Spring wrap: Quarterbacks

DEPTH CHART

• QB Kodi Burns, Jr., 6-2, 209
• QB Neil Caudle, Jr., 6-3, 199
• QB Chris Todd, Sr., 6-4, 214
• QB Barrett Trotter, rFr., 6-2, 201

Walk-ons

• QB Brent Poole, rFr., 6-2, 205

OVERVIEW

For the entirety of Brandon Cox's senior season, most Auburn fans wanted to see the three-year starter run out of town. Well, once he graduated they got their wish — a brand new starter. It wasn't pretty. The quarterback situation last year was a mess of monumental proportions. Reports that Todd and Burns were so good in the preseason that Tony Franklin would be foolish not to play them both were greatly exaggerated. As it turned out, it wasn't that they were both so good, it was simply that there was no separation between the two. Eventually, Franklin's dismissal and Todd's shoulder injury gave the starting job to Burns, who showed signs of promise in the final six games but still went 1-5 as a starter down the stretch. But it wasn't enough for him to be handed the reins once Gus Malzahn was named Auburn's new offensive coordinator. Now, the competition is still open.

GOOD THINGS

Say what you will about Burns' throwing ability, he has all the intangibles of a quarterback in terms of presence and leadership. He talks like a quarterback. He has that attitude. And for anyone who thinks that's not part of the equation, you're greatly mistaken. It counts. Caudle , after three years in limbo, finally has his shot at earning the job and doesn't appear to be shying away from it. He's neck-and-neck with Burns and showed a strong arm with some of his throws in the spring game. Despite playing against second- and third-team players, both Burns and Caudle appeared to have a decent grasp of the offense at A-Day, a positive sign coming just three and a half weeks after the team began installing Malzahn's system.

BAD THINGS

There is still no clear starter, which isn't a good sign. While Malzahn was extremely tight-lipped about getting too specific about the competition, it was clear that nobody wowed him enough in the spring to be given that No. 1 title heading into the summer. That kind of uncertainty can have a lasting affect, although this year's coaching staff claims it will not go to the eve of the season to name a starter like last year's group. Trotter, once a factor in the competition, tore his ACL in a non-contact drill late in the spring, making a comeback in time for the 2009 season a long shot. And Todd wasn't able to throw throughout the spring after having offseason shoulder surgery. While the senior claims he's learning the offense in team meetings and film work, it's not the same as learning it on the field.

ARRIVING SOON

Auburn signed two quarterbacks in February, Tyrik Rollison and Clint Moseley. Rollison is the more physically gifted of the two, a dual-threat quarterback who put up some ridiculous numbers at Sulphur Springs, Texas. He would be a unique talent to join the roster if he qualifies (he told AuburnSports .com last month that he should be in but he's taking the ACT one more time to be sure). Coaches claim Moseley, Alabama's Mr. Football, is more similar to Rollison than people give him credit for, able to move and throw the ball. I doubt either of them play, however. The challenges of being a true freshman quarterback are simply too great. Auburn has four weeks of practice during two-a-days once these players arrive. That's not much more than the three and a half weeks of spring practice it took to install the base offense. It's one thing to know the offense. It's another to be proficient in it.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

Not many names to choose from here, but I'll go with Caudle, simply because he's the least established of the quarterbacks competing for the job. Caudle was never really given a chance by the previous coaching staff (they nearly bypassed him for Trotter during the second half of last season, after all) and looks like he's enjoying being in the heat of the competition. He showed off a pretty strong arm on A-Day and claims he's cut down on his interceptions, a persistent problem during his career. Malzahn wants a quarterback that is quick with his decisions, accurate with his passes and able to stretch the field on occasion. I think those criteria favor Caudle more than Burns right now.

BATTLE TO WATCH

There is no position battle more crucial to the team's success than at quarterback. Burns and Caudle are the frontrunners, though I wouldn't necessarily rule out Todd once he comes back from shoulder surgery (although it's unlikely his shoulder returns to the strength where he can throw a football through a car wash without it getting wet). Malzahn has said he doesn't want to rotate quarterbacks, so there will be one guy taking the snaps. It will certainly make for an interesting August.

THEY SAID IT

"I think you would like to have a guy but at the same time it’s a process. So the job’s still open and we’ll get to fall camp and we’ll find a guy and we’ll go from there. " — Malzahn, reiterating the same thing he said at the beginning of the spring

NUMBERS GAME

7 — Passing touchdowns by Auburn last season, fewest in the SEC. League leader Florida has 33

THE END OF THE DAY

Auburn's biggest question of the spring — who will start at quarterback? — did not have an answer, a predictable conclusion to a spring practice during which Malzahn took stock of the quarterbacks he had and installed the base elements of his offense. Naturally, it was going to be a process (one of the coaching staff's favorite phrases when it comes to the quarterbacks), but you still would have liked someone to stand out. That Burns, a quarterback who has considerable starting experience, didn't blow past Caudle, a quarterback with barely any game experience, tells me this might not be the most exceptional group next year.

Dyas elected to College Football Hall of Fame

Just got this press release from Auburn sports information:

DR. ED DYAS ELECTED TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

AUBURN — Former Auburn football All-American Dr. Ed Dyas has been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame announced the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Thursday. Dyas, who finished fourth in the 1960 Heisman Trophy voting and was a
scholastic All-American, will be the twelfth Auburn coach or player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

A three-year letterman from 1958-60, Dyas is the first Auburn inductee since Coach Pat Dye went into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He’s the first Auburn player to be inducted since Tracy Rocker in 2004.

"Tiger Prowl" hits Phenix City, Smiths Station

Say what you will about Auburn's "Tiger Prowl," it's certainly generating a buzz.

Although this has been written about at length on most of the recruiting Web sites (props to AuburnSports.com for the photo, by the way), here's an overview of what Auburn is doing: seven assistant coaches are doing a tour of the state in a stretch Hummer limo with Auburn decals and flags on the side to announce the school's presence within Alabama.

The group started in Mobile earlier this week and has been moving north. They hit Central High in Phenix City and Smiths Station on Wednesday morning (stangely they didn't cross the border into Georgia) before moving on to the Auburn/Opelika area and eventually Montgomery. The Birmingham area is on the docket for tomorrow apparently.

Keep in mind, the Auburn coaches cannot talk to the players. This is ostensibly just a fact-checking trip, to brush up on transcripts of some players and meet coaches. But it certainly is a different approach to recruiting.

Here's what some coaches had to say:

RON NELSON, Central High coach

On seeing the limo pull up
"Everybody saw them coming. You knew where they were coming from."

On meeting seven assistant coaches
"I think the biggest thing is, and I really think what Coach (Gene) Chizik and them are trying to do, is a lot of times you come in to recruit and you meet one guy that recruits your area and you don't know the other guys. Right now, we sat down for about an hour today, we had a chance to meet all seven of these guys and build a relationship with them. When I call, they'll know who I am and vice versa."

Was there a buzz around their arrival?
"They just happened to be here during a class change and I think a lot of kids saw them in the halls, so the buzz from that standpoint is there."

On Auburn's commitment to recruiting the state
"I think they know that they've got to get some players from the state of Alabama. And I think that's one of the big things they're doing to make their presence known and to let people know that Auburn will recruit you."

MARK ROSE, Smiths Station coach (it should be noted that Rose was a four-year letterman at Auburn, a teammate of current defensive line coach Tracy Rocker back in the Pat Dye era)

On the visit
"I know they don't go everywhere, so it's a privilege to have them come by."

On if the staff showing up in a limo was unique
"Yeah. I guess that would be a little unique. But I think that's a good thing."

On the Auburn staff's commitment to recruiting Alabama
"Knowing those guys, I know they're committed. They're working non-stop. Like I said, I've had some dealings with a lot of them since they've been here and knew several of them from before. There's no doubt they're committed and they're working for Auburn."

Spring wrap: Running backs

DEPTH CHART

Running backs

• RB Ben Tate, Sr., 5-11, 217
• RB Eric Smith, So., 5-10, 234
• RB Onterio McCalebb, Fr., 5-10, 165

H-backs

• HB Mario Fannin, Jr., 5-11, 226
• FB John Douglas, So. 6-2, 235
• TE Bailey Woods, So., 6-5, 230

Walk-ons

• RB Justin Albert, rFr., 5-8, 169
• RB Michael Alexander, So., 5-10, 201
• RB Michael Gibson, Jr., 5-11, 227
• RB Davis Hooper, So., 6-0, 201
• FB Jason King, Jr., 6-0, 223

OVERVIEW

Once the bedrock of a Auburn's football program, the Tigers' running game hit a snag last season. Tony Franklin's offensive system didn't lend itself to the power running game Auburn fans had grown accustomed to. The end results were disastrous. Tate led the team with 664 rushing yards, the lowest output from the team's leading rusher since 2001. Brad Lester all but disappeared by the end of his senior season as Fannin, a wide receiver when the year started, emerged as the go-to back down the stretch. Now, everybody is going to get involved. Gene Chizik and new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn have made it clear that Auburn is going to return to its smashmouth roots. That means running the ball more than throwing it, despite the perception that Malzahn's offensive is of the throw-it-first variety.

GOOD THINGS

Fannin was the team's offensive MVP last year. So what does Auburn do? It moves him to a different position. Odd move, for sure, but Malzahn has been successful in utilizing a versatile H-back in the past, which seems to suit a bulked-up Fannin just fine. That means a refreshed Tate will likely be the feature back, and early indications are that the senior is taking that responsibility seriously. Running backs coach Curtis Luper was very impressed with Tate throughout the spring, saying he had 1,000-yard potential, something Auburn hasn't seen out of a rusher since Kenny Irons ran for 1,293 yards in 2005. Smith and McCalebb seem like great complementary parts, Smith providing the power, McCalebb the speed. And don't count out Fannin from getting some carries as well. There certainly is not shortage of bodies in the backfield.

BAD THINGS

The are nit-picky, but ... Smith had to deal with a knee injury near the end of spring drills, which kept him out of action A-Day. It doesn't sound serious, but you never know. It sounds like fumbles were a problem for part of the spring. During one scrimmage, Tate and McCalebb both lost the ball, which accounted for a narrow defensive victory that day. Also, Fannin's move is a bit puzzling. Anyone who watched last year's Georgia game realizes the kind of big-play potential that he has as a running back (then again, one of his touchdowns came on a pass after he went in motion out of the backfield). It would be a shame to see him not get as many carries because he's lined up in different spots of the field where he can't be handed the ball as easily.

ARRIVING SOON

There is no shortage of help on the way. McCalebb is technically a freshman after transferring from Hargrave, but he's already in school, so I won't count him here. Beyond that the Tigers signed Dontae Aycock, a four-star converted quarterback who signed late in the process, Brandon Jacobs, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound back who brings a bruising reputation like former Auburn back now with the New York Giants, and Demond Washington, a do-it-all junior college transfer who will start out on the offensive side of the ball. That's a lot of talent coming in to a situation that doesn't sound too conducive for a youngster to step in and play. Auburn has all of its running backs roles filled with experienced players (Every down: Tate; Versatility: Fannin; Power: Smith; Speed: McCalebb). It seems like it would be very tough for one of these players to get on the field immediately. If I had to guess, I'd say Washington has the best chance, simply because he's gone through the rigors of two junior college seasons and his eligibility clock is ticking.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

Speed is usually the trump card in football, and McCalebb brings a ton of it. He's fast — legitimately fast. Everyone on the team agrees. Malzahn's system seems like it can free up running backs in open space quite a bit, where McCalebb can be most dangerous. Get him in the open field and you're going to have a tough time bringing him down. In my time covering college football, the fastest back I've seen was Michael Bennett when I was in college at Wisconsin (these two games stand out in my mind). A legitimate track star, Bennett was good for a 50- or 60-yard touchdown run in every game, simply because the Badgers' line got him a hole and nobody could touch him. Bennett's problem was that he was a featured back and he physically broke down by the end of the year from repeated poundings. Tate is Auburn's featured back, meaning Malzahn can be smart about getting McCalebb into the game on a limited basis and keep him fresh. That's a big benefit. And if anybody questions McCalebb's determination in succeeding immediately, his back story should provide all the information you need to know about his focus and where it lies.

BATTLE TO WATCH

I don't know how many battles there will be in this group just because the roles seem pretty well-defined. I guess I would say the biggest battle would be between Smith and McCalebb for who get the bulk of carries behind Tate, who has solidified his spot as the featured back. Fannin complicates the battle for carries, since he'll probably shift to running back for at least part of the time in addition to his many other duties. How the carries will be divvied is the biggest question mark next season.

THEY SAID IT

"Some people always tell me when I run, I never look fast. I’m like, ‘Really? Well race me.’ Most of the guys on our team think I’m fast, but everybody else, they be like, 'I don’t know.' It doesn’t really matter because all I tell them is, ‘Let’s race.’ I tell everybody: ‘Let’s race.’"

— Tate, on the perception that he is slow

NUMBERS GAME

1,650 — rushing yards by the Tigers last season, their lowest season total since 1999, when they ran for a 748 yards. From 2000-07, Auburn averaged 2,183 rushing yards per season.

THE END OF THE DAY

Auburn has a strong backfield, but whether than translates to success in the running game depends on so many other variables (a strong offensive line, an effective passing game to to keep a defense honest) that it's hard to tell how the Tigers will do this year. If the running game sputters, though, it won't be because the backs aren't pulling their weight. Tate seems refreshed after a sub-par 2008. Fannin is a weapon that can be used in many spots. And there are plenty of capable young players who can step in for a series or two and not be a detriment on the field. Give this group enough carries and some holes to run through and it should thrive.

Tomorrow: Quarterbacks

Spring wrap: Wide receivers/tight ends

DEPTH CHART

• WR Tim Hawthorne, Jr., 6-3, 214
• WR Terrell Zachery, Jr., 6-1, 209
• WR Darvin Adams, So., 6-3, 184
• WR Montez Billings, Sr., 6-2, 184
• WR Harry Adams, So., 6-0, 185
• WR Philip Pierre-Louis, rFr., 5-8, 157
• WR Quindarius Carr, So., 6-1, 181
• WR Derek Winter, So., 6-0, 200
• TE Tommy Trott, Sr., 6-5, 237
• TE Bailey Woods, 6-5, 230

Walk-ons

• WR Trevor Barden, rFr., 6-4, 172
• WR Woody Parramore, Sr., 5-8, 167
• WR Patrick Collier, rFr., 5-11, 188
• WR Nathan Taylor, So., 5-10, 173
• WR Gabe Barrett, Jr., 5-10, 170
• WR John Cubelic, Jr., 6-0, 207
• WR Nick Padgett, Jr., 5-8, 173

Transfer (can't play this year)

• WR Ralph Spry, Jr., 5-10, 161

Status in the air

• TE Gabe McKenzie, Sr., 6-5, 252

OVERVIEW

Auburn's passing game was nothing short of a disaster last season. There's no other way to put it. And while the quarterback mess and Tony Franklin's inability to truly install his offense were main causes for the Tigers' passing problems, the lack of talent at wide receiver is just as responsible. Things didn't get better in the offseason either. Rod Smith, the team's most consistent receiving threat, graduated. Chris Slaughter, who had a huge game at Ole Miss, left the program. Robert Dunn, an erratic home run threat, exhausted his eligibility and is now pursuing a rap career (Google DunnCity and "Goose & Patron" if you're interested). Auburn's leading returning receiver (Billings) had only 24 catches last year, so yes, there are some big questions around the receiving corps. But there is a ray of light, and it comes in the form of receivers coach Trooper Taylor. The coach has instilled new life in the group, trying to get the receivers to forget about their lack of past production and look forward. It will certainly be a process to get things going in the right direction, but it seems Auburn has at least taken a good first step.

GOOD THINGS

Taylor consistently praised Hawthorne throughout the spring for his maturation as a receiver and ability to go over the top of the defense, a positive sign for a player who caught only eight passes last year. He could emerge as the team's top receiving threat. Harry Adams, one of the fastest players on the team, moved over from cornerback to give the receiving corps a burner who can stretch the secondary. Although he only played there briefly, early returns were positive. And Zachery appeared to take a step forward, as evidenced by his 70-yard run in the spring game.

BAD THINGS

Oh, where to start. How about the lack of a No. 1 wideout? Or maybe the academic situation that kept Billings a spectator all spring? Or how about the fact that Taylor never seemed to have anything good to say about last year's two-a-days darling Pierre-Louis? Or just that Pierre-Louis, seven months removed from knee surgery, still wasn't participating in many contact drills? Or that Carr, despite having all the physical tools, hasn't been able to translate that to the field? Or that Harry Adams has been playing receiver now for (what time is it?) ... about 15 minutes? Or that Darvin Adams' name rarely comes up in conversations? Or that it's unclear if McKenzie will return to the team after dealing with an undisclosed medical issue? Yes, there are some questions about this receiving corps.

ARRIVING SOON

Here's where it could get interesting. Receiver is a position where freshmen typically can step in and play right away at the college level, simply because there isn't the same physical barrier there is on the line or the same mental challenge of a position like quarterback. And Auburn has a solid receiving class coming in, headed by DeAngelo Benton, a former five-star player who has spent the last two years trying to qualify academically, and Emory Blake, a signing day addition from Texas. It seems like both have the physical attributes to contribute immediately at a position that is one of the weakest on the Auburn roster. Travante Stallworth and Anthony Gulley are two more incoming freshmen with 4.4 speed. LaVoyd James is the other receiver in the class. At tight end, Philip Lutzenkirchen seems like he should be able to play immediately. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end, considered one of the jewels of the class, fits the mold of what Gus Malzahn wants in a tight end, big enough to stay on the line and versatile enough to work at many different spots in the receiving game.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

Hawthorne has the makings of being the No. 1 guy Auburn so sorely lacks. He's big (6-3, 214), fast, not lacking in confidence and clearly in the good graces of his position coach, which always helps. That's a good recipe for a breakout.

BATTLE TO WATCH

The entire group is engaged in an ongoing position battle. Malzahn will use all sorts of receivers in his offense, so there will be plenty of passes to go around. Right now, though, the starting lineup isn't even set. Harry Adams has been backing Hawthorne up at one of the outside spots. Zachery has a pretty good chance to start, but where does Billings fit in if and when he comes back? A number of guys have rotated in the slot position, including Trott. Playing time seems legitimately up for grabs right now across the board.

THEY SAID IT

"To be real honest, the talk that's happened before we came around, that's all B.T.T. I say that's before Troop time. I don't care anything about any of that. It's what we have now." — Taylor, using one of his many Trooperisms to forget about his receivers' past struggles

NUMBERS GAME

2 — number of returning receivers or tight ends who caught more than 10 passes last year (Billings and Trott)

THE END OF THE DAY

This might be Auburn's weakest unit overall in terms of talent and production, and while Malzahn has stressed Auburn is going to be a run-first team, he still needs play-makers to step up in the passing game to provide any kind of threat and take defenders out of the box, something last year's team could not do. There are some positive things going on, though, and with the addition of a recruiting class that was receiver heavy, the Tigers appear to be on their way to remedying what has been a problem position for a couple of years. But it won't happen overnight, which means there probably will be some growing pains this season.

Tomorrow: Running backs

Spring wrap: Offensive line

DEPTH CHART

• LT Lee Ziemba, Jr., 6-8, 304
• LG Mike Berry, Jr., 6-3, 313
• C Ryan Pugh, Jr., 6-4, 287
• RG Byron Isom, Jr., 6-3, 293
• RT Andrew McCain, Sr., 6-6, 295

Reserves

• OL Bart Eddins, Jr., 6-4, 290
• OL Jared Cooper, So., 6-4, 300
• LG Darrell Roseman, Jr., 6-4, 294
• OT Vance Smith, So., 6-2, 255
• OL A.J. Greene, So., 6-5, 279

Walk-ons

• OL Rudy Odom, Sr., 6-5, 293
• OL Charles Bates, rFr., 6-4, 291
• OL Andrew Parmer, rFr., 5-10, 266
• OL Stephen Gibbons, rFr., 6-0, 235

Status in the air

• OL Kyle Coulahan, So., 6-4, 314

OVERVIEW

A year after struggling to adapt to the pace and technique required in Tony Franklin's spread offense, the offensive line has had a makeover. The svelte, nimble group packed on the pounds this offseason. Ziemba, Pugh and Isom added about 30 pounds each. McCain put on some weight too. Berry simply maintained (for obvious reasons). All of it was in order to better play in Gus Malzahn's fast-paced yet run-based offense, which will not shy away from running into the teeth of opposing defenses. So far, so good. Four starters are back and say the extra weight should give them a better shot against the physical defensive lines of the SEC. And the group has not surprisingly been all in favor of the smashmouth philosophy Malzahn and line coach Jeff Grimes hope to install. Now it's a matter of seeing it on the field.

GOOD THINGS

Auburn has plenty of experience in its starting lineup. Ziemba and Pugh are two-year starters. Isom started last year before a concussion sidelined him late in the year, at which point Berry stepped in. And McCain, the tight end-turned-defensive linemen-turned right tackle, seems ready to embrace a prominent role at right tackle in his final season with the team. It also helps that a couple linemen will be more comfortable this year. Ziemba had a bothersome left knee operated on in the offseason and says he feels great, a plus for a player who labored through the second half of last year. And Pugh, who bounced back and forth between center and tackle last year, is back home at center, where he's comfortable.

BAD THINGS

The Tigers simply lack bodies. From a scholarship perspective, they basically have enough for a first team, a second team and one extra person to do drills. That's simply not enough, especially not for a position where injuries are going to happen. Auburn's backups have plenty of issues. Smith is a converted tight end. Greene is a converted defensive tackle. Roseman is coming off a season of endless surgeries. Eddins is dealing with a knee injury. Furthermore, the backups have little to no experience. That's a lot of question marks for a second unit that would be pressed into action if any of the starters have to leave a variety of reasons. Already, Pugh had a scare with one of his knees at the tail end of spring (relax, he's fine according to reports), but that's how precarious the situation is at line.

ARRIVING SOON

There isn't much help coming in. After failing to sign a single offensive lineman in 2008, the Tigers added only two last year — Andre Harris and John Sullen. Sullen seems like a project. I can't imagine him contributing in any way next year. The 6-foot-4, 327-pound Harris has a better chance but would need to pick things up quickly to get on the field in any capacity. I could see him perhaps adding emergency depth late in the season. But with a noticeable bubble in its junior class of linemen, it would seem foolish to waste a year of eligibility for a player to be simply a backup, especially with so few freshman and sophomore in the program.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

This isn't so much of a breakout as a return to previous form. I think after being hobbled all of last season with a knee injury that Ziemba is determined to return to the form that made him part of the freshman All-SEC team two years ago. He's 30 pounds heavier and has two solid wheels. Physically, he seems like he should finally be able to bang with the SEC's big boys at tackle. It also helps that he's going against Antonio Coleman every day in practice. I think that should benefit him once the games start.

BATTLE TO WATCH

The starting five is pretty well set, with McCain holding down the right tackle spot from the start of spring. What will be interesting is if any of them go down, who comes in next? There obviously could be a lot of shuffling up front (Berry, for instance, has worked some at center and could slide over if Pugh is out), especially since the order of the second team is so muddled. I think if someone in the backup crew proves he is able to handle getting on the field, he'll immediately move to the top of the backup chart and Grimes will adjust positions to make it work. As of now, I don't think anyone has done that.

THEY SAID IT

"The chaos is much more controlled."

— McCain, describing this year's offense vs. last year's

NUMBERS GAME

8 — number of true offensive linemen on scholarship on the roster. Smith and Greene switched positions in the last year.

THE END OF THE DAY

This could be a major area of concern for Auburn. A lot is riding on the offensive line A) being healthy all season, and B) seamlessly returning to the smashmouth mentality that Gene Chizik thinks is the trademark of Auburn football. It appears the group is off to a good start in heading that direction. The offseason weight gain was a necessary step at getting back to being a run-first team that can move the ball against the physical defenses of the SEC. But when you play physical, there are going to be bumps and bruises. It's inevitable. And right now, that's a problem for a team searching for depth on the line. Maybe the summer and two-a-days will be enough time for the backups to get up to speed, but if not, the Tigers could be in a world of trouble if any of those starting five goes down.

Tomorrow: Receivers/tight ends

Powers talks about going to the Colts

Just got off a conference call with Jerraud Powers, who was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the NFL Draft today. Here's what he had to say.

Opening statement

"This day is a big day, obviously. It's a dream I've been chasing since I was 5 and it's just a blessing. I'm just excited. I'm excited about the future and what it holds. Just happy for it to be over with and me being on a team."

How did you get the news?

"It was the president for the Colts that called me like right before the pick was about to show up on TV. He told me that they were going to take me and just congratulating me and we laughed a lot about the whole process. And I was just excited. I started running down the hallway. It's exciting. I just couldn't believe it."

Did you have any idea the Colts would take you?

"I didn't know it was going to be the Colts. The Colts were one of the teams that were showing a lot of interesting, who were showing me that I can fit in their system and play in their defensive system. They showed a lot of interest, starting with the combine and going through it. So I sort of had a feeling, but this whole process, I didn't know who was going to draft me."

Does getting picked this early validate your decision to go pro?

"Yeah, it does. Because I think talking to the teams during this whole process and hearing what they thought about me and what they were grading me, I sort of knew that I could possibly end up as a late second or go third, but a lot of analysts and all the critics didn't see that. So throughout this whole process, I was just going along with what all the critics were saying, just, 'Yeah, yeah. That might happen.' But I had a feeling that this could happen and that I could get picked kind of high and I knew it was definitely going to be a shock to a lot of people."

How important was the combine and pro day in boosting your stock?

"It was important. You wanted to perform the best you could at the combine and pro day just because you are going against all the other guys. It's a big competition, basically, and you want to be the one who stands out. It's important, every bit of it, how you handle yourself during this whole process, so that's the way I looked at it. I looked at it like it was a business and I was on a job interview."

How do you think you fit with the Colts?

"I think I fit in well. They run a Cover 2 type scheme and they're trying to go back to playing a lot of man, and that's what they liked about me that I can play both. I have the toughness, they liked that I was physical as a corner. They liked that I can play zone or can line up and play man-on-man coverage."

Where did you watch the draft?

"I was at home in Decatur, but I didn't watch the draft at all, though. I would have probably been picking my brain cells out one-by-one after each pick. I think I could just let time go by and keep myself occupied and just wait for that phone call, because if I'm watching it pick-by-pick and my phone still doesn't ring, I know my name is not going to get called. I was just trying to keep myself busy and just wait for that phone call. And that's what happened."

Green goes to San Diego in the fourth

Guard Tyronne Green was taken by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the NFL Draft with the 133rd overall pick.

Green, a Pensacola, Fla., native, started the final 25 games of his Auburn career at left guard. He appeared in 42 games during his four years on the Plains.

Scouts Inc. gave him above average grades in agility, awareness, pass protection and run blocking. The 6-foot-2, 309-pound Green had an average mark in the strength/toughness category, lacking "jarring upper-body power."

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said this was about where Green would go, in the third or fourth round. He called Green a "battle-tested performer."

Auburn has now had at least three players taken in the draft in every year since 2004.

UPDATE: According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chargers drafted Green to play center, not guard.

Powers taken by Colts in third round

Now here's s surprise: Former Auburn cornerback Jerraud Powers was selected in the third round of Day 2 of the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts with the 92nd overall pick.

Powers, who skipped his senior season to enter the draft, was expected to go much later in the draft.

Powers fought through some injuries last season to finish with 47 tackles and two interceptions.

Still waiting to see where OG Tyronne Green goes. I'll have another update when it happens.

UPDATE: Just checked out Powers' Scouts Inc. profile on ESPN.com. He got his highest marks in production, character and ball skills (attacking the ball, natural hands). He got his lowest mark in run support (doesn't always shed blocks quickly). There are also questions about his closing burst and recognition skills/toughness.

Here's a partial analysis from ESPN.com: "Powers does a good job staying low in his backpedal and does an adequate, but not great, job of opening his hips when he's forced to turn and run. He's also strong enough to re-route receivers at the line of scrimmage, but he doesn't always play with enough of an edge."

UPDATE: Just checked into the Colts' situation in the secondary. They have three cornerbacks on the roster who started last year — Kelvin Hayden (10 starts, 62 tackles, 3 INT), Marlin Jackson (7 starts, 57 tackles) and Tim Jennings (12 starts, 74 tackles, 1 INT). Another, Keiwan Ratliff (4 starts, 32 tackles, 2 INT) signed as a free agent with the Steelers in the offseason.

Jackson, a four-year veteran from Michigan, went on injured reserve with a knee injury for the second half of the season.

Other cornerbacks include Dante Hughes (third year, California), Nick Graham (third year, Tulsa), T.J. Rushing (fourth year, Stanford), Michael Coe (third year, Alabama State) and Brandon Sumrall (first year, Southern Miss).

All in all, it doesn't look like a bad situation for Powers. With Ratliff out of the mix and Jackson coming back from a major knee injury, it appears like Powers should have an opportunity to get some playing time early on.

UPDATE: Here's a post form a live chat from Colts beat writer Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star about the Powers pick: "It wasn't a surprise the Colts addressed their defense with their third-round pick. But it might have been a surprise they opted for Jerraud Powers, a cornerback out of Auburn. Starters Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson return, as do key backups Tim Jennings and Dante Hughes. Team president Bill Polian, though, always goes with the best player, regardless of position. Powers is a 5-10, 192-pounder who will provide a physical presence and more depth. The pick should light a fire under Jennings, a 2006 second-round pick, and Hughes, a 2007 third-rounder. Neither has fulfilled expectations, especially Hughes."

Marks taken by Titans in second round (updated Sunday)

Sen'Derrick Marks turned out to be a first-day NFL Draft pick after all. The Tennessee Titans took the former Auburn defensive tackle in the second round with the 62nd overall selection in Saturday's draft, two picks before the end of the first day.

"I just went crazy," Marks said. "When I went to visit the Titans, I asked coach (Jeff) Fisher how it all works on draft day, and he asked if I really wanted to know and he told me. When he just called me, he said, 'Didn’t I tell you that it was going to be a great feeling?'”

The Titans needed help on their interior line after losing defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to free agency in the offseason. The All-Pro signed a 7-year, $100 million contract with the Washington Redskins in February.

The 6-foot-2, 306-pound Marks, who bypassed his senior season at Auburn to enter the draft, turned out to be their solution. He was the sixth defensive tackle taken Saturday.

"Sen'Derrick Marks is perfect getting up the field," ESPN analyst Todd McShay said shortly after the pick. "He is best when he's on the move. A little bit undersized, but I think early on he can come in and rush the passer from the interior. Certainly Tennessee needs some depth at that defensive tackle position. I think Marks will provide some of that."

ESPN's Scouts Inc. gave Marks high grades in agility and quickness but had questions about his strength, toughness and durability.

Many of those doubts arose after an injury-plagued junior season during which he had 32 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and two sacks. A projected first-rounder before the season, Marks' stock dropped considerably by the time he declared in December.

Those concerns were exacerbated by an offseason hamstring pull he suffered at the NFL Combine in February, an injury that affected him during a sub-par showing at Auburn's pro day just a few weeks later.

But Marks met with several teams individually in the last month to temper concerns about his hamstring, which he declared "100 percent" earlier this week. One of those teams was Tennessee.

"The Titans complex was the only facility that I went to visit and I really enjoyed it," Marks said. "It was a lot like Auburn’s, so I felt very familiar with it. I really liked the d-line coaches and the way that they coach. I really liked my visit and enjoyed it."

According to the team's Web site, the Titans' two projected starters at defensive tackle next year are Tony Brown and Jovan Haye. Brown had 52 tackles and four sacks for Tennessee last season. Haye signed as a free agent after making 33 tackles in 14 starts with Tampa Bay.

Auburn has now had a player selected on the first day of the draft in every year since 2004.

UPDATE: Here are a couple things from the Titans Web site.

First, a video with Tennessee's brain trust about the Marks selection.

Second, an audio only interview with Sen'Derrick (who is mislabeled as Den'Derrick at the top). Some interesting stuff on here, including Marks' impressions of Fisher and his thoughts about replacing Haynesworth, a player he idolized. He also had an interesting comment for why he went pro in the first place, other than feeling he was ready for the next level:

"There was a lot going on at Auburn, and I really wasn't getting a grasp of what was going on. And I felt that that was really personal on me. And I know a lot of other guys felt like that."

Not sure what he means by that, but clearly the coaching change and turmoil of December had an impact on his decision.

Draft Day is here!

Ahh, one of my favorite days of the year. You know those nerds who like to watch eight non-stop hours of draft coverage on ESPN, the ones everyone enjoys making fun of? Well I'm one of them. I thoroughly enjoy everything about the draft.

I will say I don't like the NFL moving the draft back to 4 p.m. ET. There's no reason whatsoever to try to get the early second round in prime time. If you're going to watch it, you'll commit to it. You're not going to get extra viewers at 7 p.m. on what in Auburn at least is a gorgeous day.

But I digress. On to Auburn, which has some slim pickings in this year's draft, as I wrote about Friday for our dead-tree based newspaper. We also had team-by-team capsules for Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Georgia Tech.

Here's some shorthand for Auburn as far as projections go:

• DT Sen'Derrick Marks: 2nd to 4th round (rumors have Indianapolis interested late in the second round)
  
• OG Tyronne Green: 3rd to 5th round
• CB Jerraud Powers: 5th to 7th round
• DT Tez Doolittle: Late to undrafted
• SS Merrill Johnson, RB Brad Lester, RB/KR Tristan Davis, WR Rod Smith and LB Chris Evans: Likely to sign as undrafted free agents.

If that seems like a light crop for Auburn, it's because it is. The Tigers have had at least one player go in the first or second round and at least three players get selected overall in every draft since 2004, a pair of streaks that could come to an end today.

The first two rounds are today with the final five tomorrow, so there's a chance nobody from Auburn gets taken on the first day.

We'll keep you updated when any Tiger gets selected this weekend, so check back for updates.

Spring wrap: Special teams

DEPTH CHART

Punters

• P Clinton Durst, Sr., 6-1, 192
• P Ryan Shoemaker, Jr., 6-0, 191

Place-Kickers

• PK Wes Byrum, Jr., 6-2, 214
• PK Chandler Brooks, rFr., 6-0, 164
• PK Morgan Hull, Jr., 6-3, 190
• PK Graham Sutter, So., 5-9, 146

Deep snappers/holders

• DS Josh Harris, So., 6-1, 224
• DS Bailey Woods, So., 6-5, 230
• DS Dax Dellenbach, rFr., 6-1, 229
• DS/H Clayton Crofoot, Sr., 6-6, 198
• H John Cubelic, Jr., 6-0, 207

Kick returners (in no particular order)

• CB Neiko Thorpe, So., 6-2, 182
• CB Walt McFadden, Sr., 6-0, 176
• HB Mario Fannin, Jr., 5-11, 226
• RB Ben Tate, Sr., 5-11, 217
• RB Onterio McCalebb, Fr., 5-10, 165
  

Punt returners (in no particular order)

• WR Quindarius Carr, So., 6-1, 181
• RB Justin Albert, rFr., 5-8, 169
• HB Mario Fannin, Jr., 5-11, 226
• CB Walt McFadden, Sr., 6-0, 176
  

OVERVIEW

Auburn's special teams got a bit of a bad rap last year. Everything seemed to focus on Byrum's inability to find any consistency as a place-kicker, but if you look at the rest of the Tigers' special teams, they were pretty good. Punt coverage was solid, although kick coverage left some to be desired. Robert Dunn took a few punts to the house. Tristan Davis was one of the nation's best at kick returns. And Durst finished the season 26th nationally in punting. New special teams coach Jay Boulware has been quick to chastise the media when we harp on the special teams breakdowns instead of highlighting the many good things that happened last year. But as any Auburn fan would be quick to point out, the thing that sticks out, the thing that turned the tide in two or three of Auburn's game last season was misses in the kicking game, plain and simple, leaving that as the No. 1 priority in the offseason.

GOOD THINGS

Byrum looked better. After briefly losing his place atop the depth chart to Brooks, the walk-on with yellow shoes, Byrum re-established himself as Auburn's go-to guy on field goals, working on his mechanics and finding some consistency by the end of camp. He made a 46-yarder in the spring game and just came up short from 51 yards, both good signs, but I also saw him miss the net from 2 yards away duringwarmups on the sideline, sending the ball into the hedges near the crowd, so maybe it's too soon to declare Byrum "fixed" for next season. Durst, after leaving the team briefly this offseason in a failed ploy to earn a scholarship, did his penance and has seized control of the punting job. Boulware called him "a better punter" and a "better technician" than Shoemaker by the end of spring drills. Hull has shown some life to his leg on kickoffs. And Auburn has no shortage of athletic return men, although the number of live drills they did during the spring limits what coaches could learn about their return skills. The ones remaining on the list at punt return are simply the ones that could catch the ball.

BAD THINGS

At the beginning of spring drills, the leaders in the clubhouse at the three specialty positions were Brooks (kicker), Durst (punter) and Harris (deep snapper), three walk-ons, while Auburn's three scholarship specialists — Byrum, Dellenbach and Shoemaker — lagged well behind. Only Byrum has snagged his starting spot back (mostly because of a Brooks injury), which means the Tigers have two scholarships being used on specialists who don't even play. In the long term, that's a problem, one the new coaching staff inherited from the old one.

ARRIVING SOON

Auburn has a stable of athletes in its 2009 class who you could be part of the return units. Junior college transfer Demond Washington figures to be one of them. He returned five punts for touchdowns at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College last year. Anthony Gulley is another player with returning experience, finishing with four punt and kick returns for touchdowns his senior season at Brantley (Ala.) High. Those are the two with the best resumes, although I'm sure there are a handful of incoming players who could be in the mix as well. At the kicking positions there's nobody, unless you count Cody Parkey, a place-kicker commit for 2010, which I won't. I'm sure some walk-ons will appear during fall camp, but I can't imagine they would be much of a factor.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

When you're the fastest person on the team and can get a block or two on a kick return, good things happen. That's why I like McCalebb in that spot. The freshman transfer from Hargrave has legitimate speed; everyone on the team is in agreement about that. There seems to be a report of him breaking off a long run in every practice, and he's a candidate to return kicks on a unit that opened up enough room for Davis to take several to the house last year. I like this situation for him.

BATTLE TO WATCH

Call me a skeptic, but I don't think Byrum is all the way back quite yet. Boulware noted that Byrum moving to the top of the depth chart at place-kicker coincided with an undisclosed injury to Brooks, a walk-on who stormed to a quick lead early in spring drills. Rarely does a player lose his spot because of injury, especially when there is still an entire two-a-days to endure. I think this battle will drag on throughout August, with Brooks very much in contention for the job.

THEY SAID IT

“I know him as Brooks — the kid with the yellow shoes."

— Boulware on Brooks and his distinctive footwear

NUMBERS GAME

3 — special teams categories last year in which Auburn ranked in the top-20 nationally (kick returns, punt returns and net punting)

THE END OF THE DAY

Despite the perception, Auburn was strong on special teams last year, something it should be again this season. The Tigers will add a new spread punt formation to help its coverage down the field, something that was slightly unveiled during A-Day. There appears to be no shortage of dynamic players on both the punt and kick return units. And Durst is back in the fold and kicking better than ever. The only hang-up is the kicking game. And while Byrum has looked good in practice, he looked good during practices last season. It was the games where his mechanics went out the window. There is no good way to approximate game pressure in practice, so Auburn fans might have to wait until the season actually starts to see if the junior has corrected past problems.

Up next: I'll take a break from the position-by-position analysis this weekend while the NFL Draft is going on. Things will resume Monday with the offensive line.

Spring wrap: Secondary

DEPTH CHART

• CB Walt McFadden, Sr., 6-0, 176
• CB Neiko Thorpe, So., 6-2, 182
• S Zac Etheridge, Jr., 6-0, 204
• S Mike McNeil, Jr., 6-2, 205
• CB Aairon Savage, Sr., 5-11, 173

Reserves

• S Mike Slade, So., 6-3, 191
• S Drew Cole, So., 5-11, 192
• S Christian Thompson, So., 6-1, 200
• CB T'Sharvan Bell, rFr., 6-0, 177
• CB D'Antoine Hood, So., 5-10, 191
• DB Jeremy Flowers, So., 5-10, 205

Walk-ons

• DB Landry Bodie, Sr., 5-9, 189
• DB Matthew Sample, Fr., 6-2, 190
• DB Deante Lewis, So., 6-1, 176
• DB Brandon Evans, rFr., 5-10, 190

OVERVIEW

Jerraud Powers' decision to enter the NFL Draft might not be the blow everybody thought it would be. The secondary is undoubtedly the deepest position Auburn has on the defense, with three starters returning from last year, another player who nearly started before injuring his knee in two-a-days (Savage) and a former nickelback who is coming into his own (Thorpe). Despite injuries that kept both Etheridge (shoulder) and McNeil (broken leg) out for part of spring drills, Auburn has plenty of bodies to take their place, with three sophomore safeties eager to get their shot. The Tigers had so much depth, in fact, that safety Marcus Jemison moved to linebacker and cornerback Harry Adams moved to wide receiver, which tells me the coaches are very comfortable with this group.

GOOD THINGS

From all accounts, McFadden and Thorpe had a great spring. McFadden played second fiddle to Powers last season but emerged by the end of the year as a durable corner who you could rely on in one-on-one coverage. Thorpe (who fans of "The Wire" might notice looks exactly like Dukie from seasons 4 and 5) was so good this spring that he seemingly locked down the other starting corner spot, leaving Auburn with few questions about its cover corners. While injuries are never good, it did give the coaching staff a long, hard look at Slade, Cole and Thompson, who stepped in for McNeil and Etheridge. All got valuable experience this spring, which should come in handy when the bullets actually start flying in the fall. Also, Savage, although limited in the spring, is back on the field. Anytime you can add someone with that experience level to the mix, it's a positive.

BAD THINGS

The injuries are disconcerting. McNeil's broken leg isn't supposed to keep him out for more than two months, but you can never tell how somebody comes back from something like that. Etheridge and Savage were kept out of most contact drills this spring because of their injuries, so they didn't benefit from the drills as much as everyone else. But with their experience, that's not necessarily the worst thing in the world.

ARRIVING SOON

Auburn has four defensive backs joining the team this fall, provided Mississippi Gulf Coast CC transfer Demond Washington starts out on offense, as is expected. Reggie Taylor and Taikwon Paige are both four-star recruits, but they'll find a hard time breaking into the rotation just because the Tigers are deep at the position. Safeties Daren Bates and Izauea Lanier struck me as project players who have some work to do before they would get any time on the field. The good news is that Auburn has enough depth that nobody has to step in and compete immediately, one of the rare positions where that is the case.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

Thorpe, to me, has all the makings of a future All-SEC cornerback. He's got a nice frame (6-2, 182), he's fast and, as evidenced by his ample playing time as a true freshman, doesn't appear to be overwhelmed by any situation. He had 29 tackles, two interceptions that he returned for 101 yards and four pass break-ups last year in sporadic playing time. And that was as a true freshman. Not too many players come in and do that right away.

BATTLE TO WATCH

With the starting spots pretty well locked down and Savage as the wild card who could steal some reps or be the fifth man in on the nickel, the real competition is in the reserves. Slade, Cole and Thompson all drew praise from safeties coach Tommy Thigpen this spring. Slade has had a year of learning the position after moving from corner. Cole, although slight in stature, will stick his head into any play. And Thompson, in addition to having a body that seems like it's best suited to play safety, is the best tackler of the three. At corner, Bell and Hood have both made progress. Bell, a converted quarterback, got a little more mention from cornerbacks coach Phillip Lolley, who is quick to compliment anybody in his stable of corners who is doing well.

THEY SAID IT

"He always knew he was athletic. He’s always had tremendous confidence. Now, he’s feeling the next part of the game. He’s getting smart with the game. They tried him on what I call a hesitation-and-go, stutter-and-go, one time. Immediately his eyes (lit up) and he flipped his body, he turned and ran to a point on the field and cut the guy off. Like I tell him, there’s a reason for that. You know they’re going to come back short on you thinking now he’s scared to bite on anything. The very next play they threw one short in front of him and he causes a fumble. That’s the mark of a guy starting to mature a little bit."

— Lolley on Thorpe

NUMBERS GAME

3 — interceptions last year by linebacker Josh Bynes, most on the team. McFadden, Powers and Thorpe each had two.

THE END OF THE DAY

Finally, a position Gene Chizik and Co. don't have to worry about getting the numbers up. The Tigers seem to have a solid starting lineup already in place, with Savage as an option to start or come in as a key reserve. Behind them, there's plenty to work with, so you won't see any iron man action out there this season. All in all, one of Auburn's most solid groups.

Tomorrow: Special teams

Spring wrap: Linebackers

DEPTH CHART

• MLB Josh Bynes, Jr., 6-2, 233
• OLB Craig Stevens, Jr., 6-3, 227
• OLB Eltoro Freeman, So., 5-11, 222
• OLB Spencer Pybus, So., 6-0, 216

Reserves

• LB Da'Shaun Barnes, rFr., 6-2, 222
• LB Adam Herring, So., 6-1, 211
• LB Marcus Jemison, rFr., 6-2, 199

Walk-ons

• LB Wade Christopher, So., 6-1, 209
• LB Watson Downs, rFr., 6-0, 212
• LB Ashton Richardson, So., 6-0, 190
• LB Joey Caldwell, rFr., 6-1, 222

OVERVIEW

A veteran linebacking corps that included Merrill Johnson, Chris Evans and Tray Blackmon turned over drastically last season. Blackmon's injury- and suspension-plagued career ended abruptly with a broken hand, then never re-started under the new coaching staff, and Johnson and Evans both graduated, leaving the Tigers with few bodies to replace them. The bright spot of last year was Bynes, who emerged as a force in the middle following Blackmon's injury and is on the cusp of being a star. Under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Ted Roof, a former All-ACC linebacker who has molded that group at every stop of his career, he might achieve that level. Now, if he can get some help on the outside, Auburn can breath a lot easier.

GOOD THINGS

Bynes, from all accounts, is a beast. A physical marvel (seriously, his biceps get bigger every time we talk to him) who can run and lead a defense, he's a rare combination of size, speed and smarts in the middle. With Roof running the show, his development should continue at a more rapid pace. But while Bynes has been good, Stevens has gotten the most praise. He quietly finished fourth on the team in tackles last year with 54, although his TFLs (.5) and sacks (0) don't suggest he was a disruptive player. Freeman, a transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, has been a breath of fresh air. More on him later.

BAD THINGS

Depth, depth, depth. Auburn doesn't have any. Behind Bynes, Stevens and Freeman, who have a pretty good shot at starting, the Tigers are hurting. Pybus had a decent freshman year but at 6-0, 216 pounds isn't the most physically imposing figure. Jemison moved from safety because coaches liked his speed and willingness to throw his body into the fray, but he is still undersized and learning the position. Barnes, Herring and Christopher hardly came up during interviews in the spring, despite some prodding, which isn't a good sign. If any of the presumptive starting three goes down this year, Auburn could be in a bind.

ARRIVING SOON

Help doesn't appear to be on the way. Auburn has a pair of true linebackers in its incoming freshmen class (props to eagle-eyed Joe Cribbs Car Wash for pointing out the one I missed earlier): Harris Gaston and Jonathan Evans. You would have to think both could compete for a spot on the two-deep right away, just because of the lack of competition. Dee Ford has been mentioned as a possible outside linebacker/rush end type player, but he has a very slight frame (6-2, 190) and would have to bulk up quite a bit if he were to take on the big tackles of the SEC.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

'Toro, 'Toro, 'Toro. He started as a backup to Stevens on the strong side but quickly started working with the ones along with Pybus at the weak side, his natural position. He's physically imposing (his arms make Bynes' look small by comparison) and a burst of energy when he's on the field. Players and coaches have remarked that he goes 100 mile per hour on every play. It's just a matter of executing the correct defensive plays at that speed, a minor problem common for someone who has only been on the team for a few months. Give him the summer and two-a-days and I'd expect to see him going in the right direction. Oh, and his interview skills are beyond reproach. Not that anybody out there cares about that, but we in the media do.

BATTLE TO WATCH

The only position up for grabs is the weak-side spot, and that doesn't appear to be too much of a competition. I'd expect Freeman to easily beat out Pybus for the job. The real competition might be among the second-teamers for who is the first person on the field in a reserve role.

THEY SAID IT

"Funny how it keeps happening, huh?" — Roof, noting that Stevens' name kept coming up in interviews because the junior was playing so well this spring

NUMBERS GAME

16 — tackles made last year by linebackers currently on the roster other than Stevens and Bynes. Pybus had 14 of them; Herring the other two.

THE END OF THE DAY

If Freeman becomes what most Auburn fans hope he will be at weak-side linebacker, Auburn will have a strong starting three. Bynes appears to be an All-SEC candidate and Stevens, if the reports are true, is making substantial gains this offseason. The problem is when one of them inevitably goes down an injury and is forced out for any period of time, something you simply can't avoid in football. If and when that happens, some of those second-teamers are going to have to prove that they're more than just practice players or Auburn could be in trouble.

Tomorrow: Secondary

Spring wrap: Defensive line

Note: This is the first part of an eight-day position-by-position breakdown now that Auburn's spring drills have concluded.

DEPTH CHART

• DE Antonio Coleman, Sr., 6-3, 257
• DE Michael Goggans, Sr., 6-3, 257
• DE Antoine Carter, Jr., 6-4, 255
• DT Jake Ricks, Sr., 6-4, 296
• DT Zach Clayton, Jr., 6-3, 285
• DT Mike Blanc, Jr., 6-4, 288

Reserves

• DT Derrick Lykes, rFr., 6-2, 287
• DL Cam Henderson, rFr., 6-5, 230
• DT Jomarcus Savage, rFr., 6-2, 287
• DL Andre Wadley, rFr., 6-2, 300

Walk-ons

• DE Luke Farmer, So. 5-11, 246
• DE Chris Humphries, rFr., 6-2, 215
• DE Robert Hill, So., 6-1, 234
• DL Ryan Burse, Jr. 6-1, 229

OVERVIEW

With the departures of Tez Doolittle (graduation) and Sen'Derrick Marks (left early for NFL), the Tigers had an enormous hole to fill on their interior line, one that produced 60 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. But new line coach Tracy Rocker, an Auburn legend, didn't concern himself with who he didn't have on the roster. Buoyed by the return of Coleman, who opted not to follow Marks to the NFL, Rocker has gone about trying to instill a play-hurt mentality in his linemen that has worked at every other one of his coaching stops, even if it might take a while to ingrain on the Plains. "I woke up the next morning and I had that look on my face, that frown," Rocker said after the first day of practice. "My wife said, 'Hey, remember it was the first day.' You can't build a house in a day.' It takes work. You know that. But in this time a lot of times we want that microwave success. I understand that process, but everyday we've got to get better and approach practice with the right state of mind."

GOOD THINGS

AC is back, and after a minor tiff with the coaching staff about having to get treatment during practice, seems to be embracing the leadership role Auburn craves on the defensive side of the ball. He had at least two sacks during one scrimmage that was dominated by the defensive line and should be a force next year if he can avoid the minor bumps and bruises that limited him last season. If nothing else, Rocker established a nice rotation on the line, with Coleman, Goggans and Carter rotating at the ends and Ricks, Blanc and Clayton working at the tackles.

BAD THINGS

Despite Rocker's play-hurt mind set, plenty of players were injured to the point that they could not practice. A leg injury kept Carter out of the final week of practice and A-Day, while Savage (shoulder) and Henderson (ankle) both missed significant time as well. Rocker said he saw spurts out of the redshirt freshmen — Savage, Henderson and Lykes — but wanted to see more consistency from the trio.

ARRIVING SOON

Auburn has a giant defensive line class arriving in the fall, including Terrance Coleman (AC's nephew), Nosa Eguae, Nick Fairley, Jamar Travis, Dee Ford and Josh Jackson. Fairley, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound tackle figures to be one that could jump in early, simply because he is two years removed from high school, having redshirted in 2007 and played at Copiah-Lincoln Community College last year. Those years make a big difference in strength, which usually prevents freshman linemen from coming in and playing immediately. It will be interesting to see if Coleman, who also has the physical attributes, can get on the field too.

POTENTIAL BREAKOUT

If you're looking for another Doolittle, who finally thrived in his final season, it might be Ricks. "I’ve seen a lot of things out of him that I didn’t know he had in him," Coleman said. "He’s stepping up big time and making plays that I’ve never seen from him before. He’s not in anyone’s shadow any more and he understands that this is his senior year and he needs to step up and make plays. Everyone’s counting on him to get out there and make plays for us."

BATTLE TO WATCH

Playing time on the inside will be interesting. Ricks, Blanc and Clayton have worked in a three-man rotation, so it's not clear how playing time will be divvied up between the three of them, or if they'll lose any reps to youngsters Lykes and Savage.

THEY SAID IT

"Once I get it going, everybody will follow me, and that's what happened."

— Coleman, after a two-sack scrimmage

NUMBERS GAME

7.5 and 4.5 — tackles for a loss and sacks last year by Clayton, which ranked fourth and second on the team.

THE END OF THE DAY

This unit appears to be one of the more solid ones on the defense. Any line with AC on it is going to be tough, but Goggans is often overlooked at the other side and Carter has shown promise. The real question is if the Tigers can shore up the middle. Clayton's contributions were very under the radar last season, and the junior could be an answer at one of the spots. If Ricks, Blanc or any of the redshirt freshmen can step up, the loss of Doolittle and Marks might not be as daunting. Most likely it's going to be a combination of plenty of players up front. Rocker has made it known that he wants 100 percent effort on every play his linemen are on the field, otherwise he'll put someone else out there. In that case, the more bodies the better.

Tomorrow: Linebackers

Spring practice: That's a wrap

No, Auburn did not resolve its quarterback question when spring drills concluded Sunday, the battle to be resumed when two-a-days begin in August after 3½ months of voluntary summer workouts.

But the coaches were pleased with the group’s progress throughout the spring, which ended with Kodi Burns and Neil Caudle in a virtual tie for the starting job, neither having distinguished himself from the other.

“I don’t know if I was disappointed,” Tigers head coach Gene Chizik said. “I think that at the end of the day that would have been the perfect world to have somebody be the definitive guy. But in so many instances when you’re in these situations, it takes more than 15 practices really to find out who the guy is, especially when you’re inserting everything new.”

The staff made sure not to draw too many conclusions from an A-Day in which the offense rolled up 501 yards and scored six touchdowns against a patched together defense that rarely included any first-team members.

“We certainly don’t want to have delusions of grandeur,” Chizik said. “We have not arrived on offense by any stretch of the imagination.”

“Just being totally honest with you, we’re a long way away,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn added.

But Auburn managed to install its base offense in the spring, a necessity for the quarterbacks, and any other player, as they enter a summer of position drills and 7-on-7 work that, per NCAA rules, cannot be supervised by coaches.

“It’s really going to be crucial during the summer for our guys to go out there and execute the things they’ve learned so far and to be better than they were when they left the field today,” Malzahn said.

Some other news and notes on the conclusion of spring drills ...

• Burns said he was a little disappointed not to get the starting job in the spring but said he wouldn't let it keep him down. “There are a lot of things I can get better at,” he said. “It’s been really tough for me, but I’m not worried about it. I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I’m not going to get my head down. That’s just part of it. I think I’ve learned that and grown up since I’ve been in college that things might not always go your way, but it’s just about how you bounce back.”

• Caudle appears happy just to be in it, something he wasn't at this time a year ago, when Tony Franklin didn't have him anywhere on his quarterback radar. “Getting reps with the ones, and getting a lot more reps in general, really helped my confidence and made me a better player overall just being out there,” Caudle said.

• Chizik didn't dismiss the notion that one of the two freshmen expected to join the team in August — Tyrik Rollison and Clint Moseley — could compete for the job. “We’re going to have all of our eyes open and leave all of our options open for sure with the new guys,” he said. That being said, you'd have to be a world beater to step on campus and start right away at any program. I can't imagine it happening with an offense that seems as complicated as Malzahn's.

• Goal No. 1 of the coaches: don't let this thing drag out to the eve of the football season like the coaching staff did last year. “You definitely don’t want that scenario,” Malzahn said. “In fairness to the guys, we’re going to have to name a guy as soon as possible so you can let your teammates know and go into that first game. I would really hope it wouldn’t be late in the process.”

• Burns, on the summer workout drills: "This summer the measuring stick of how good we want to be. It’s going to take leadership at the quarterback position as well as the older guys to get everybody out there to make sure they run the right routes, run the right plays, and just try to get better." I'll say this about Burns: he definitely talks the talk of a starting quarterback.

• Players defensive coordinator Ted Roof was pleased with this spring: LB Craig Stevens ("a great spring"), DE Antonio Coleman (became "a force"), LB Josh Bynes ("a steady spring") and S Mike McNeil (pre-injury, obviously), CB Walt McFadden and CB Neiko Thorpe.

• Depth remains an issue on defense. "In this league, you know you've got to have depth," Roof said. "Everybody's got a pretty good first 22, and then what happens after that? We're going to have to continue to recruit and develop some players in order to have some depth there because in order to be successful in this league you can't fall off the cliff when somebody gets injured. It's going to be inevitable that somebody is going to get hurt — or somebodies are going to get hurt. We're just going to have to continue working, but the good news is we've identified where we are and where some guys are and what they need to work on to get better in order to provide some quality depth."

• LB Eltoro Freeman also drew praise from Roof, who was happy the junior college transfer got to enroll mid-year and go through spring drills. "It's invaluable," Roof said. "To think about starting where we started this January with him in August or in June ... We as a football team are going to benefit because of that. He's another guy I thought improved as the spring went on. Once he became more comfortable with the new terminology and new words and new ways of doing things, once he got into a groove, I really saw him get better."

• Auburn's coaching staff doesn't have too much down time, even though they can't do anything with the team until August. Recruiting remains a priority. Chizik, who, per NCAA rules, cannot be on the road, said the rest of his coaches will out there for four weeks.

• Auburn only has four commits for 2010 right now, less than a number of schools (Alabama, for instance, has nine). But Chizik isn't concerned. "It'd be nice if they're the nice ones and the ones you want," Chizik said. "I don't know how many we'll have. There are so many guys that we're recruiting that can go anywhere in the country — West Coast, East Coast and everywhere in between. So, for us to have that many commitments before the summer, that might be a little ambitious."

• That's all from Sunday, although I don't plan for that to be all for the spring. Starting this week, I'm going to go through each position and give a rundown of where Auburn stands following spring drills, so check back for updates periodically.

Women's golf wins SEC championship

The Auburn women's golf team captured its seventh SEC championship and first since 2006, finishing at +18 in the three-day tournament to win by six strokes. The Tigers entered Sunday down three to Arkansas but gained 11 strokes on the Razorbacks to win by eight.

Former Central High standout Haley Wilson (picture) finished in 12th place, her best finish as a collegian. She finished at +6 for the tournament, with rounds of 70, 78 and 71 at par-71 University Club course in Blythewood, S.C.

The Tigers had four players finish in the top 12, led by Cydney Clanton, who finished at +3 and tied for fourth. Patricia Sanz (+4, t-6th) and Candace Schepperle (+5, t-10th) rounded out Auburn's top three.

Here's the full individual leaderboard and here's the team leaderboard.

The NCAA regionals are up next for Auburn, taking place May 7-9 at a site to be announced.

Plenty of A-Day miscellany

Oh, what an A-Day. Unless of course, you are a member of the defense. Or you're someone who wagered a hefty sum of money that the defense would come out victorious, which, judging from the poll on the right, many of you thought would happen. (Let's be honest, though, if you're betting on spring football, that's a fairly good indicator that you have a gambling problem.)

ANYWAY, the offense ruled the day against a mix-and-matched defensive unit, so I don't really know what to make of all of it. It did little to clear up the quarterback race between Neil Caudle and Kodi Burns.

Caudle, who took a hard hit Thursday that forced him out of action briefly, showed no ill-effects Saturday, going 11-for-16 for 161 yards and two touchdowns, a 4-yarder to Mario Fannin in the third quarter and a 34-yarder to Darvin Adams in the fourth.

Burns, who started the final six games last season, had modest passing stats (3-for-8, 48 yards) but led the team to touchdowns on his first three drives with the first-team offense.

“We were scoring so quick, that’s just kind of the way things worked out,” he said of his stats. “I’m not upset about it at all. It just worked out that way. That’s good. We scored pretty quick. It keeps the ball out of my hands and gets it to the playmakers.”

The competition will continue throughout the summer and into two-a-days in August from the sounds of it.

“We’re not ready to make any decisions right now,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. “When we get to fall camp, we’ll start that thing going. ... We’ll have two quarterbacks primarily working on timing with receivers (this summer), and that’s what we need. We’ll work extremely hard in that area and we should improve.”

Some other news and notes from Saturday ...

• Your offensive MVP: Ben Tate -- 4 rushes, 72 yards, 2 touchdowns, one that went for 46 yards and another for 9.

• Your defensive MVP: Michael Goggans -- 2 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFLs.

• Your special teams MVP: Wesley Byrum -- made a field goal from 46 yards, just came up short from 51. Also missed the net on the sidelines during some warmups one time from about five yards away. That can't be the most comforting thing for Auburn fans.
  

• Your most heart-warming story was running back Onterio McCalebb. I wrote at length about McCalebb's tough upbringing in Fort Meade, Fla., in today's newspaper. He hoped his mother, Staphisa McMillian, would be able to make the trip up for A-Day and see him play for the first time in her life. She's battled drug problems and had her son forcibly taken away from her when he was in the fourth grade, but McCalebb would do anything for her and wants to make the NFL to get her off the streets. Well, she did show up to A-Day Saturday, watching him break off a 70-yard run for a touchdown in the third quarter. “It’s just wonderful,” McCalebb said. “I turned around one time and saw my mom on the sidelines, and she was just sitting there laughing. It looked like she was crying. I was so excited.”

• Nobody was close to McCalebb on that run, by the way. By the time he reached the end zone, he was a good 15 yards ahead of the closest defender. The boy is fast. "As soon as I got past the line of scrimmage, I knew no one was going to catch me," he said.

• WR Terrell Zachery had a pretty play for a touchdown in the second quarter that seemed to be vintage Malzahn. Burns took the snap, faked a handoff to Tate and appeared to run an option play to the right before flipping the ball to Zachery, who passed by the other direction on an inside end around. He got a block and shot up the left sideline for the score. “We’ve been working on that play all spring, and every time we ran it we were one block away from busting it,” Zachery said. “Today it was wide open.”

• That makes three big runs for Auburn on the day, each going for at least 46 yards. "Great running backs are going to be able to get to the second level and they're going to be able to make somebody miss," head coach Gene Chizik said. "Any time we can get what we call an explosive run, we think it demoralizes the defenses and we certainly strive to get six or seven of those a game."

• Fannin, the H-back, had two carries for 22 yards and four catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. He made a 41-yard catch on a deflected ball from Burns that was nearly intercepted. Fannin lost his helmet on the play and continued fighting for extra yardage for about five seconds. The defense never tackled him. With all that added bulk in the offseason, he is a beast. I wouldn't want to try to tackle him.

• Plenty of drops from the receivers today, most notably one by Derek Winter on a long pass from Burns that appeared to hit him right in stride. Converted cornerback Harry Adams had some trouble as well. "That's kind of what we're working on right now," Chizik said. "The wideouts have got to catch every ball that's thrown to them regardless of where it's put. It can be high, low, inside, outside, right on. It doesn't matter. We've got to be able to catch the football."

• Auburn didn't pull out all the stops on offense. "Obviously you're on TV, it's a spring game," Malzahn said. "We're in the base stages of our offense. We're just trying to get the base foundation so that in the summer they can actually work on things and improve without the coaches."

• BTW, the scoring system that Auburn used was more complicated than it should have been. I'm skeptical that all of the points were being awarded. For example, Tate only got six points on his first touchdown run, which went 46 yards. According to the scoring sheet, he should have also gotten two for it being the third straight first down and two more for being an "explosive play" of more than 15 yards. The defense seemed like got ripped off of a couple points for a couple three-and-outs as well.

• DT Mike Blanc had the defense's other sack but had to remind himself to hold up hitting the quarterback. “I had a sack and I was about to take him down, but I was like hold on, we can’t hit him,” he said. “It’s good. It teaches you how to practice. We can’t be hurting our teammates.”

• Blanc said he understood why the coaches didn't match up the first-team defense against the first-team offense. “There was no real reason for the first-team defense to play that much against the second-team offense,” he said. “Because our defensive line coach, he feels like he has a pretty good understanding of what we can contribute when the season comes around.”

• Chizik, on not pitting the ones vs. the ones: "It's been a real physical spring, and that's all we've done all spring, more than usual. I don't think most people subscribe to that theory and that's all we've done pretty much for 13 previous days."

• There was no real big reward for the winning team, like a better post-game meal. "Nah," defensive lineman Antonio Coleman said. "If there was a bet like that I can guarantee the scoreboard would have been different."

• QB Barrett Trotter, who was on crutches Saturday,will have surgery next week on his torn left ACL, according to AuburnSports.com. The general recovery time for that kind of injury is six to nine months. “It’s really tough,” Caudle said. “Barrett’s worked so hard in the offseason and he played so good in the spring. It’s not good for something to happen to that good of a guy, but it’s part of the game. You’ve just got to roll with the punches and get back.”

• The crowd of 45,381 was an A-Day record.

• Some other stats from Saturday:

• Offense: 55 plays, 501 yards
• Rushing plays/yards: 29-280
• Passing plays/yards: 26-221
• Third-down conversion: 4 of 11
• Defense: 0 turnovers (I thought this was a priority all spring?)
• WR D. Adams: 4 catches, 103 yards, TD
• RB Justin Albert: 7 rushes, 31 yards, TD
• P Clinton Durst: 3 punts, 42.7 avg., long of 52
• DB Matthew Sample: team-leading six tackles

• Practice wraps up with an evening practice Sunday. Chizik said it will be largely a teaching session. "We're just really going to go in and touch up and brush up because it's the last thing they're going to hear from us until next fall," he said.

• UPDATE: Auburn picked up a commitment from 6-foot-7, 275-pound Olive Branch, Miss., offensive tackle Shon Coleman on Saturday, according to AuburnSports.com. Coleman chose Auburn over offers from Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss and Florida International. He is the Tigers' fourth commitment for 2010 and the first on the offensive line, a major need. Auburn signed safety Daren Bates out of Olive Branch in its 2009 class.

Offense steals the show in A-Day scrimmage

I'll get a more complete summary of the day's events up a little later. Here's tomorrow's lede in the interim.

AUBURN, Ala. — With an odd mixture of backups and walk-ons making up Auburn’s defensive ranks at A-Day Saturday, the offense finally had its day in the sun.

The Tigers’ offense cruised to a lopsided yet somewhat misleading 57-31 victory before an announced crowd of 45,381 at Jordan-Hare Stadium, rolling up 501 yards and providing a number of highlight-worthy plays against the second- and sometimes third-team defense at the annual scrimmage.

“I know the defense is a banged up a little bit and they didn’t have all their guys so they weren’t playing at full capacity,” junior quarterback Neil Caudle said, “but it’s a big confidence booster for us to be out there and put up 50 points.”

While fans wanting to see Auburn’s first-team units square off against each other didn’t get their wish, they were treated to plenty of big plays.

Running back Ben Tate, the offensive MVP, scored the first of his two touchdowns on the opening drive, going for 46 yards up the middle.

Wideout Terrell Zachery and running back Onterio McCalebb were barely touched on 70-yard touchdown runs, a positive sign for an Auburn offense in need of play-makers, even if it didn’t come against a first-team defense that from all accounts had controlled the first few scrimmages of the spring.

In all, the offense had six plays that went for 30 or more yards, four of which went for touchdowns.

“It doesn’t matter who you go against,” Tate said. “It’s all a matter of executing and doing the right things. That’s what we came out and did today."

Trotter suffers ACL injury, out for spring game

Barrett Trotter's injury in Thursday's practice appears to be more than minor. The redshirt freshman suffered an ACL injury to his left knee, an Auburn spokesman confirmed tonight.

Although quarterbacks were live during the scrimmage, meaning they could be hit and tackled to the ground, Trotter's injury was of the non-contact variety, according to the spokesman.

Trotter had been in a three-way battle for the starting quarterback job with Kodi Burns and Neil Caudle throughout the spring. But he recently had his reps reduced in number to more evenly split them between Burns and Caudle.

It is unclear how long Trotter would be out. If it is a tear, the general timeline for a recovery is around six months, which would take him into mid-October.

The only other scholarship quarterback currently on the roster is senior Chris Todd, who is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Walk-on redshirt freshman Brent Poole will be the third quarterback to play in Saturday's A-Day scrimmage.

The Tigers have two scholarship quarterbacks expected to arrive in the fall — Tyrik Rollison and Clint Moseley.

Fortner, Auburn agree to extension

Kind of pressed for time with some stuff tonight, so here's part of a press release about Auburn extending women's basketball coach Nell Fortner's contract:

AUBURN — Auburn head women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner has signed a contract extension which will pay her a minimum of $570,000 annually for the next six seasons according to an announcement by Athletics Director Jay Jacobs.

The extension includes a base salary of $226,800 with the remainder coming from endorsement rights and radio and television agreements. The extension also includes automatic raises for advancement in the NCAA Tournament.

Fortner will also be able to earn incentives which were outlined in her original contract which provide a regular and post-season bonus for meeting certain benchmarks.

“I’m very appreciative of Jay Jacobs for his support and vision of women’s basketball at Auburn,” Fortner said. “The past five years have been phenomenal. We’ve experienced a tremendous amount of growth and had an outpouring of support from the Auburn family, with great crowds and a lot of excitement about Auburn women’s basketball. We have a tremendous staff, talented and dedicated student-athletes, a great fan base and a new arena set to open in 2010, which makes the future of this program very bright. I love Auburn and I’m very excited
to know that I am going to be here a long, long time.”

Named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, Fortner led the women’s team to its first SEC regular season title in 20 years and finished the season with a 30-4 record, while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers’ 30 wins were the fourth-most in school history and was the first 30-win season since 1988-89.

Wilson tied for lead after first day of SEC golf championships

Former Central High golfer Haley Wilson is tied for the lead after one round at the SEC championships at University Club in Blythewood, S.C., shooting a 1-under-par 70.

She's one of three players at minus-1 after the first round, tied with Ole Miss' Ashley Lance and Arkansas' Lucy Nunn.

It was the second round under par Wilson has had in her brief college career since graduating early from Central in December. She carded a 2-under-par 70 in her first collegiate round at the Central District Invitational on Feb. 16.

Here's a link to the leaderboard. There are two more days in the championships.

Auburn leads the team competition at plus-5. Arkansas is second at plus-11.

Thursday practice: Caudle, Trotter hurt briefly

Auburn’s quarterbacks were live for at least a portion of Thursday’s half-scrimmage, and the defense put big hits on Neil Caudle and Barrett Trotter that forced them out of action briefly.

“They were scrambling with the ball and somebody got two nice little ones on them,” defensive tackle Mike Blanc said. “They’re OK, though. That’s what our defense has to do. We have attack and swarm.”

Props to The Anniston Star and AuburnSports.com for sticking around for Blanc, the last to arrive at Thursday's interview session.

There was no word on how serious either of the injuries were or if Caudle or Trotter could miss A-Day.

Kodi Burns and redshirt freshman walk-on Brent Poole are the other two available quarterbacks on the roster. Senior Chris Todd is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Other news and notes from Thursday ...

• Add safety Mike Slade to the infirmary report. He went to see the trainer after suffering an undisclosed injury Thursday. No news on how serious it is or if he would miss A-Day.

• Here's a list of players who won't play Saturday: defensive linemen Antoine Carter (knee), running back Eric Smith (knee), cornerback Aairon Savage (knee), safety Zac Etheridge (shoulder) and safety Mike McNeil (shoulder).

• TE Tommy Trott (knee) and WR Philip Pierre-Louis (knee) have to get the go-ahead from trainers. I wouldn't expect them to be out there much if any. This group seems to be pretty cautious when it comes to rushing people back from ACL tears. As they should be.
  

• Safeties coach Tommy Thigpen was glad to hear McNeil only had a broke leg. “At that time, you hope that it wasn’t a knee,” he said. “A knee injury, a lot of times takes a little bit longer. With the bone, it grows back and most of the time it grows back stronger. I’ve never been so happy about a broken leg.”

• If you're keeping track of healthy safeties on the roster, it's down to scholarship players Drew Cole and Christian Thompson and walk-ons Matthew Sample and Brandon Evans.

• Things have been pretty secretive all spring, with practices closed to the media and public, but head coach Gene Chizik said they will do most of their base stuff on offense and defense on Saturday. “We’ve got to get something out of the practice,” he said. “We’ll run some and throw it some and we won’t do a lot of blitzing and things of that nature, but it will be a good look at the base of all sides and on special teams as well.”

• Spoke with LG Darrell Roseman for the first time today. He sounds like he's doing great after having surgery to correct a chronic problem in his shins and later shoulder surgery that cost him the season. The 6-foot-4, 294-pound junior says he's at 90 percent health-wise and is getting acclimated to offensive line after moving there during two-a-days last August. Throughout it all, he didn’t give up. “It’s been very frustrating, but I’m still here,” he said. “I’m still fighting trying to get on that field.”

• The defense won the scrimmage on Thursday. Blanc said he thought the score was something in the range of 57-24. That makes the defense 3-0 in scrimmages or partial scrimmages that we know about this spring.

• Blanc's prediction on A-Day: "It’s going to be bad every day. We’re going to bring it to them."

• Cornerbacks coach Phillip Lolley said he rotated the same four players into the scrimmage Thursday to see how they would react to playing long stretches of physical football. The four were Walt McFadden, Neiko Thorpe, D'Antoine Hood and T'Sharvan Bell.

• Lolley had good things to say about Thorpe, who appears to be locking down a starting position: "He’s done well. He’s still progressing. He always knew he was athletic. He’s always had tremendous confidence. Now, he’s feeling the next part of the game. He’s getting smart with the game. They tried him on what I call a hesitation-and-go, stutter-and-go one time. Immediately his eyes, and he flipped his body, he turned and ran to a point on the field and cut the guy off. Like I tell him, there’s a reason for that. You know they’re going to come back short on you thinking now he’s scared to bite on anything. The very next play they threw one short in front of him and he causes a fumble. That’s the mark of a guy starting to mature a little bit. He’s starting to feel the game, understand the game.Without having to tell him every time, he’s starting to feel that part of the game. Hopefully, it will take him to another level."

• Some offensive highlights included a touchdown catch by Derek Winter and a couple of long runs by Onterio McCalebb that running backs coach Curtis Luper said went about 40 to 50 yards. "It seems like he has a couple every week," Luper said.

New video on golfer Haley Wilson

The SEC women's golf championships begin Friday at University Club in Blythewood, S.C., and one of Auburn's participants is freshman Haley Wilson, who graduated early from Central High to compete this spring.

I wrote a story about her for today's paper.

Here's a video of some of the interview with Haley from earlier this week.

New video and A-Day info

Hey all. Spring is winding down, with just three more practices (one of which is the A-Day scrimmage).

I've put together a new video from Tuesday's interviews with head coach Gene Chizik, quarterback Kodi Burns, safety Mike Slade, special teams coach Jay Boulware and defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.

We also got some more info on A-Day. Tickets are $5. Gates open at noon ET. There is a punt, pass and kick contest for kids ages 8-13 on the football practice fields behind the athletic complex from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. There's also inflatable games, face painting, Aubie, etc., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the practice fields.

The game starts at 2 p.m. ET. It will be televised live by Comcast Sports Southeast and re-air Sunday at 7 p.m. ET and Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. It's also on the radio locally on WKKR 97.7 FM.

It will be an offense vs. defense format,. with four 12-minute quarters. Here's the scoring system:

Offense: touchdown, 6 pts.; field goal, 3 pts.; explosive play (15+ yard play), 2 pts.; three consecutive first downs, 2 pts.; PAT, 1 pt.

Defense: touchdown, 7 pts.; turnover (Unless TD), 5 pts; sack, 4 pts; blocked field goal, 3 pts; three and out, 2 pts; tackle for loss, 2 pts; blocked PAT, 1 pt.

Players and coaches will be on the field to sign autographs after the game.

Public parking will be available at the old Auburn Credit Union lot northwest of the stadium and the hay fields on South Donahue. Tiger Transit will run from 9 a.m. until 2 hours post-game from the Hay Fields to Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Fans are also to be advised of a road closure on Magnolia Avenue between Donahue Avenue and Cox Street, two blocks north of the stadium.

OK, now on to the video. Enjoy.

Tuesday practice: Burns, Caudle take most QB reps

Auburn’s quarterback race isn’t over, but the field was narrowed Tuesday.

Juniors Kodi Burns and Neil Caudle took the majority of reps during the team’s 12th practice of the spring, the first shift in what has been a three-man quarterback race involving redshirt freshman Barrett Trotter.

“We certainly haven’t named a starter or a co-starter,” Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said. “Those two certainly haven’t won a position and Barrett Trotter is not out of a position, but again, we’re trying to focus on where we need to put our reps right now.”

Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said after Saturday’s scrimmage that he felt he had enough evaluation time to narrow the field down to two sometime this week. When the quarterbacks met with the media Tuesday afternoon, they had not met with Malzahn since the scrimmage.

“As a quarterback you definitely want to know,” said Burns, who started seven games last season, including the final six. “As a guy that started a lot last year, you definitely want to know and you’re concerned. But I just got to go out there and know that I gave it my best and any decision that they make is on them. You can’t worry about that.”

Chizik was careful not to identify Burns and Caudle as co-No. 1’s, stressing that the staff had to come to a decision because it is difficult to divide reps between three players.

“It’s not over at all,” Chizik said.

Some other news and notes that came out of Tuesday's practice:

• Auburn will use an offense vs. defense format in Saturday's A-Day spring game. The Tigers will use the same point-based system that rewards first downs, sacks, etc., to score the game. Don't worry, a sheet will be passed out for fans to keep up. It will include some special teams. Quarterbacks won't be live.

• WR Montez Billings' absence this spring is for academic reasons, Chizik confirmed.

• Wes Byrum is back atop the place-kicking pecking order, according to special teams coach Jay Boulware. Byrum went 7-for-8 on field goals Tuesday, although Boulware wants him to be more consistent. Helping him out is the fact that walk-on Chandler Brooks (aka "The Kid with the Yellow Shoes") has been hurt and not kicking too much.

• In the punting competition, Boulware has continued to be impressedby Clinton Durst, who he called "a better punter" and "better technician." Boulware said Durst still needs to work on his steps and consistency.

Nothing new on quarterbacks

If Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn have narrowed down the quarterback field, nobody's heard anything yet.

We spoke with two of the contenders this afternoon -- Kodi Burns and Neil Caudle -- and neither knew anything about the field getting cut by one (Barrett Trotter is the other healthy quarterback in contention).

Malzahn said after Saturday's scrimmage that his goal this week was to whittle the three-man quarterback race to two this week. The team had Sunday off because of Easter and is meeting for the first time since the scrimmage tonight.

"I'm really not too much worried about it," Burns said. "I know this position comes with that pressure and I've learned over the years to be able to handle that and have a strong head. All I can do is just leave it in God's hands. I got to know that I did my best and I can be pleased."

We get to speak to coaches after tonight's late practice. I'll update with any movement on the quarterback front, but I'm not holding breath for an announcement.

Former baseball coach Nix passes away

Some sad news to report today: Paul Nix, Auburn's longest tenured baseball coach, died Monday at the age of 76.

Nix coached the Tigers for 22 years from 1963-84, finishing his time with a 515-376 record and leading Auburn to a pair of NCAA College World Series berths in 1967 and 1976. His teams also won three SEC championships, one SEC tournament title and six SEC divisional titles. Nix earned conference coach of the year honors five times.

“Paul Nix was a great Auburn man and we are extremely saddened by his passing,” Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said in a release. “He laid a strong foundation for our baseball program and brought it national recognition with Auburn’s first-ever College World Series appearance. He was well respected by his players and developed many that went on to have successful careers in and outside of baseball. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Nix,” Auburn baseball coach John Pawlowski said. “Coach Nix elevated this program to new heights during his 22 years as the head coach. ... This is a tremendous loss for the Auburn family.”

Nix also coached at Troy for six seasons prior to coming to Auburn. In 28 years as a head coach, he had a 592-413 record.

Starting safety McNeil injured during scrimmage

Any sense of satisfaction Auburn’s defenders had following a rousing 61-34 rout of the offense in Saturday’s scrimmage was tempered by concern for an injured teammate.

Starting safety Mike McNeil suffered an injury to his right leg during the closed practice, the severity of which was enough to prompt several emergency vehicles to arrive at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“I made the tackle and I heard somebody scream, ‘It’s my leg,’” cornerback Neiko Thorpe said.

“Nobody likes to see a guy get hurt, period,” head coach Gene Chizik said. “Whether it’s that or whether it’s a guy twisting an ankle, nobody likes to see these guys out here trying really hard and trying to do what we ask them to do and get hurt.

“That’s part of the game and we don’t like it, but when you’ve got tough guys that love the game, they deal with what comes and Michael’s going to do that.”

McNeil, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound rising junior, made 65 tackles last season, second on the team to fellow safety Zac Etheridge. Safeties coach Tommy Thigpen said sophomores Mike Slade, Christian Thompson and Drew Cole will take McNeil’s place in the interim.

Coaches hesitated to expound on the severity of the injury or how long McNeil could be out.

Saturday's scrimmage: news and notes

Real quickly here are some of the high- (and low-) lights of Saturday's scrimmage that we, the media, once again were not able to watch:

• The big news was that safety Mike McNeil suffered a right leg injury that required several emergency vehicles to arrive at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Nobody was offering many details about what happened, but it sounded serious enough that McNeil could be out for a while.

• Safeties coach Tommy Thigpen said Mike Slade, Drew Cole and Christian Thompson will fill in for McNeil while he's out.

• The defense hammered the offense by a 61-34 final.

• Here's how Gene Chizik answered a question about who won: "You know, that’s a little premature because you don’t know what’s happening until you go back and watch the film. … You hesitate right now by looking at the score that went back-and-forth early on to decide who beat who. I’m a little reluctant to do that."

• We'll help him out: The defense won by 27 points.

• Running backs coach Curtis Luper owned up to the game's one-sidedness: "They handed it to us pretty well today. It was a good old-fashioned whupping. It's not all bad. You like to see the defense do well sometimes. We've been spanking them pretty good."

• The offense focused on passing more. It didn't work out so well. Quarterback Kodi Burns said the offense scored on its first possessions, then "things kind of went downhill a little bit"

• CB Neiko Thorpe had an interception return for a touchdown.

• DE Antonio Coleman, who had a practice field spat with coaches last week that he termed a "miscommunication,"had a couple of sacks. "I talked with the coaches, coach (Ted) Roof and coach (Tracy) Rocker, and they told me I had to be that leader and step up and get it going. And once I get it going, everybody will follow me, and that's what happened." He had another good quote about his day. "I pride myself on stopping the run, but any time you drop back your quarterback, you must want me to hit him, because I'm going to get back there," he said.

• Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said he probably had enough game film to evaluate his the three quarterbacks -- Burns, Neil Caudle and Barrett Trotter -- and narrow the field to two. He wasn't offering anything more specific than that, however.

• RB Onterio McCalebb broke off another long run. RB Ben Tate scored a touchdown.

• Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor liked what he saw out of Tim Hawthorne, who he thinks is emerging as a threat. He also liked what he saw out of recently-moved Harry Adams' deep-play potential.

Reactions from the Iron Bowl move

Auburn's Sports Information folks were kind enough to get some reactions to the Iron Bowl's move to Friday for the next two years. Here's what athletic director Jay Jacobs had to say:

“Moving the Iron Bowl is part of fulfilling the contractual arrangements between the Southeastern Conference and CBS. It will also be the marquee rivalry game that day and provide tremendous exposure on CBS for our program and our state.”

And head coach Gene Chizik:

“The Iron Bowl is the best rivalry in college football and the conference and CBS moving it to Friday will signify the kickoff of college football’s biggest weekend.”

Scintillating stuff. (note the sarcasm) Just judging by those quotes, I'd gather that neither Jacobs nor Chizik care what day the game is played on. It's not going to change much with the intensity the rivalry is played with.

FYI, there have been five previous Iron Bowls played on Friday in the history of the rivalry:

• November 25, 1988 (Auburn 15, Alabama 10 in Birmingham)
• November 27, 1987 (Auburn 10, Alabama 0 in Birmingham)
• November 29, 1974 (Alabama 17, Auburn 13 in Birmingham)
• October 23, 1903 (Alabama 18, Auburn 6 in Montgomery)
• November 15, 1901 (Auburn 17, Alabama 0 in Tuscaloosa)

New video: Trooper Time, plus Ben Tate

I've devoted the majority of this video to wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor, who is a smooth talker. I can see why he's a great recruiter and could see him being a great head coach in the sense that he could charm any room he walks into.

Running back Ben Tate gets second billing in this video but describes some interesting punishments for fumbling during practice.

Enjoy.

Iron Bowl moving to Friday for 2009-10

The traditional year-end Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama will be played on Friday the next two years and televised nationally on CBS, according to a release from Auburn today.

The 2009 game will be played on Nov. 27 at 2:30 p.m. ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. The 2010 game will be played on Nov. 26 (Time TBA) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Thursday practice: Harry Adams moves to WR

Harry Adams’ position was a topic of debate with the old coaching staff and appears to be the same with the new group.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound sophomore moved back to wide receiver after spending last season and the first part of the spring as a cornerback. The coaches discussed the move Wednesday and made it official during Thursday’s practice.

“I told you, recruiting is like shaving. If you don’t do it every day, it shows,” wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. “Even when he was at DB, I was still recruiting him. I think he likes the idea of getting his hands on the ball and making some plays.”

Adams adds a speed element sorely lacking in the Tigers’ shallow pool of wide receivers. He claims he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds, making him one of the fastest players on the team.

“With the offense we run, speed kills,” said Adams, who is backing up Tim Hawthorne at an outside receiver spot.

Adams was recruited as a receiver out of Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but moved to defense at Tommy Tuberville’s request just two days into camp last August. He played sparingly last season, mostly on special teams. When given the opportunity this week to move back to offense, he jumped at it.

Taylor liked what he saw out of Adams on Thursday, including a long gain on a post route during the 11-on-11 session. But he cautioned it will take time.

“You’re not going to just walk in the SEC and switch over,” Taylor said. “The good thing about it is he’s smart enough to do it, he’s talented enough to do it and now it’s going to be about whether he’s willing to do it. I’m going to find that out pretty quickly. The first day, I was impressed.”

Some other notes and quotes from Thursday ...

• RB Eric Smith hurt his leg during Tuesday's practice. Head coach Gene Chizik said it wasn't serious, but running back Ben Tate offered a more serious diagnosis. "I think he’ll be out for the rest of the spring, but he’ll be ready to go in a month or two,” Tate said. “It didn’t really get hit. It’s like how his body torqued on that knee.”

• RB Onterio McCalebb is still dealing with a hamstring injury.

• DE Antoine Carter hasn't been practicing after suffering a leg injury last week and DL Cam Henderson has been dealing with a high-ankle sprain. "With a bum ankle it's hard to get a whole lot out of him," defensive line coach Tracy Rocker said. "He's trying to play hard, but with a high ankle sprain, it's just like playing with ten out there when he's out there."

• Rocker wasn't concerned about the lack of bodies up front. "There ain't none to pick from," he said. "What we got, we've got to make it work."

• Rocker on DT Jake Ricks: "The thing is, Jake has approached practice. He's came to practice every day with just trying to do it the Auburn way and that's been the positive thing about Jake is that he's approached practice. You see a consistency every day of trying to be a good football player and playing with effort -- the Auburn way. That's what you see in him and that's what we're trying to get done. But he's been good, he's been great."

• Safeties coach Tommy Thigpen liked what he saw out of sophomore Mike Slade in Saturday's scrimmage. He said Slade made 10 tackles.

• Thigpen said sophomore backup safety Christian Thompson is his best tackler. "Christian every day gets better and better," he said. "He's just got to keep working on the little things, like technique and footwork and what his eyes are doing. Right now his eyes are all over the place. But he's conscious of it and everyday he asks good questions."

• Starting safeties Zac Etheridge and Mike McNeil aren't the most vocal players on the team, but Thipgen doesn't mind. "To me, you lead by bringing your pads," he said. "I'm not into that rah-rah. I know a lot of people are. If you go out there and knock somebody out, the crowd will do all that for you. The thing they do, guys, is they have a lot of experience and they know what they're doing out there. That's the thing I like about the both of them. They come in the meeting rooms, they're making sure the young guys -- and that's what I look at the most. For those two guys having all that experience, they're not selfish at all. They're talking to the young guys and making sure they communicate with the corners. They're getting to the role where they can take charge. My goal is that they know where everybody is on the football field. Everyday's a challenge."

• The Tigers’ scrimmage this Saturday will be mimic last week’s setup, with the offense competing against the defense using Chizik’s rewards-based point system. The only difference will be the addition of special teams work. Chizik also said to expect more passing. Auburn ran the ball two-thirds of the time in its first scrimmage.

• The Super 6 Alabama state championships will rotate between Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn the next six years after spending the last 13 years in Birmingham's Legion Field. "I thought it gives an opportunity to people that may not otherwise have an opportunity to come here,” Chizik said. “It’s good for the whole student body. It’s good for Auburn, for people that just want to be students or play in the band or be cheerleaders or baseball players, I think it’s great exposure all the way around.”

• Trooper, as usual, had a bunch of good stuff that comes across better on video, so I'll save that for tomorrow. Check back for an update.

Bonner goes fifth to the Mercury

DeWanna Bonner got her wish — a warm destination. Bonner went fifth in today's WNBA Draft to the Phoenix Mercury.

Bonner, an Alabama native, had few pre-draft preferences other than hoping she got to play in a warm-weather city. Credit O-A News scribe Andrew Gribble for this fact: the average temperature in Phoenix from June to August is 104 degrees.

I don't know much about the Phoenix Mercury other than Nell Fortner said she modeled Auburn's up-tempo offense this year after the WNBA team. Sounds like a good fit.

The first four picks were Louisville's Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta), Maryland Marissa Coleman (Washington), Maryland's Kristi Toliver (Chicago) and UConn's Renee Montgomery (Minnesota).

Hopefully we get a chance to chat with Bonner here in a little while. I'll update again then.

(UPDATE): Whitney Boddie just went to the Sacramento Monarchs in the second round with the 20th overall pick.

We also just talked to Bonner, who was, in a word, excited.

"I just have to go in and prove myself and work really hard," she said. "I think that they have a great team. They have veterans. If I come off the bench, I'll give them something. Or if I start for them — it really doesn't matter."

Bonner was particularly happy to be going to a team with some veterans. The Mercury's star is guard Diana Taurasi.

Bonner said she'll likely train in Auburn until after graduation, then move out to Phoenix, a city she's never visited before.

She said the whole thing has been a dream.

"This is something that you grow up and you watch the WNBA, you're sitting in your backyard and you say, I'm such and such player, I'm Lisa Leslie, I'm Cynthia Cooper," Bonner said. "Then all of a sudden I'm here. I couldn't believe it. I was like, it still hasn't hit us yet that we're about to be in the WNBA. For me to go to a great team, that makes it that much better. And it's somewhere hot and I wanted to go somewhere warm and I'm excited."

Mary Louise Pawlowski back at home

It's always refreshing when you get some extremely good news to write about, and this certainly qualifies: Mary Louise Pawlowski, the daughter of Auburn baseball coach John Pawlowski, returned home last week after spending 93 days in a hospital battling a rare form of cancer and later an infection.

"She's doing much better," John said at the conclusion of today's sitdown with reporters.

Mary Louise, now 14, was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer, primitive neuroectodermal tumors, in December of 2007. She had a six-hour surgery to remove a tumor from her right side before going through chemotherapy that made her lose her hair. In the aftermath, she battled an infection that required more surgeries, skin grafts and a plenty of prayers.

But now she's out of the hospital, back home with her mother and two sisters in North Augusta, S.C. John said she's been more mobile lately, getting up and out of her wheelchair on occasion and using a walker to get around the house. Just yesterday, she washed her hair, which used to be blond but now is black, for the "first time in who knows how long," he said.

"Her hair is longer than mine right now," said John, who sports a close cropped look. "So she's pretty proud of that."

Her goal is to get to Auburn to see her dad at work, which might be tough, considering how far away it is. However, the Tigers begin a three-game series starting April 17 at South Carolina, which is only about an hour north of North Augusta.

"Maybe she might be able to get up there for a game," John said. "I'm hoping. That would be awesome."

New video: Tuesday night interviews

We'll call this the Pat Dye video of the week, since head coach Gene Chizik and running backs coach Curtis Luper both spoke highly of the former Auburn coaching legend, who addressed the team before Tuesday's practice.

The video also features specials teams coach Jay Boulware, right tackle Andrew McCain and quarterback Kodi Burns.

Enjoy.

Tuesday practice: Ricks impressing teammates

Looking for a breakout candidate on the defensive line? Defensive end Antonio Coleman says to look out for senior tackle Jake Ricks.

“He’s stepping up big time and making plays that I’ve never seen from him before,” Coleman said.

Ricks, who has 16 career tackles, spent last year in a backup role to Sen’Derrick Marks and Tez Doolittle on the interior line. He made seven tackles, two of which were for a loss, and was fortunate enough to pounce on fumble in the end zone for a touchdown against Tennessee.

With Marks and Doolittle both NFL bound, the 6-foot-4, 296-pound Ricks is rotating with the ones at tackle with junior Mike Blanc and sophomore Zach Clayton, neither of whom have Ricks’ experience.

Teammates hope that translates to a senior breakthrough much like Doolittle, who returned for a sixth year following a devastating Achilles’ heel injury and finished with 28 tackles and eight tackles for a loss last season.

“(Jake’s) not in anyone’s shadow anymore and he understands that this is his senior year and he needs to step up and make plays,” Coleman said. “Maybe it’s an eye-opener for him.”

Some other notes from practice ...

• Auburn had a special visitor before Tuesday's practice: Pat Dye. The legendary Tigers coach addressed the team. Apparently, he's been a frequent visitor around the Auburn offices since head coach Gene Chizik was hired in December. "It was just great to have him out at practice, No. 1," Chizik said. "Those young guys, that’s kind of an eye-opener for them – having a legend like that coming in there and talked to them. He just talked about what it’s like to be an Auburn man – what it’s like to be an Auburn student, what it’s like to be an Auburn football player and at the end of the day, what it’ll mean to them down the road being an Auburn alumni. I thought it was a really neat message."

• All of the coaches seemed to have that kind of respect for Dye: "I'm locked into every single word he says, because there's so much wisdom in his words," running backs coach Curtis Luper said. "He's experienced a lot."

• Auburn went to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Tuesday for its ninth practice. "We’re just trying to do some different things, create a little more energy," Chizik said. "Kind of a pre-game atmosphere going on. They’re tired and they’re beat up so we just wanted to change the venue on them."

• Doesn't sound like DE Antoine Carter's right leg injury from Sunday was too serious. Chizik said he'll leave it up to the medical people, but added: "He’s going to be fine."

• Chizik didn't know exactly what kind of format Auburn will have for A-Day. It will mostly depend on how many people the Tigers get back from nagging injuries. It could be offense vs. defense like the scrimmage or split into two teams.

• The team will have another scrimmage this Saturday that will be the same format as last weekend.

• Interesting comment by Chizik on RT Andrew McCain. "We really believe Andrew has got to be technician in this league to be effective," he said. "He's going to have to be really good at his trade, so to speak." That doesn't sound like a glowing endorsement of McCain, but Auburn doesn't really have many more options at that spot.

• Luper said nobody has separated himself yet as the starting running back, and he's a little bummed about that. "I wish I had somebody step up and say this is my job, but not yet," he said. "When they do, I'll tell you and I'll tell them."

• Luper said H-back Mario Fannin will get some work at running back in Saturday's scrimmage.

• No change on the punter front. Special teams coach Jay Boulware said there has been no separation between Ryan Shoemaker and Clinton Durst. "It’s a pretty close battle in my opinion," Boulware said. "Shoemaker has gotten tremendously better over the last few days but I think Clinton has been the most consistent and continues to be the most consistent. I think that battle is going to go well into the fall."

• Boulware wishes he could be as positive about the kicking game, which has been in flux since he told us walk-on Chandler Brooks was leading the competition. "It just keeps going back and forth," Boulware said. "I’m just trying to find some consistency in that department right now that I’m not seeing out there right now. It’s a pick’em. One day it’s one day, another day it’s another way. I’m probably like most Auburn fans felt last year. I’m yearning for some consistency from that position right now. That’s an area of concern for me right now."

Video: Sunday interviews plus an interesting drill

Here's a new video. It's got interviews with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, running back Justin Albert, H-back Mario Fannin and safety Zac Etheridge. It was light group of videos, so I tacked on an interesting wide receivers drill the Tigers did during practice Sunday. Of course, Trooper Taylor is involved.

Enjoy.

Sunday practice: Freeman working with first team

Eltoro Freeman’s stay with Auburn’s second-team defense turned out to be a short one.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College transfer began working with the Tigers’ first unit at weak-side linebacker a week ago after starting the spring backing up Craig Stevens on the strong side. Freeman is splitting time at weak side with sophomore Spencer Pybus.

“(It’s) not for good,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “We’re certainly just experimenting. ... We’re always looking to figure a way to get our best 11 out there.”’

Freeman has played on the weak side throughout his career, a run-stuffing position he feels better suits his game.

“At Sam (strong side), I was outside the box, so I really couldn’t attack no gaps,” Freeman said. “Linebacker inside the box, now I can really attack the gaps and play football.”

Players have marveled at Freeman’s talent this spring, expecting big things for the sophomore once things click mentally. His teammates and coaches claim to have seen that light come on in the last few days.

“I’m getting real close,” Freeman said. “Coach Roof told me the same thing in the locker room. He said, ‘Eltoro, I see it,’ and I was like, “Yes sir.’”

Some other notes from practice ...

• As mentioned before, redshirt freshman Marcus Jemison has moved from safety to strong-side linebacker, filling a position of need. "You look at his body, the big safety type, which is what you want out there playing to the field," Roof said. "We’re taking a peak at him ... He feels good about getting some reps, working up a sweat instead of watching."

• Jemison had a pretty trying freshman season. He broke his fibula and dislocated his ankle during two-a-days, ending his season. Making matters worse, his mother was recovering from cancer. “I told her I wanted to come (home) and I didn’t feel like playing football anymore,” Jemison said. “She wouldn’t let me come home and I didn’t have a car, so I couldn’t. There was no way I could get there. If I had a car, I probably would have.” They both made strong recoveries, although Jemison said it's still tough to push off on his leg. He wants to get up from 202 pounds to 220 for the start of the season and still has to get the playbook down, something that came into focus during Saturday's scrimmage. “I was lining up wrong but was still making it the ball,” Jemison said. “So coach was like, ‘Imagine if you were lined up in the right position.’”

• We reporters tried and failed to get an update on Antoine Carter's leg injury. Here's how the exchange went with Roof:
  

• Reporter: "Is Hot Carter OK?"
• Roof: "I don’t talk about injuries. That’s Coach Chizik."
• Another reporter: "But Chizik isn’t here?"
• Roof: "Nope, you’re not going to get me to say a word."

• Roof, on Zac Etheridge finally getting out of his non-contact orange jersey. "He’s a high energy guy and loves to play. A guy with that much experience that has been that big a piece to our team, it was good to have him back out there and running around."

• Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn didn't have much to offer in new details from Saturday's scrimmage, speaking vaguely about the quarterbacks: "Each one of them had a play or two where you go, `Wow, that’s what we’re looking for.’ But at the same time, there were a couple of mental busts; a couple of physical reads that weren’t what we wanted. But they bounced back today, and they corrected the things we talked about."

• Malzahn doesn't know if they'll be able to narrow down the quarterback field by the end of spring. "Ideally, you’d like to have the 'guy,’" he said. "I don’t know if that’s possible. That’s a definite goal. But at least have it narrowed down to two. That’s what we’re looking for now, so we can get a little more specific with our timing. It’s hard to a timing offense when you’re rotating three guys."

• Three QBs are getting equal reps still — Kodi Burns, Neil Caudle and Barrett Trotter. Things don't sound great for Chris Todd at the moment. The senior is still unable to participate because of his shoulder. He's throwing some but the coaches will wait until he is 100 percent to let him go without restrictions on the field. "We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there," Malzahn said of Todd playing. "It’s hard to say right now."

• H-back Mario Fannin is up to about 230 pounds after playing last year at around 220. He says he's lost a little bit of speed and would like to drop some pounds to get some of it back. "I kind of bulked up on my own," he said. "That's one thing coaches took into consideration because they saw as I wanted as far as a personal preference to get bigger and at the same time be fast. That's something they recognized something I was to do. Now it's a matter of losing a couple of pounds to get that speed back."

• Fannin said the extra bulk does help for his new role as the H-back, which requires more run blocking than pass blocking.

• The junior still would like to get some looks at running back, though. "I'm looking forward to it a lot," he said. "That's something I came here for. The spot they have me at now, I'm thrilled to play that also. It's kind of like a bittersweet thing."

• Walk-on redshirt freshman Justin Albert has been in the mix returning punts. "You have to be a baseball player back there, like a center fielder," he said. "So I kind of judge the ball real good, look it in all the way. But it's a lot of good players back there catching, and it's just good competition, everybody wants to compete for a job, so that's what we're doing."

• Linebacker Josh Bynes left Saturday's scrimmage impressed by the speed of the offense. "The offense is so fast. You won't see anything in the SEC like that," he said. "It's going to be trouble for a lot of opponents. They're not going to see anything like this ever. I don't think any team in the country can hang with it. It's so fast. It's so unique. If you don't get the call within a split second and that ball is snapped, everybody's going to be misaligned and it'll be chaos."

• Defensive lineman Antonio Coleman was kind enough to show us this year's defensive unity gimmick. Last year it was hard hats. This year, it's chains. He had a bunch of metal chain links looped together, demonstrating to media members that if one link isn't working, the loop falls apart. I'm not certain, but I think every NCAA team has to have some sort of gimmick to rally behind, whether it's a lunch pail or a shovel or a hard hat. Seems like that's been the case everywhere I've gone.

Sunday practice: Early observations

We got to watch a portion of Auburn's football practice today (our last taste until A-Day) and here are a couple of observations:

• I didn't see the actual action, but defensive end Antoine Carter had to be carted off the field. It appeared he wasn't putting any weight on his right foot. Not sure how serious this was.

• Eltoro Freeman was working with the first team at week-side linebacker instead of Spencer Pybus. Freeman, who has played weak-side his whole career, previously worked as a backup to Craig Stevens on the strong side.

• Redshirt freshman Marcus Jemison worked with the linebackers. He is listed as a safety on the roster.

• Safety Zac Etheridge (shoulder) was wearing a white jersey, presumably meaning he's allowed to participate in contact now.

• Tight end Tommy Trott (knee) was also back in blue, although there weren't any contact drills, so we don't know what that means.

• H-back Mario Fannin was back in action after turning an ankle last week.

• Wide receiver Montez Billings was not dressed. He has an undisclosed injury that's preventing him from taking the field.

• Our Tour de Francers today (guys on the bike): OL Rudy Odom, LB Da'Shaun Barnes, DL Derrick Lykes, OL Bart Eddins, LB Adam Herring.

Auburn finishes a physical scrimmage

Auburn scrimmaged for the first time this season, away from the (supposedly) prying eyes of the media and fans in a 90-play session at Jordan-Hare Stadium this afternoon.

We in the media really only got blips of information of how things happened from interviews afterward, so that's how I'll present it to you on the blog:

• The coaches used a scoring system that pitted the offense against the defense, awarding points for first downs, big plays, turnovers, sacks, etc. Your final score: Defense 45, Offense 40. The game apparently came down to the final drive, with the score tied at 40. Onterio McCalebb took a handoff and ran to the perimeter where safety Drew Cole put his helmet on the ball and knocked it loose (Note: this is what defensive coordinator Ted Roof thinks happened). Defensive lineman Cam Henderson pursued from the back side and pounced on the ball for a five-point fumble recovery to win the game.

• Head coach Gene Chizik was extremely adept at not telling us what the scoring system was (heaven forbid that Alabama finds out a scrimmage fumble recovery is worth five points), but we were able to get some sense of how it worked. "I think it’s just a great measuring tool," Chizik said. "Any time we step out on this field or any other field, there’s always going to be a winner and a loser. I think every day, you have to be able to point back to what caused you to be a winner or what caused you to be a loser. I think those points are well taken when they can relate it to a score."
  

• Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor, shedding some more light on the scoring system: "A lot of schools use some of that. He uses more detail. Overall, what it does is allows kids to understand the situation. First-and-10, you're trying to get five yards or more. If you don't get that, you lose. You either lose or win on every down, and that's the emphasis of it. Plus, it gives the defense a chance to compete as well. It's like a reward. It gives them a little something to shoot for. And it keeps you within the framework of the down and distance because a lot of time when you scrimmage you just put the ball down and play. Not us. We do first-and-10, third-and-long, third-and-short. We talk about those different scenarios, so they can get experience."

• Roof has preached turnovers all spring. For the game to end like that simply hammered home his point. "It was good to win like that," he said. "The positives of ending like that are you keep demanding it, preaching it, and it happens and people start believing. That was a good way to end it."

• CB Walt McFadden didn't realize the team was keeping score until the second half. "I started realizing that we need to win this game, not just do our fundamentals," he said. "And then it turned into whatever goes.

• Lots of positive reaction about Gus Malzahn's offense and its quick pace. The Tigers ran 55 plays in 20 minutes during one stretch. "It's real quick," left tackle Lee Ziemba said. "With the more plays comes more yards. With more yards comes more points, so that's the theory behind that. I think the defense saw it."

• McFadden on if it was tough to keep up with the offense: "Yeah. And that wasn't even fast. It was something that we've got to get used to, by us going against our offense every day, it'll be something that we're ready for the future."

• Taylor might have summed up the excitement the best: "Let me tell you, Malzahn's a genius, fellas," wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. "Write it down. I'm telling you, he is the real deal, folks. I made the right decision, I can promise you that. I'm excited. I'm more excited than (the players) probably. I'm geeked about being in this offense."

• The offense had to pull back the reins at some points to allow the defense to set up. Coaches reminded us afterward that the defense is still installing its system, and it wouldn't tell them much if, for instance, the offense scored on a big play during which the defense wasn't properly set up. Some of the offensive players didn't like that, though. "I know he wants us to learn and everything, but I feel like it's a competition," running back Ben Tate said. "If you're keeping score, let us go. He was giving them an advantage right there. I was getting mad there at the end once we lost. I was like, 'That's not fair.' You could see the guys on defense. They weren't even set. Coach was holding us back."

• The three healthy quarterbacks — Kodi Burns, Neil Caudle and Barrett Trotter — rotated evenly with the ones. Burns threw a touchdown to Terrell Zachery and Caudle threw one to Ralph Spry. But Chizik said there still isn't any separation between the three. "I don’t think we’re there yet," he said. "I don’t know if there will be separation in seven more practices. I really don’t. Of course we’re going to take it day-by-day and things of that nature. Right now they’re kind of all clumped in there together and they’re all doing some nice things."

• For the first extended time this spring, the quarterbacks went live Saturday, the coaches opening them up to contact. "I understand that is risky at times," Chizik said. "We didn’t do it the whole practice today, but again you’ve got to be able to have a gauge when you’re trying to measure two or three close guys in a battle right now, what’s going to separate them. And two-hand tag is hard to separate them."

• Chizik said the team ran the ball about 60 times in the 90 plays. He wanted to establish that physical mindset.

• We've pieced together some other tidbits from player interviews:

• RB Eric Smith had a draw play that went for a touchdown.
• Tate said he had a fumble and wasn't pleased with his overall performance. "I had a poor performance. It was the worst day I had since spring started."
• RB Justin Albert, a redshirt freshman,had a bid draw play. We're not sure if it went for a score or not.
• The team is "being smart" about H-back Mario Fannin, who has an injured ankle. Translation: he didn't play.
• CB Aairon Savage (knee) didn't play. "He was out there cheering," McFadden said. "He tried to sneak in one series, but they grabbed him, put him back there. He's got on that orange jersey."
• S Mike McNeil had a monster hit that broke up a crucial third-down pass play.
• DT Zach Clayton had two sacks.
• S Mike Slade had an interception.

Some other news and notes that are roster related:

• Sophomore OL Kyle Coulahan has taken a leave from the team to concentrate on academics. "We had a great conversation, and that's kind of like where he feels like he needs to go," Chizik said. "And I was a good listener." Coulahan's departure leaves an already thin offensive line even more strapped for bodies.

• Auburn had a busy recruiting day Saturday, getting commitments from Pelham (Ala.) High linebacker Jake Holland and College Park, Ga., wide receiver Shaun Kitchens of Banneker High. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Holland visited the school Thursday and made his decision known Saturday, choosing Auburn over Ole Miss, Stanford, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Colorado, among others. As a junior last season, Holland had 129 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, two sacks and four fumble recoveries. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound Kitchens, who also plays safety and linebacker in high school, selected Auburn over a host of schools, including West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Kentucky. He caught 16 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns as a junior. He ran for two scores and threw for three more. They join Jupiter, Fla., place-kicker Cody Parkey, a holdover from the Tommy Tuberville era, as the only members of the Tigers’ 2010 class.

New video: Coaches and players from Thursday

Here's another new video for everyone. This one's got a bunch of people, including head coach Gene Chizik, defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, running backs coach Curtis Luper, cornerbacks coach Phillip Lolley, cornerback Walt McFadden, place-kicker Chandler Brooks and punters Clinton Durst and Ryan Shoemaker.

And while you're here, here are two stories I wrote for the actual newspaper this week. One's on the wide receivers. The other is on linebacker Eltoro Freeman.

I'll have more after Saturday's scrimmage.

Enjoy.

Thursday's spring practice: notes and quotes

Any praise Auburn’s coaching staff has doled out during the first week of spring practice has come with a disclaimer: do it once we go live.

The Tigers will have a chance to make an impression Saturday in a full scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium lasting 90 to 110 plays, according to head coach Gene Chizik.

“What we plan on doing right now is playing it as much like a game-like situation as we can,” Chizik said. “We’ve been doing so much situational in practice right now — putting them in different situations that they’re going to run into on Saturday — so now we’d like to see them without coaches on the field.”

The scrimmage comes on the heels of a mostly instructional practice Thursday, when Auburn spent half of its time outdoors and half in the John H. Watson Fieldhouse after rains moved through the area. The Tigers worked in shells — shorts, helmets and shoulder pads — during the two-hour practice, their sixth of the spring.

“It was productive,” Chizik said. “We made it work.”

Still, the coaches have looked forward to a full 11-on-11 scrimmage and the contact it promises. The NCAA limits schools to three designated scrimmages in the spring, defined as when tackling takes place in more than 50 percent of the practice.

“I hope to see consistency,” defensive line coach Tracy Rocker said. “Two, is great effort and guys that are trying to fight and take a stand. ... You know you’re going to have missed assignments. You’re going to have some things maybe break down. But the substitute of that is effort.”

Some other news and notes ...

• We got to speak to all of the kickers and punters today. We got clarification that the walk-on kicker is indeed Chandler Brooks, not Chris, as listed on the team roster. Here's his story: He kicked with East Mississippi Community College his freshman year ("It wasn't my best year," he admitted) before coming to Auburn, where his stepdad, James Brooks, was a linebacker in the early '90s. "I wanted to follow in his footsteps," Chandler said. "It was always my intention to come down here and play football." He took last year off, failing to make the team as a walk-on, before making the squad during tryouts this February. Now he might be the front-runner for the place-kicking job. Quite a story.

• Wes Byrum (you know, last year's kicker) hasn't gone away. He claims he's not hitting the ball his best right now, on the heels of a season during which he was 11-for-19 on field goal attempts. "I kind of got lost with all my technique," he said. "I started changing around, fooling around with stuff that didn't need to be fooled around with. Once I started to change too many different things, I came apart. I've been working on the offseason on getting back to how I know I can do it."

• We spoke to punter Clinton Durst for the first time since his offseason ploy to get a scholarship, when he briefly left the team, only to return a few weeks later. He's still not on scholarship, so it sounds like that didn't work. "I’d rather not comment on it," he said. "I made a few mistakes."

• Ryan Shoemaker, who Durst beat out last year for the job, doesn't look back in anger at last season. "At first it was, but it was a time to step out of the spotlight and work on your technique and work on your own punting by yourself," he said. "It really I think helped me a little bit that I needed to work on some technique issues and I think I’ve gotten better since then."

• Both Durst and Shoemaker had good things to say about special teams coach Jay Boulware. "He’s unbelievable," Durst said. "He knows more than anybody than I’ve ever talked to. He watches video of us — I don’t know how many hours — and he pinpoints what we need to do." Shoemaker was complimentary as well. "He really is a hands-on coach," he said. "He likes to dissect film. He watches our technique. He dissects everything we do. It’s worked out very well for us. I think it really has helped out in some things. We’ve had technique issues and I like the way it’s going."

• Auburn plans to do more directional punting. Shoemaker says they've also been working on doing a spread formation, with three personal protectors in front of the punter.

• Rocker said there's been a three-man rotation at tackle and end. Mike Blanc, Jake Ricks and Zach Clayton are working on the inside. Antonio Coleman, Antoine Carter and Michael Goggans are rotating at ends.

• DL Cam Henderson is nursing a sore ankle, Rocker said.

• Running backs coach Curtis Luper has been especially impressed with sophomore Eric Smith, a bruiser who weighs in at 234 pounds and had 21 carries for 84 yards last year. “He’s a load,” Luper said. “He’s not easy to tackle. Ask (safety) Mike McNeil. He hasn’t tackled him all spring.”

• Ben Tate and Smith have rotated with the ones at tailback.

• Five players have been working at returning kicks this spring — cornerbacks Neiko Thorpe Walt McFadden, Fannin, Tate and McCalebb.

• Cornerbacks coach Phillip Lolley is still taking it easy with Aairon Savage, who tore his ACL last August and missed the season. Savage won't play in Saturday's scrimmage. "I let Aairon get certain drills and I'm sure he could do more but it's like why at this point," Lolley said. "I've backed him off the receivers a lot. I'm letting him play off coverage, some man-to-man stuff, but I'm not putting him up there pressing right now because I know he's going to compete and he's going to bust his tail. The thing is, when one of those guys makes those quick moves on him, he's not going to want to take it easy on it. That quick movement scares me at this point."

• McFadden and Thorpe are working with the ones at corner in practice. Redshirt freshman T'Sharvan Bell, who suffered a knee injury that kept him out last year, is working with the twos, with D'Antoine Hood and Harry Adams rotating at the other spot.

• Lolley had very good things to say of Bell. "You know he's smart," Lolley said. "He was hurt last year and I knew he had that kind of ability because I'd seen him in camp several years. I knew he had that type of ability. He was a quarterback in high school and he knows what offenses will try. He sees things that a lot of guys don't see because of what he was asked to do in high school; option, attacks, play action. He understands when guys cut their splits down, what routes they might try to be, progressing too and he's just a smart kid. He just picks up things very quickly. Has very good quickness, instincts. Sometimes you can try coaching those things, but it sure helps if you have them."

New video: Coaches from Wednesday night

This one's got special teams coach Jay Boulware, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and the always-entertaining wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor. I saved the best — Trooper — for last, so watch through the end.

I'll have more news and notes after tonight's practice.

Enjoy.

Wednesday's spring practice: Notes and quotes

Auburn’s got a front-runner in its kicking competition, and it’s probably someone you’ve never heard of.

Chandler Brooks, a walk-on redshirt freshman from Huntsville, Ala., is leading the place-kicking competition, according to special teams coach Jay Boulware, ahead of incumbent Wes Byrum and Morgan Hull, a pair of juniors.

“He’s consistent,” Boulware said of Brooks. “He nailed a 51-yarder today at the end of practice. He’s doing a phenomenal job for us right now.”

Brooks joined the team after the Feb. 4 walk-on tryouts, impressing Boulware with the hangtime on kickoffs. How obscure is he right now? When asked, Boulware couldn’t even come up with his first name.

“I know him as Brooks,” Boulware said. “The kid with the yellow shoes.”

Byrum, who made only 11 of 19 field goal attempts last season, is still in the competition, and Hull is “a little further behind,” according to Boulware.

“It isn’t over with yet,” said Boulware, who has each participant do eight live kicks per practice. “They’re competing, slugging it out right now.”

Some other notes ...

• Auburn scrimmaged Wednesday for 30 to 35 plays by head coach Gene Chizik's estimate. "It was live," he said. "It was a scrimmage situation and everybody’s fair game." Other than that, he was very vague about what went on, simply saying the team did some good things and bad things. Of course they did. He did like how physical the defense was and, after some more prodding, acknowledged that Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb both broke off a long run. That's some real classified info right there.

• The plan is to have a full scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, if the weather permits. It's still closed to the fans and media.

• Still no separation at quarterback so far, as if anyone was expecting that to be the case.

• Vance Smith's move from tight end to offensive line definitely sounds permanent. Try this quotes from offensive line coach Jeff Grimes on for size: "I'm really, really pleased with his effort. Somebody's going to have to fight me to give him up, I'll tell you that. Talk about this move being permanent. As far as I'm concerned, it is. Because he's a tough kid who works hard and he's exactly what I'm looking for."

• Boulware said Ryan Shoemaker had a great day punting the ball Wednesday. "Shoemaker today was out of this world, he was booming them today," he said. Boulware said Clinton Durst has been "phenomenal" this spring. They're trying to get him more consistent with his kicks. Last year, Boulware said, he had a tendency to kick a ball slightly to the right. "I was wondering if they were directional punting, but that wasn't intentional," Boulware said. " So what we're trying to get him used to doing is working a straight line right now.

• Boulware said sophomore Josh Harris is starting at long snapper, ahead of sophomore Bailey Woods and the only scholarship long snapper on the team, Dax Dellenbach. "That competition is not over with but it looks like Harris is hands-down better," said Boulware, who said there will be another walk-on to join before the season.
  

• Four players — sophomore Quindarius Carr, redshirt freshman Justin Albert, junior Mario Fannin and senior Walt McFadden — are working at returning punts. That number is down from nine who started spring practice. “By attrition, we may come up with one,” said receivers coach Trooper Taylor, who is evaluating the returners. None have returned punts in a game before, so Taylor is emphasizing the most basic element of punt returns — catching the ball. “The one thing we want to do is not let that ball hit the ground,” he said.

• Of the wideouts, Trooper has been impressed so far by junior Tim Hawthorne. "He's trying to be more physical," Taylor said. "His body demeanor has changed some where you can see there's a little more confidence. I really like the way that' he's working with the group, going out there and making some plays."

• Trooper was on fire with his quotes Wednesday evening. To wit:

• On the wide receivers' less than thrilling production last year: "To be real honest, the talk that's happened before we came around, that's all B.T.T. I say that's before Troop time. I don't care anything about any of that, it's what we have now."

• On Carr: "He looks the part, but I told him right now he's like a limo without gas. He looks good and I can't ride him. So I need him to go ahead and get some gas in his tank and go."

• On Philip Pierre-Louis not being able to compete for a spot yet because he's still recovering from knee surgery: "It's not personal, but you can't make the club in the tub. You'll be watching guys until he can get out there and compete."

New video: Players from Tuesday night

Finally got around to editing this down. We'll get coaches tonight, so hopefully I'll have more.

This one's got quarterback Kodi Burns, linebacker Josh Bynes, linebacker Craig Stevens and offensive guard Mike Berry.

Enjoy.