibes around the unit even though the team is on its third defensive coordinator in as many years. With major names such as Carl Lawson returning and high-upside guys like Byron Cowart continuing to emerge, the growth and development in a familiar scheme should pay dividends.

If budding positivity around a defense and a general nervousness about a Malzahn-directed offense seems odd going into a spring game, it most certainly is.

That won't stop fans from flocking to the event, nor should it. While not the bottom line in how a season will play out, should the spring game provide reassurances about both sides of the football, the SEC might have a sleeper on its hands. 

While an odd position, it sure makes for quite the interesting A-Day.

Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Broadcast and spring game info via AL.com.