Auburn Football 2011: 5 Tiger Upperclassmen That Must Make an Impact

Finding leadership this coming season is more important than ever for the Tigers. Auburn is entering the third year of the Chizik era with very little experience in place. Defensively, the first and second string will consist of only two seniors. On the offensive side of the ball, there are a total of four seniors that will be in the rotations.

With so few seniors on the team, Auburn will rely heavily on its rising juniors to help guide the team through the summer and pending season. Auburn finds itself in a unique position this year as the talent is the best it has been in years. Developing that talent takes time and a lot of responsibility to get young guys ready to play falls to their older teammates.

When the Tigers walk on the field September 3^rd against the Utah State Aggies five players have to be ready to lead this 2011 squad toward its first victory. There will be numerous playmakers from various positions that will be relied upon to make an impact, but these five will have the ability to change outcomes this season with their playmaking ability and leadership.

Neiko Thorpe – Safety

Thorpe may have found his most natural position this offseason when he was switched to the safety spot. With the removal of Mike McNeil from the team, finding a replacement as formidable as Thorpe seems to be a blessing.

Thorpe took part in 62 tackles a season ago from the cornerback position and also added nine pass breakups. Thorpe is talented but always seemed to have trouble with his change of direction and fluidity in coverage. Moving to safety will free his play and require less man coverage.

Thorpe will be looked upon during the summer months and into the fall practice period to motivate and guide the younger players through drills and workouts. Having a player that has been exposed to all aspects of the defensive backfield will also help Thorpe lead the younger defensive backs to success.

Emory Blake—WR

Blake enters his third year on campus as the expected playmaker and leader from the receiver position. Blake caught 32 passes for 526 yards a season ago and will need to double that output this season for Auburn to be as impactful on offense as they would like to be.

With the departure of Darvin Adams, Terrell Zachery and Kodi Burns, a leader has to emerge from the receiver position. Blake is the most experience of any pass catcher that the Tigers will return on roster in 2011 and made a large impact a season ago in a backup role behind Adams.

There is no way that all three of the leaders can be replaced in knowledge or statistics by Blake alone, but he can continue the patterns of hard work that were laid before him by the now departed Adams, Zachery and Burns.

Eltoro Freeman—LB

Freeman was a very highly recruited linebacker out of high school and then subsequently out of JUCO before his arrival to Auburn in the spring of 2009. When Freeman arrived on campus, most predicted a record-breaking career and instant impact from “The Bull.”

While Freeman has received playing time in 22 games since arriving on the Plains, he has yet to have a steady impact. Auburn needs to fill out its starting linebacker rotation this summer and fall and Freeman should find his way into the starting lineup.

This is the season that Freeman needs to be his breakout year. He has consistently found himself in the wrong position but when he does find the right way and makes the proper reads, he is a force. Freeman plays with an unrelenting passion that you want to see from a linebacker. He hits hard and with a purpose and doesn’t stop until the whistle blows.

With a talented group of linebackers pushing for playing time, Freeman doesn’t have room to slip. His passion for the game, hard work ethic and hard-nosed mentality will likely earn him a starting spot in the fall and will also help serve as a guide for the younger linebackers to follow.

Philip Lutzenkirchen saw playing time in 13 games last season and totaled 15 catches for 185 yards. Not blow your mind numbers, but toss in five clutch touchdowns, and you see how important he was to the equation a year ago.

Entering his junior season, Lutzenkirchen needs to have a breakout season. Expect Lutzenkirchen to have a more traditional slot receiver role in 2011, something that will be similar to the role that Kodi Burns had a year ago. Lutzenkirchen has the size and speed to create a ton of mismatches this season and will be looked for often as a safety valve for Auburn’s new quarterback.

Lutzenkirchen has become one of the more vocal leaders for the Tigers this offseason as well. He will need to continue to motivate and lead his teammates through the summer workouts and into the fall practice period.

Lutzenkirchen showed his ability to catch in traffic last year and how he could separate from coverage despite his size. He won’t be able to fly under the radar as often this season as he did in 2010, but he will make a more statistical impact for the Tigers this season.

Brandon Mosley—OL

Auburn had one of the best offensive lines in the country a season ago. Entering 2011, the offensive line is the biggest question mark that is being discussed for the Tigers. Brandon Mosley is the most experienced Tiger returning on the line this season. After starting his career as a tight end last summer, he converted to offensive tackle in the fall and was a starter by Week 4.

Mosley will have a host of upperclassmen with him on the line this season, but there is a severe lack of experience. A.J. Greene went down to an injury a year ago but returns for his senior campaign and Jared Cooper will be a starter at guard and is also a senior.

Mosley has the nasty streak that Coach Jeff Grimes wants to see from his linemen and that was a major criticism of Greene before he went down with an injury a year ago. Mosley will need to motivate his fellow linemen to work hard through drills and in the weight room this offseason. If he can be a leader and gain the respect of the fellow lineman this summer, Auburn could build a very good offensive front this fall around his leadership.