Auburn Tigers Football: 9 Items on the Summer to-Do List
Auburn has multiple items to address in the coming summer months. The to-do list is lengthy but nine items stick out as ones that must be addressed as soon as possible. The most glaring hole is the quarterback position, but there are other parts of the game that must be improved upon as well.
Gene Chizik and his staff are hoping to find answers to the numerous questions that they face, and moving forward, more than player development has to be determined. Working true freshmen in the mix of already young players will be a must, but so will finding a new slogan for the 2011 season.
The coming months must find leadership to lean on for guidance in the summer workout period. Continuing with the recruiting plan is a must as the Tigers look to replace and reload a host of positions after this season as well. If these nine items are marked off the summer list, Auburn will have a successful 2011 season.
Find a QB
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The No. 1 priority has to be for Auburn to find a quarterback. Entertaining thoughts of another one-year transfer wonder has become the most recent message board fodder with rumors of Russell Wilson to Auburn, but this staff will most likely look to stick with the guns on campus already.
Kiehl Frazier arrived this summer and is in class and a part of summer workouts. Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley are both in the system and leading the summer workouts. One of these three has to step up to the role of starter for the Tigers.
It would not be a surprise to see either Trotter or Moseley to get the starting nod and see Frazier brought in similar to Kodi Burns in 2008. It would be an ease in process to bring Frazier in for the eventual take over as the starter. Trotter has the time in the game manager style similar to Chris Todd and can win Auburn some ball games.
The end of summer workouts and the beginning of two-a-days will help Auburn find a starter. Which player shows his ability to motivate the team during summer? Who stays when workouts are over? These things will lead the coaches to finding the starter by fall.
Balance the Offense
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The offense under Cam Newton was extremely unbalanced. The play-calling may have been more balanced but the ability for Newton to call his own runs helped to tip the scale toward a predominant rushing offense.
This season Auburn will look to use the play action more to keep the defenses honest and will return to the more 2009 type of balanced rushing and air attack. This year will likely be the most dynamic of Malzahn’s college coaching career, as this will be the longest tenure for him at one school since being called into the college ranks.
For Auburn to be effective and continue with its dominant and lofty offensive stats, it has to find a balance. Precise quarterback play will determine the effectiveness of balancing the gameplan.
Find Leadership
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Leadership is often the most overlooked piece to any successful team’s formula. Having a big senior class always helps, but Auburn does not find itself in that scenario. Growing and developing leadership from the juniors and lower classmen is a challenge for this team.
Guys like Phillip Lutzenkirchen, Onterio McCalebb, Emory Blake and even Barrett Trotter have to step up and show the younger Tigers not only what to do and how to do it on the field but off the field as well.
All the talent in the world could accumulate on one team, and without a leader, that team would finish winless. Talent matters but leadership matters as well so the coaches have to ensure that someone in this group is leading the pack, especially this summer during voluntary workouts.
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Break in Needed Freshman
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There are a few impact freshmen that are sure to be on the field this coming season. Tre Mason is a guy who has not received a lot of the preseason focus but will be looked upon to fill the third back role and possibly earn a share of the carries this coming season.
Another instant impact guy should be Kris Frost. Frost is a gamer and has the body to walk in and play from day one. A lot of speculation has placed Frost on the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker, but with the recent dismissal of Shaun Kitchens, he should get his first looks at receiver.
Reese Dismukes is the third guy on this list but some will forget that he is a freshman by the beginning of the season. He made it through spring practice and will enter the fall as the favorite to land the starting center job. He will likely rotate time with Blake Burgess early, but Dismukes likely will pull away in the end.
Jonathon Rose was a gamer this spring. Rose earned a reputation as a hard hitter and a corner that had a nose for the football. He found himself in excellent position in the A-Day game, but let the pick fly through his hands. After summer and the fall workouts however, Rose should be ready to earn some play this fall.
Kiehl Frazier is of course another player who should see time this season. Frazier is a player who may land on the field simply because he is the best athlete at his position. Quan Bray is another but beyond that most freshmen will be waiting their turn and learning the game.
Find a Starting Center
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Reese Dismukes and Blake Burgess battled during the spring for the starting center spot. There still hasn’t been a decision as to which guy will make the first snap of the season but whoever the Tigers choose will be ready.
It would not be a surprise to see both players earn some playing time early in the season, but finding a starter is a must. The center makes the calls for the offensive line and makes sure that the proper blocking protection is in order.
The line is going to be extremely talented this fall, but the Tigers must find some consistency early and appointing a starting center will go a long way with building continuity.
Build a Top 5 Commit List
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Auburn is building yet another strong class for the 2012 recruiting class. With the recent addition of Mike Blakely, Auburn solidified its 2011 class even further. Auburn has to continue the trend and use the momentum that has been growing from the national championship.
Auburn added another commitment early this week in Joshua Hosley, and will look to add more commits with this weekend’s Big Cat recruiting weekend. Out of the past two Big Cat weekends Auburn signed 25 players. That is a huge portion of the current roster and shows the weekend’s effectiveness.
If Auburn carries on with the steam that it is building a top five class is sure to be in the works for the Tigers. This summer is a crucial evaluation time for both the coaches and the recruits. Keeping up with recruiting is high on the coach’s summer to do list.
Find a Slogan
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In 2009 it was “Do What We Do.” This past year the slogan was “Good To Great.” Your guess is as good as mine as to what the coaches come up with this year, but there is bound to be a slogan before the season starts.
It may seem small, but a slogan is something that helps build confidence and helps attain a focus on a mission. It helps the fans to have something to hold onto. If nothing else, it allows the rubber wrist band companies to make their annual sales quota during football season.
Develop a Third Back
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Auburn moved Anthony Morgan back to running back this spring to fill out the position as two scholarship backs will not cut it in a 12-game SEC season. Morgan came on strong despite some knee injury woes and looked very explosive in the A-Day game.
Tre Mason is an incoming freshman who is almost guaranteed to see time this season and will be looked upon to help shore up the position. He will undoubtedly fill a role as he is a talented runner that will be able to pound the ball for the Tigers.
Mike Blakely was quite the surprise for Auburn fans when he showed up on the campus of Auburn earlier this week. If he is granted a waiver, then he will make his way to the field this season for the Tigers and would likely help them build some formidable depth.
Find a Specialist
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One kick finished one of the most amazing seasons in Auburn history. Wes Byrum put the winning kick through the uprights for the Tigers in the national championship game and stepped away from one of the best careers for a kicker in Auburn history.
Stepping into the starting role this year is presumed to be Cody Parkey. Parkey will be a rising sophomore as he received crucial playing time a year ago, but Chandler Brooks is a walk-on who is pushing Parkey daily. Look for Parkey to win the competition, but there has to be consistency throughout the summer for this decision to be easy.
The punter position is one that has been hurting over the past year after the graduation of Clinton Durst, but the Coach Boulware is hoping that Steven Clark can step into the role this summer and stay consistent. Clark had some boomers in the spring game and is known for his hang-time but shanked quite a few attempts last fall.
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