The USA Today Coaches' Preseason Poll was released today. Five SEC teams are ranked (No. 1 Florida, No. 5 Alabama, No. 9 LSU, No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 14 Georgia).

Auburn was not ranked, but it was in the Others Receiving Votes category, with 12 points, putting the Tigers 39th overall. That's behind South Carolina (18 votes) and ahead of Kentucky (9), Arkansas (6) and Tennessee (2).

Seems a little strange that Auburn would get any kind of votes, considering how last season went. Then again, these preseason polls are largely rendered meaningless once the games start. The Tigers, after all, were ranked 11th to start last season.

Now we're getting serious with these opponent previews. Today's post is about Georgia.

Be sure to read previous posts about the second day of Auburn's practice. I wrote a lengthy bullet-point recap of what happened Thursday here and linked to my newspaper story about Chris Todd's comeback from offseason shoulder surgery here.

As usual, if you missed any of the first 10 opponent previews, click on any of the following links to go back and read them: Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Ball State, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss and Furman.

And as usual, follow the War Eagle Extra on Twitter here for instantaneous updates throughout the season. If any news breaks, I'll put it up here first.

Georgia Bulldogs

• Head coach: Mark Richt (9th season at Georgia, 82-22)
  
• 2008 record: 10-3 (6-2 SEC, 2nd in West), beat Michigan State 24-12 in Capital One Bowl
  
• Returning starters: 11 (5 offense, 6 defense)
• Total offense: 426.0 (2nd SEC, 22nd nationally)
• Total defense: 312.0 (6th SEC, 22nd nationally)
• Series: Auburn leads 53-51-8
  
• Last meeting: Georgia won 17-13 last year in Jordan-Hare Stadium
  
• Consensus prediction: Second in the SEC East

Five-week schedule glimpse

• Oct. 31: vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)
  
• Nov. 7: Tennessee Tech
  
• Nov. 14: Auburn
  
• Nov. 21: Kentucky
  
• Nov. 28: at Georgia Tech
  

Has there ever been a more disappointing 10-win season in college football history. Yes, the Bulldogs reached double digits in wins, but for a team loaded with quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno, one that was the preseason No. 1 team in the country, a trip to the Capital One Bowl was not what it had in mind for postseason play. Georgia faces a different situation this year. Stafford and Moreno left for the NFL, so the team is definitely lacking star power. Joe Cox finally gets his shot at quarterback after serving as an understudy for years and a host of running backs will try to replace Moreno's production. Florida is the unquestionable top dog in the SEC East, so Georgia, which still has a ton of talent, is definitely flying under the radar.

To find out if the Bulldogs could still challenge in the East this year, I went to the man who inspired this whole opponent preview (he did it for Georgia following spring practice), David Hale of the Macon Telegraph. You'll definitely come away more knowledgeable if you click on the following links: his blog, his online work and his Twitter. As an added bonus, David was nice enough to provide links after each question for those of you who would like more detail on a subject than just a paragraph.

AB: We've seen teams succeed once a big-name star leaves (Tee Martin following Peyton Manning is the perfect example), but rarely does a team lose two stars the caliber of Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. What can we expect from their replacements, quarterback Joe Cox and running back Caleb King?

DH: From Cox, I think Georgia fans should know just what they're getting. No, he can't make all the passes Stafford did, but he's a fifth-year senior, he knows the system, and he has the respect of all of his teammates and coaches. The kid has tons of charisma and he's going to be a great leader, on and off the field (as he's already shown this offseason).

http://dawg-extra.blogspot.com/2009/07/leader-of-pack.html

The running back situation is a bit different. Richard Samuel and Caleb King both were five-star recruits with tons of potential, but neither really showed much last year and Samuel missed the spring with a wrist injury. Perhaps the opportunity left by Moreno's departure allows one or both of them to develop, and both certainly have the talent to be stars. But I think the more likely scenario this year is that Georgia employs more of a committee approach that also includes redshirt freshmen Carlton Thomas and Dontavius Jackson along with true freshman Washaun Ealey. Ealey is really the wild card though, as his high school credentials are impressive, and a strong fall camp could earn him enough playing time to really break out. Of course, he could also struggle early and land in a red shirt — which probably sums up why it's so tough to predict the running back spot right now.

http://dawg-extra.blogspot.com/2009/07/five-against-one.html

AB: The line was the weak link of last year's offense but now becomes a strength, with four returning starters and the return of left tackle Trinton Sturdivant, who missed last season with an ACL injury. Can this group be good enough to make up for the losses at quarterback and running back?

DH: I think that can definitely be the case. Richt's philosophy is that an offense can only move at the pace the O-line and QB will let it move, and for the past three seasons, Georgia has been inexperienced at one of the two positions. This year, Cox is a veteran (even if he doesn't have a lot of playing time under his belt) and the line is extremely talented, which could allow the offense to be just as dynamic (if not more so) than it was last year. Sturdivant, center Ben Jones, tackle Clint Boling and guard Cordy Glenn could all be candidates for All-SEC by season's end.

http://dawg-extra.blogspot.com/2009/06/o-line-finally-taking-shape.html

AB: A.J. Green turned in a strong freshman campaign, but now is the Bulldogs' lone returning threat at receiver. How will he cope with being the man now that Mohamed Massaquoi is gone and who will step up from the supporting cast to help him out?

DH: This will be interesting to see how it develops, because Green relied heavily on Massaquoi last year, both on and off the field. He'll definitely draw a lot of attention from opposing defenses, but he's also one of the most talented receivers in the country and he dealt with double teams much of last season as well. I would actually say, looking at the career stats, Massaquoi may have benefited more from having Green on the field than it was the other way around. Still, there are some good candidates to step up, including senior Michael Moore, who had a big game against Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl, and true freshmen Marlon Brown and Orson Charles.

http://dawg-extra.blogspot.com/2009/06/moore-than-meets-eye.html

AB: The defense gave up 38 or more points in four of the final five games last year (the exception, of course, being in a 17-13 win against Auburn's anemic offense). How has that group gone about the offseason and is there reason to believe it will fare any better this season against top-notch offenses?
AB: Last year's expectations as the preseason No. 1 proved to be an enormous burden on a team that still finished 10-3 but fell short of its goals. With the focus this preseason on different teams in the SEC (most notably Florida and Alabama), will Georgia be able to surprise some people this year?

DH: It's hard to say. Even Richt has called this team the hardest to predict of his time at Georgia. There are just so many new faces in key positions and so much production was lost from last year's team. But having said that, there is still a lot of talent on the roster, and virtually everyone from Richt on down has said that it has been a lot easier this offseason without the enormous expectations that come with being No. 1. Talking to the players, this offseason has been a lot more intense and a lot more focused than it was a year ago, but we really won't know how much difference it makes on game day until they actually take the field against teams like LSU and Florida this fall.

NCAA '10 on PlayStation 3 says ... Auburn 39, No. 15 Georgia 38. If ESPN was broadcasting this game, it would be an instant classic. (I would also like to re-iterate, I am in no way affecting the outcomes of these simulations.) The Tigers build a 27-7 halftime lead behind two Kodi Burns touchdown passes. They extend it to 30-7 before Georgia storms back with 31 unanswered points. Cox throws for 272 yards and four touchdowns, the last a 42-yarder to Greene that makes it 38-30 Bulldogs. But Auburn comes right back. Burns hits Montez Billings with a 28-yard touchdown pass with 2:33 to go. The two-point conversion fails, leaving the Tigers down by two. But Wes Byrum, who made his first three field goals of the day, makes a 40-yard field goal with 4 seconds to play to give Auburn the win. No reports about whether he ran down the sideline doing some sort of Bulldog hand gesture after making the kick. The wins makes Auburn 8-3 on the year and 5-2 in the SEC. The Tigers also make their first appearance in the polls at No. 20. Only one game left, and yes, it's against No. 3 Alabama, with the SEC West title on the line.

Up next: Our final installment and probably the most important in the eyes of Auburn fans: the Iron Bowl against Alabama.

I wrote a story in today's newspaper about quarterback Chris Todd as he gets back on the field and into the quarterback mix after months of rehab following offseason shoulder surgery. Here's how it starts:

We witnessed about 20 minutes worth of practice this evening. Here are some observations:

• Auburn split its team up for the third straight day. Chris Todd worked with Kodi Burns at quarterback in the first group. Neil Caudle had been out there with Burns in the first session the first two days. What does this mean? No clue. Head coach Gene Chizik has told us not to read anything into it, although it's peculiar that all the projected starters are out there with the first group, isn't it?

• It was a very small sample, but Todd didn't look as crisp throwing some mid-range passes today. A few got away from him and were off target. Again, take that for what it's worth. We only saw him let a few fly.

• Today's newcomer who joined the first session was DL Nosa Eguae. Coaches and veteran players have been very high of the freshman so far this year.

• Three new additions to the roster -- WR Ralph Spry (a Minnesota transfer who is not eligible to play this year), DB Woody Parramore and S Daren Bates, who has qualified.

• DT Mike Blanc didn't have the wrap on his left hand today. He didn't participate in drills, though. I can't imagine it's anything too serious.

• Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor did the drill with his players where they caught a pass on the run and he swung a big blocking pad like a baseball bat and clubbed them. "I promise you, you will not be soft," he said. "If I see you flinch, you're done." It's an entertaining drill, although Trooper appeared to catch Darvin Adams on the hand awkwardly. The sophomore slowly walked to the trainer while shaking his hand. It looked like he just jammed a finger. After getting it taped, he went back to doing drills.

• S Mike McNeil wasn't wearing a shell today, but he did help out with a drill. The junior lined up on the sideline with a cornerback across from him. He simulated a receiver getting off the line of scrimmage, coming out of a stance and making a move on the defensive back. Again, it's not a huge deal, but for a guy who broke his leg last spring, the fact that he's doing anything like that is noteworthy.

AUBURN, Ala. — Freshman offensive lineman Aubrey Phillips is on the Plains and, taking a page from the Mark McGwire playbook, he doesn’t want to talk about the past.

Phillips, who transferred to Auburn from Florida State this summer after a falling out with the coaching staff, met with reporters briefly Thursday after practice but didn’t have too much to say about his time in Tallahassee.

“I don’t really don’t want to talk about it anymore,” he said, shortly after head coach Gene Chizik pulled him aside for a quick debriefing. “I’ll leave the past in the past.”

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Phillips nearly chose Auburn during the recruiting process, instead signing with Florida State in February. He soured on the Seminoles shortly after reporting, however. In previous interviews, he alleged that the FSU coaching staff “mistreated” him in his month at the school after he showed up overweight.

“I think I’m in pretty good shape,” he said. “At Florida State, I was doing everything they told me to do, no matter what the media said.” Phillips officially joined the Tigers when players reported Tuesday. So far, he’s worked with the group of newcomers during the second half of practice at left tackle, forming a solid relationship with offensive line coach Jeff Grimes.

“He’s a great coach,” Phillips said. “He’s very understanding. He takes time to tell you when you mess up. He isn’t the type of coach you can’t go to. He’ll sit down and talk to you.”

Under normal transfer rules, Phillips would have to sit out a year, but he’s filed a waiver with the NCAA seeking immediate eligibility.

“I’m not really worried about that right now,” he said. “I’m just happy to be at Auburn. If it happens, I’m cool with it. If not, I’m not worried about it.”

Some other notes after talking with coaches and players ...

• As a quick aside, that's a picture of freshman linebacker Harris Gaston hitting the sled Thursday.

• At least two newcomers — wide receiver DeAngelo Benton and defensive back Demond Washington — took reps during both halves of practice, although Chizik again warned not to read anything into it.“Some of the young guys just need a few extra reps,” he said. Despite being new to the program, both players are older. Benton spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy before returning home to Bastrop, La., last year to focus on qualifying academically. Washington, who was new to the veteran group today, spent the last two years at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

• Still no word on how long Chizik will continue to have the Tigers practice in two groups.

• Chizik sounds like he's high on Washington. "Demond has a chance to be a good football player," he said. "He's really attentive right now. Very attentive. Paying a lot of attention to the details. You can tell he really wants to be a good football player and he really wants to play right now. And that's a great thing. He's got a lot of skill. We're encouraged by him."

• Saw the quarterbacks for a bit during the second half of practice today. They were doing a play where they roll out to their right and hit a receiver on the run. Chris Todd hit the receiver on the money every time, but freshman Tyrik Rollison bounced a few. I'd like to note that this was an extremely small sample.
  

• One other interesting thing from practice: Freshmen wide receivers Anthony Gulley and Travante Stallworth were working at what looked like the Wildcat position, rolling to their right before lofting passes downfield to a streaking receiver. Gulley, especially, looked like he had a good arm. Running back Dontae Aycock also said he and wide receiver Emory Blake were working as a Wildcat quarterback.

• Running backs coach Curtis Luper on what Aycock, a freshman, looks like so far. "Like a freshman," he said. "Like a freshman. He’s learning. He’s smart. He works hard. It’ll take us a couple of weeks to get a good feel for how he can help us this year. He's big, he's strong, he's an explosive kid. He can get from point A to point B pretty quick and he has great hands. Playing quarterback really made him really aware of what goes on on the entire field. That helps from our perspective because he doesn't need to know as much and he's capable of learning it all. I'm excited about him."

• Chizik stopped short of saying freshman safety Daren Bates was approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse, but he said he was "encouraged." (Note: he really likes that word.) Interestingly, Phillips, Bates' teammate at Olive Branch, Miss., said Bates was in.

• Auburn will practice in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) for the first time today, increasing the amount of contact. Chizik was not sure when the team will go with full pads. “We’ll just wait and play it by ear and see what the health of our team is,” he said. “Our days in shells and contact are pretty physical, even though we don’t take people to the ground and those things. Contact is contact, 300-pounders on 300-pounders. So it wears on you some, so we’ll just play that by ear.”

• Chizik brushed off the fact that defensive tackle Mike Blanc had his left hand wrapped and did not participate in drills today, saying simply, "He's fine."

• Offensive guard Mike Berry said he's slimmed down from 320 pounds to 305. Apparently not every lineman was asked to gain weight this offseason.

• Freshman tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen told us he worked at the "3" position all summer, an H-back role that Mario Fannin and Gabe McKenzie have been playing. So far this August, he's played at the "5" spot, a position that's more like a slot receiver. Tommy Trott usually works there. "I think eventually they want to have the 3 and 5 doing the same thing and have one or two players that can do both," Lutzenkirchen said.

• Lutzenkirchen on the pace of the offense in practice: "We ran a fast-paced offense in high school, but this just brings it to whole nother level. (Strength) coach (Kevin Yoxall) did a great job of conditioning us this summer, but it's still really didn't get us where we need to be with this offense. The main thing I'm having trouble with is the pace of it. We've been rotating every five plays, and it's just tough keeping your breath the whole time."

• Linebacker Josh Bynes had an interesting take on the differences between former defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, who is now the head coach at Iowa State, and new defensive coordiantor Ted Roof. "Roof is the type of guy who will let us go full speed," he said. "If you miss, at least you miss full speed. Rhoads was the type who wanted us to break down and make sure we make the proper tackle. But at the same time, if you’re running full speed, you can make the other man stop his feel and everybody else is coming. It’s going to seem like 12-13 guys at the ball. As far as breaking down, it just kind of messes us up a lot. Especially with (Will) Muschamp my freshman year. He was the type, the same as Roof, like to fly and like to run full speed. And if we miss, we miss full speed, at least we’re not slowing down and stopping our feet. (Rhoads) wanted us to breakdown and make tackles. Whereas Roof wants to fly. You’re full speed, at least you’re full speed running. If you miss and run full speed, rather than going slow and breaking down to it."

• You get the sense that Bynes likes the new way much better. "Oh yeah," he said. "You get to dive over the top of piles and things like that. When it’s a group tackle, somebody come flying full speed, it’s great because you see a lot of hats to the ball. In the spring you seen that it was a lot of people to the ball. It was more than just two or three. It was like five or six guys on the ball. And we weren’t stopping 'til the whistle blows."

• Defensive line coach Tracy Rocker has been encourage by some new guys, mentioning Nosa Eguae and Dee Ford specifically.

• The most bizarre answer of the day came from Rocker. I asked how he likes the splitting up into two groups for practice to get more instrution time with players and he responded like I just kicked his dog. "No comment," was all he said, moving quickly on to the next question. Either Rocker prefers to have everyone on the field at the same time competing or he really dislikes me. I hope it's the former.

We just finished our 20-minute window of watching the first part of Thursday's practice. Here are a few notes:

• DT Mike Blanc had his left hand wrapped and did not participate in any drills during the observation period. No word yet on what the injury is, but we'll ask Gene Chizik about it later (and probably get no definitive answer). It's tough to tell in the picture above (taken yesterday) if Blanc had his hand wrapped, but it doesn't look like it. Either way, he was practicing yesterday and did not today, so that's noteworthy.
  

• Chizik split the team into two groups again today. The veteran group was the first to hit the practice field again.

• WR Tim Hawthorne (broken foot) was in a walking boot. I think he was yesterday as well, but I didn't write it.

• During stretching drills, a handful of players had to carry footballs to work on ball security. A few, including running backs Ben Tate and Mario Fannin appeared to havea more slippery version than the rest. Kodi Burns, Tommy Trott, Neil Caudle, Gabe McKenzie, DeAngelo Benton and Eric Smith also were in on the action. Smith was the only one we saw fumble when a coach knocked it out of his hand. Don't know what the punishment was.
  

• There was one newcomer added to the veteran mix Thursday: defensive back Demond Washington. He's not completely new to college football, having played at junior college for two years, but he's new to Auburn. Chizik swears these groups were made with no rhyme or reason, but it's interesting that the newcomers most expected to get on the field this year -- Benton, WR Emory Blake, TE Philip Lutzenkirchen, DT Nick Fairley and now Washington -- are all working with the veteran group.

• We'll be back for more later.

Freshman safety Daren Bates was approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse on Thursday, according to AuburnSports.com. That leaves one Auburn signee — junior college cornerback Taikwon Paige — in limbo.

Twenty-one of Auburn's 28 recruits have qualified for school.

Although only a two-star recruit, Bates could be a boost for the Tigers, who had already watched two defensive back signees from 2009, Reggie Taylor and Izauea Lanier, fail to qualify. Bates joins junior college transfer Demond Washington as newcomers in the secondary.

Five players — defensive linemen Terrance Coleman and Josh Jackson, wide receiver LaVoyd James, Taylor and Lanier — plan to go the junior college route. Coleman has enrolled at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi, while Jackson will go to Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, according to AuburnSports.com.

Running back Brandon Jacobs is expected to sign a contract with the Boston Red Sox after being selected in the 10th round of last June's MLB amateur draft.

Click here for the latest Auburn post. Don''t want you to miss out on any of that.

But we have to finish these opponent previews. And today's is the one you've all been waiting for: Furman.

If you missed a previous post, click on any of the following links to go back and read them: Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Ball State, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU and Ole Miss.

And as usual, follow the War Eagle Extra on Twitter here for instantaneous updates throughout the season. If any news breaks, I'll put it up here first.

Furman Paladins

• Head coach: Bobby Lamb (8th season, 56-29)
• 2008 record: 7-5 (4-4 Southern Conference, T-4th), no postseason
• Returning starters: 13 (7 offense, 6 defense)
• Total offense: 361.6 (6th Southern, 52nd in FCS)
• Total defense: 346.3 (4th Southern, 59th in FCS)
• Series: Auburn leads 3-0
  
• Last meeting: Auburn won 41-0 in 1956 at what was then known as Cliff Hare Stadium
  
• Consensus prediction: 4th place by SoCon coaches
  

Five-week schedule glimpse

• Oct. 24: at The Citadel
  
• Oct. 31: Appalachian State
• Nov. 7: at Auburn
  
• Nov. 14: at Georgia Southern
  
• Nov. 21: Wofford
  

Auburn will play an opponent from the Football Championship Subdivision for the sixth time since 2002 (the Tigers played UT-Martin in 2008, Tennessee Tech in 2007, Western Kentucky in 2005 and 2003, The Citadel in 2004, Western Carolina in 2002). It's a nice, low-risk matchup for homecoming and gives the FCS school a big payday and chance at playing the big boys, so I'm generally not against the arrangement (that is unless you schedule two FCS schools in the same year). I'm the first to admit that I know next to nothing about Furman, just like I know little about the FCS, which I still call I-AA all the time.

Knowing these limitations, I contacted Willie Smith of the Greenville News, who covers Furman athletics. Read his coverage of the Paladins online here and keep up with his blog here.

AB: What kind of impact will UCLA quarterback transfer Chris Forcier have this season and will he ever live down notoriety he gained from the comically ridiculous "press release" he put out shortly after after leaving the Bruins that stated, "I want to be part of the ‘Greatness of Fuhman [sic] University’ academic’s. [sic]”?
AB: Forcier isn't the only transfer from the Football Bowl Subdivision. Former Tennessee wide receiver Tyler Maples also joined the Paladins this summer. What is he capable of this season?
AB: The Paladins only return four starters — one of which is former Hoover High and MTV's "Two-A-Days" star Max Lenrer — from a defense that ranked 59th in the Football Championship Subdivision last year. What is the outlook for this season's defense?
AB: Head coach Bobby Lamb played quarterback at Furman from 1982-85 and has spent his entire coaching career there, as an assistant from 1986-2001 and as the head coach from 2002 to the present. He's 56-29 in that time and took the Paladins to the 2005 I-AA semifinals. Does he have aspirations to coach at an FBS school or is he satisfied with his situation at Furman?

WS: Both Bobby and his wife are Furman graduates. He is in the school's athletic Hall of Fame. Like most, I am sure he would listen if an FCS school came knocking. But, right now I believe he is hell bent on getting the Paladins back to the top of the Southern Conference, which is no small feat when Appalachian State, Wofford, Elon, a much improved Samford and Georgia Southern are staring you in the face.

AB: Although Furman's matchups with Missouri and Auburn will garner the school lots of attention, FCS teams generally aren't judged by how they fare against FBS opponents. What kind of chance does Furman have in the Southern Conference this season and can the Paladins end their two-year drought from the FCS playoffs?

WS: Furman was picked to finish fourth by the coaches and fifth by the media. I think that is fair. Like most teams, if the linebackers and secondary jell and Forcier manages to earn the starting job, they could move up enough to earn a playoff spot. Beating Appalachian State out for the title, however, will be tough.

NCAA '10 on the PlayStation 3 says ... we have some catching up to do. First up, the Ole Miss game I couldn't simulate the other day because my power wasn't working. Survey says ... Auburn 26, No. 22 Ole Miss 7. A big upset on the Plains. The Tigers (6-3) take down the ranked Rebels to improve to 4-2 in the SEC. Auburn’s defense turns in quite a performance, holding Ole Miss to 227 yards. Snead only manages to throw for 137. Antonio Coleman leads the way with six tackles, three TFLs and one of the Tigers’ three sacks. Ole Miss leads 7-6 but Wes Byrum made a 29-yard field goal just before the half to make it 9-7 Tigers. Auburn dominates the rest of the way. After another Byrum field goal, Mario Fannin returns a punt 57 yards for a touchdown. Kodi Burns adds a 7-yard touchdown pass to Montez Billings for good measure. Quick SEC West standings update: Alabama is 4-1, Auburn is right behind at 4-2 and (here’s a shocker) Mississippi State and LSU are tied at 3-2. Ole Miss, by the way, is underachieving at 2-3.

And for the less anticipated simulation ... Auburn 57, FCS Southeast (we're assuming that's Furman) 7. The Tigers roll in this one, gaining 669 yards of offense to Furman's 111. Burns throws for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Ben Tate and Fannin run for 303 combined yards and three touchdowns. Billings adds 156 receiving yards. Also, Byrum boots five out of six field goals. Tigers are at 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the SEC. Georgia and Alabama are looming. We'll see what happens.

Up next: Amen Corner begins, first with a trip to Athens to play Georgia.

AUBURN, Ala. — Wide receiver Philip Pierre-Louis is not currently on Auburn's roster, but head coach Gene Chizik stressed that the redshirt freshman is still on the team and will be back once school starts.

Pierre-Louis, whose status with the team was a matter of debate during the summer, was a noticeable omission from the roster supplied by Auburn sports information Wednesday.

Although the receiver missed last year after tearing his ACL and was limited in the spring, Chizik said the absence is not injury-related. He declined to give further specifics.

Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said Pierre-Louis has "some personal things that he's dealing with" and hopes Pierre-Louis might be able to return sooner than expected.

A favorite of former offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, the diminutive Pierre-Louis was expected to be a big part of Auburn's offense last season before a knee injury on the opening kickoff against Louisiana-Monroe forced him to miss the entire year.

Chizik did confirm that walk-on tailback Justin Albert is no longer with the team.

Other news and notes to come out of Wednesday's practice:

• Two of the four players Auburn hoped would get approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse did not. Defensive lineman Terrance Coleman and defensive tackle Josh Jackson failed to qualify academically and will enroll in junior colleges this fall, Chizik said. "Obviously we wish them well," Chizik said. "They’re great kids with a great future. This is just kind of the direction they felt was best for themselves at this point." That makes five who didn't qualify from Auburn's 2009 recruiting class (DB Reggie Taylor, DB Izauea Lanier and WR LaVoyd James already got word). The Tigers are still waiting word on safety Daren Bates and junior college cornerback Taikwon Paige.

• Interesting way of splitting practice today for Auburn, which is what I wrote my main story about. A veteran group went out on the practice field first (with a few notable exceptions that I mentioned in a previous post) before going to the weight room while a group made of mostly newcomers came out second. "I think everyone gets a lot more out of it," junior quarterback Neil Caudle said. "I think that for the older guys, we get more reps, more time with the coaches, get to move at a little faster pace since we've already done it before. For the younger guys, it's even better for them, because they get more one-on-one time with the coaches and actually get reps. Usually at this time during two-a-days, they'd be just having to watch."

• Chris Todd was back and in good spirits (he'll be my story for Friday, so I don't want to put too much on here). He worked with the second practice group, getting to throw in front of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn for the first time. "It's nice to be back in the mix of things, because it's not any fun sitting around watching practice," Todd said. "I was really excited to do some stuff again and get back out there."

• Malzahn on the timetable for making a decision on a starting quarterback: "You know, somewhere down the line, as soon as we possibly can. After we get the message, the information we need, we'd like to narrow it down to two and then you'd like to have a guy as soon as possible. We're a timing offense, I've said that before, and as soon as we can identify a guy that can start working with receivers that are going to be on the field, the better we'll get."

• Malzahn said they'll go very slow for the freshman quarterbacks in the first week. "Of course the second week should separate people," he said.

• Freshman Robert Cooper, a multi-purpose player who also plays quarterback, will start at tight end this year. "Robert’s a big kid who’s a really good athlete and can do a lot of different things," Chizik said. "We certainly need help at that position. That’s where we felt like starting out would be the best thing. He’s a great kid. He’ll do anything to help the team, so it’s really kind of a great move."

• Taylor couldn't give any specific timetable for the return of WR Tim Hawthorne, who broke his foot this summer. "I’m going to leave that up to the doctors," he said.

• Freshman WR Travante Stallworth on the difference of a college practice: "Everybody's the same speed here. In high school, you have that one or two key players. You're the best on your team and you can fly by everybody. Now I'm in the SEC and everybody is battling for position. They're all fast."

• Freshman DE Nosa Eguae had similar thoughts: "It's full speed. In high school you can jog around some places, but everything on this level is full speed, so I've got to get better with that."
  

We in the media were fortunate enough to get a glimpse of about 15 minutes of practice this afternoon and we'll get another look for about 10 minutes at the end of practice.

In the meantime, here are some early observations:

• WR Philip Pierre-Louis was not on the roster supplied by Auburn sports information. There was a lot of speculation this summer about the receiver's status with the team. We hope to get more clarification on the subject (but we're not holding our breaths) from Gene Chizik after practice today. Pierre-Louis, as most know, tore his ACL on the first play of last season and missed the rest of the year.

• Also conspicuously absent from the roster: walk-on TB Justin Albert. Strange, since it seemed like Albert had solid spring.

• DL Cameron Henderson, whose roster status was scrutinized all summer, is on the roster but was not on the field when we were out there.

• QB Barrett Trotter (ACL) and WR Tim Hawthorne (broken foot) did not have helmets with them and were watching from the sidelines. S Mike McNeil was wearing his helmet but did not participate in any drills.

• It was an interesting separation of players today. It seemed like the veterans were on the main fields practicing, while the majority of newcomers were in the indoor facility working with strength coach Kevin Yoxall. There were some notable exceptions: WR DeAngelo Benton and Emory Blake, TE Philip Lutzenkirchen and DT Nick Fairley were on the field practicing with the vets. Want a good bet of which newcomers will play this year? Those four have the best odds.

• Chizik was dressed down from what we normally see him, wearing shorts on the practice field. He was very hands-on with his approach, going through a lengthy technique breakdown with members of the secondary at one point.

• The only two quarterbacks out there today were Neil Caudle and Kodi Burns. Don't know what this means, exactly. (Some might have summer school finals, for example.) We'll get another chance to go out there and see if anybody else is on the field.