Auburn Football: News, Notes and Updates from Camp

The excitement for the 2011 Auburn Football season is building with the season opener against Utah State less than two weeks away.

This week saw plenty of major developments, highlighted by the naming of Barrett Trotter as the starting quarterback and the return to action of star running back Michael Dyer. The Tigers also added another recruit for 2012 and played a scrimmage.

Here is a slideshow detailing all of the key news and notes from Auburn's training camp over the last week.

Barrett Trotter Named Starting Quarterback

The long-awaited announcement of Auburn’s starting quarterback came on Thursday when the staff made junior Barrett Trotter the top signal-caller. The open quarterback job was the biggest question mark for Auburn heading into training camp.

Trotter beat out sophomore Clint Moseley and freshman Kiehl Frazier for the chance to replace Cam Newton. He was the only one of the trio with previous playing experience after seeing some action in relief of Newton in 2010.

“Barrett has worked extremely hard to earn the starting quarterback job at Auburn University,” head coach Gene Chizik said in a statement released by Auburn. “I’m very proud of him for the leadership and hard work he has shown not only during camp, but also during his three years at Auburn.

Auburn Ranked No. 23 in AP Poll

The first AP Poll of the new season was released on Saturday with Auburn ranked at No. 23. Last season, the Tigers debuted at No. 22 in the poll.

Auburn is one of eight SEC teams ranked in the AP Poll. They join Alabama (2), LSU (4), South Carolina (12), Arkansas (15), Georgia (19), Mississippi State (20) and Florida (22).

The Tigers will play all seven SEC teams ranked ahead of them in 2011, starting with Mississippi State on September 10.

Michael Dyer Back in Action

Starting running back Michael Dyer returned to practice this week. The star sophomore was out of action for a few days and missed last Saturday’s team scrimmage.

Dyer missed nearly a week of practice, causing concern for Auburn fans. He was back in action on Wednesday and should start against Utah State on September 3.

Speedy Onterio McCalebb and freshman Tre Mason will be the key backups for Dyer.

Reese Dismukes and Blake Burgess Battling at Center

Now that the quarterback race is over, the next big position battle to be settled is at center.

Sophomore Blake Burgess and freshman Reese Dismukes are still competing for the job with less than two weeks until the season opener.

It appears that Dismukes could have the upper hand after working with the first unit on Friday. The highly-touted freshman was ranked as the nation’s top center recruit by ESPN/Scout.com.

Burgess may not get the center job, but the former walk-on has plenty to smile about after earning a scholarship from the coaching staff this week. Burgess played guard last season and could see time at multiple spots on the line in 2011.

Nieko Thorpe Leads Talented Group of Safeties

Auburn has a lot of questions on defense heading into the season, but one position that looks promising in training camp is safety.

Senior Neiko Thorpe has had a good camp after playing cornerback in 2010, while freshman Erique Florence is one of the top players in the freshman class.

“Now when he'll back off another 10 yards, his vision and range will give us a dimension we didn't have before,” said safeties coach Tommy Thigpen about Thorpe. “It's going to be fun to watch him grow into that position." 

Sophomore Demetruce McNeal will also see plenty of time at safety in 2011. McNeal was primarily a special teams player last season.

Return Man Auditions

The roles of kick and punt returner are still open after a few weeks of training camp, and the coaching staff has been working with a variety of candidates at both spots.

A few candidates have been working out at punt returner, including starting wide receiver Emory Blake.

Others who have seen action in practice include fellow receivers Trovon Reed and Quindarius Carr, as well as safety Demetruce McNeal.

Running back Onterio McCalebb looks to be the favorite at kick returner after some time there last season, including a 99-yard return.

He could be joined by senior safety Neiko Thorpe .

Saturday Scrimmage

Auburn played another team scrimmage on Saturday. It was closed to the public, but according to the coaching staff, mostly young players and others who needed work saw action.

"It went well," said Chizik afterwards in his press conference. "I don't think there's anything earth shattering from the short scrimmage that we had other than the experience that we gained from it."

According to reports, freshman Kiehl Frazier was the quarterback in the scrimmage, while wide receiver Quan Bray made some big plays. Bray could challenge for playing time as a return man and wide receiver this season.

Kiehl Frazier's Role Still TBD

Highly-regarded freshman quarterback Kiehl Frazier will not be the starting quarterback heading into the season and appears to be third on the depth chart behind Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley.

The immediate future for Frazier is still unknown, as he might possibly redshirt but could also see action as the wildcat quarterback. Frazier could also be pressed into action if Trotter or Moseley suffers an injury at some point in 2011.

The competition at quarterback won’t let up next season with Kentucky star Zeke Pike committed to the Tigers.

Jonathan Jones Commits to Auburn

Auburn had an up-and-down week on the recruiting front. The Tigers lost out on Atlanta’s Geno Smith, one of the top cornerbacks in the class of 2012.

Smith, ranked second in the nation by ESPN and fourth by Rivals, was down to Auburn and Alabama before choosing the Crimson Tide on Wednesday.

The Tigers ended the week by adding a commitment in cornerback Jonathan Jones, who announced on Saturday that he will join Auburn in 2012. ESPN ranks Jones at No. 22 among corners in the class of 2012.

The cornerback from Carrollton, Georgia had schools such as Georgia Tech, Mississippi State and Tennessee among his top choices.

He is the 14th commitment for Auburn for 2012.

Auburn Starts Game Preparation

The Tigers are off for two days after Saturday’s practice/scrimmage. They get back to work on Tuesday and start their preparations for the season opener against Utah State.

“We need it,” Chizik told the media on Saturday. “They’re tired. They’ve worked really, really hard. They’re exactly where we expected them to be at this point in terms of needing that break."