Auburn Tigers Football 2011: 10 Training Camp Priorities

Auburn is entering its second week of fall camp on Monday. Fall camp brought a wealth of questions and priorities that have to be attained to. The Auburn coaches have their list laid out and a plan is in place to answer the questions that are looming.

The Tigers will look to find playmakers early and will attempt to develop depth with an extremely young roster. Finding an answer to which freshmen can contribute will help iron out a lot of the kinks before the first game day snap.

With no contact in the first week, it is hard to project the freshmen in the class just yet, but they have been receiving rave reviews so far. The newcomers will be a huge part of the success this season for the Tigers as the predominance of scholarship athletes on the team are in their first two seasons at Auburn.

There are 10 priorities that must be focused on and answered before the first kickoff in September. Auburn will look to answer the majority of these questions in the first two weeks. After two-a-days these priorities should be off the list, as the questions should have answers. 

Answer to the Quarterback Quandary

Gus Malzahn said quite confidently that he wanted to name a starter as soon as possible. He then followed up that sentence with praise going to new incoming freshman quarterback Kiehl Frazier. Malzahn is not one to typically go out of his way to lay down praise for a player.

I didn’t think that Frazier had a shot to play this season, but Malzahn made it seem that he was impressed with the young signal caller.

Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley are battling for the top spot, but there is no rumor of a lead just yet. A scrimmage appears to be on tap this coming Wednesday, so how the quarterbacks compete in the scrimmage may go a long way in finding a starter.

The goal has to be to have this off the priorities list with the start of the third week of practice. Two weeks before kickoff the Tigers are likely to start implementing strategy for the first game and will want continuity with a starter.

Find a Five Man Defensive Line Rotation

Auburn should feel confident with their starters on the defensive interior line as Jeffery Whitaker and Kenneth Carter gained much needed experience a year ago. Even though they are just rising sophomores, they will be very talented and will be ready for the coming season.

The questions form when the second string discussion begins. The interior rotation needs to have five players at least that can play, and the assumption is that at least two of the members of the rotation may be freshmen.

Angelo Blackson has been a pleasant surprise for the Tigers staff this fall and he will likely push for playing time. Another player that will be a part of the rotation will be Gabe Wright, another true freshman for the Tigers.

Derrick Lykes would have been a member of the five-man rotation, but he was promptly dismissed before fall practice due to a violation of team rules. In his stead will be Jamar Travis, a rising junior.

The Tigers are also likely to sprinkle in some defensive ends to the interior rush mix when passing downs arrive this season. 

Find Special Teams Playmakers

One of the most important components for the Tigers during last season’s title run was its special teams play. The Auburn coaches have made playing on special teams a privilege, and last season watching players like Craig Sanders and Demetruce McNeal lay licks was a treat.

Replacing guys that make big plays will be a problem that not many people recognize leading into the season. Auburn will put a major focus on ensuring that the special teams will be ready for game time.

Look for some of the rising redshirt freshmen and true freshmen to take their speed and talents down the field on special teams. The Tigers coaches will be looking for guys that play with fire and tenacity to fill the roles now left empty by expected starters.

Nail Down a Starting Receiver Rotation

It is pretty well known that Emory Blake will be a starter this season as will Philip Lutzenkirchen. After that the receiver rotation gets a little cloudy. The Tigers are loaded with talent at the position but will need to find two more guys that will be able to carry the load as starters in the receiver rotation.

Guys like Quindarius Carr and DeAngelo Benton are expected to make an impact, while Trovon Reed and Travante Stallworth are receiving praise in the slot positons. Finding the perfect blend of speed and size at the four primary receiver positions will be the goal for the Tigers this fall.

Malzahn wants his offense to run plays as fast as possible, and to do that the Tigers need to limit rotations on offense. Finding the perfect mix of players with a multitude of skill sets will allow for Auburn to speed up the game and limit rotations in 2011. 

Promote Walk-Ons

With only 72 players on scholarship heading into fall camp there will be a large opportunity for some upper classmen walk-ons this year. Auburn will rely on some of its current walk-ons to fill major roles in 2011.

A few of the names to look for are Ikeem Means, Chris Humphries, and Blake Burgess. There are many more that will contribute but these three are names that most Auburn fans will recognize.

There will be current walk-ons who will also make large strides in the special teams role this coming season. Coach Chizik and his staff have added 10 players in the past two seasons to the scholarship ranks and it looks as if the tradition will continue.

The most likely to receive the scholarships first will be the senior walk-ons and then the juniors down to the third year sophomores. Auburn has talent amidst its walk-on ranks as players like Blake Burgess are battling for starting positions.

Replace Primary Lead Blocker

With the graduation of Mario Fannin and the arrest and dismissal of Eric Smith, it appears that the Tigers are in a pinch when it comes to a lead blocker. Smith was a major player in the running game last season simply by opening holes for the Tigers backs.

Redshirt sophomore Ladarious Phillips is leading the charge for the starting position and will look to get assists in the blocking schemes from Philip Lutzenkirchen. The mixture of the two players should be a solid plan for the Tigers, as Lutzenkirchen is a focused player that looks for contact.

The hope has to be that Phillips will come on strong and be a standout player from the fullback position by midseason. Lutzenkirchen is talented, but the more focus he puts on his traditional tight end and receiver roles the better.

Build a Second String O-Line

The first string offensive line looks to be in place. Reese Dismukes and Blake Burgess are battling to determine the starting center position, but once that is determined, the starting five will be determined.

The second string offensive line may be one of the most important components to the Tigers this season so there has been a large amount of teaching early into the fall session. The coaches pushing these guys to the limit to see just how much they can handle before the season gets rolling.

Last year the injury to A.J. Greene showed how important having a solid backup plan is a necessity in the SEC. Brandon Mosley stepped in and finished the season during game four and will be a starter this year opposite Greene at tackle.

Behind the starters will likely be a host of redshirt and true freshmen. So far through camp, Greg Robinson and Christian Westerman have made names for themselves by playing hard and gritty on every play. It would be no surprise to see both earn snaps this season.

Separate Contributors and Redshirts

It is obvious that the Tigers will put numerous freshmen on the field this season. The Tigers played 15 true freshmen a year ago during their national title run.

I would assume that the numbers will be similar in 2011. The earlier that the coaches are able to separate the redshirts from the contributors, the better for the coaches and the team as game week closes in.

Players that will undoubtedly make it to the redshirt scout teams will be Corey Grant and Mike Blakely, which will form the most talented and dangerous backfield tandem of any league scout team. To be honest, those two may be better than most teams depth across the country at running back.

Auburn will use the first two weeks to qualify the newcomers, but there is a wealth of talent to attempt to sift through for the coaches, so the process is sure to be rigorous.

Finalize the Linebacker Rotation

Ted Roof can name two of his starting linebackers, but the third position may be up for grabs. Eltoro Freeman and Jonathan Evans are battling for the outside linebacker position opposite Daren Bates.

Freeman had a breakout spring and earned a lot of favor from Coach Roof and Coach Chizik, and the hope is that he has finally turned on the light bulb. If Freeman can play instinctively but end up in the right position every time, he can be one of the best linebackers in the league.

Evans is a rising junior and has earned playing time in the past two seasons but he has also played inconsistent at times. A rotation is likely but I would look to see Freeman get the starting nod against Utah State on September 3^rd. 

Find Leadership

Auburn had a wealth of seniors that played a major part in the maturity that was shown throughout the season in 2010. Auburn is looking for leadership to build from inside the underclassmen ranks and from the rising juniors.

Auburn brought two juniors and a redshirt sophomore to the SEC media days. They were the youngest representatives for any conference team. Despite the youth of the leadership and the team, the young leaders appear to be taking their roles seriously.

It is extremely important that the Tigers find leadership, so that when the Tigers get behind this season or when an imposter shows up in a game they are able to maintain control. Watching film from the first three days of camp it is encouraging to see guys like Daren Bates and T’Sharvan Bell coaching up their fellow Tigers.

Auburn has the talent to surprise even the most adamant prognosticators this season, but the only way that can happen is for the leadership to grow early and guide the team through the tough early part of the schedule.