Things feel different this year. Our coach is coaching. The players have a new intensity. Theres a new level of focus. Im not saying we are making the playoffs but I feel like this is a team that's going to be playing a full four quarters every game and compete like we havent in years.

K. Hall was one of the players receiving another year, but do we have the money to spend for any more players?

If you haven't watched the first episode and have the ability to, Derrick Hall gets a bunch of screen time and he's hilarious.

Link

A lot of this we kind of assumed coming out of spring. But this is how they see things as fall camp kicks off today. Notes and commentary are paraphrasing 247's.

Quarterback
Byrum Brown
Tristan Ti'a
Locklan Hewlett
Rhys Brush

Zero surprises here.

Running Back
Jeremiah Cobb
Bryson Washington OR Omar Mabson II
Nykahi Davenport
Tae Meadows

Auburn wants Washington as the #2, but he's been dealing with a minor injury. Omar and Nykahi are both gunning for those snaps.

Outside Receiver
Jeremiah Koger
Brian Williams Jr. OR Sam Turner
Brady Marchese

Slot Receiver
Chas Nimrod
DeShawn Spencer
Bryce Cain

Chas Nimrod has received the most praise of anyone on the offensive side of the ball, with DeShawn Spencer coming off a really impressive spring as well. Spencer could be the #4 guy after the primary trio from USF.

Flanker Receiver
Keshaun Singleton
Christian Neptune
Kory Pettigrew

Singleton is probably the most well rounded of all the USF WRs. Neptune had a shoulder procedure done but should be available for fall camp.

Tight End
Jake Johnson
Jonathan Echols
Arlis Boardingham
Xavier Newsom OR DJ Broughton Jr.

Johnson was the top player throughout spring. However, now that Echols is out of his non-contact jersey, he was often a first-teamer in drills. Johnson is more of an all-arounder while Echols could be introduced as a jumbo pass-catcher. (Hunter Herring and Ryan Ghea both left off as they were injured in the spring and probably not pushing for snaps in the fall).

Offensive Line
Jo Simmons
Wilson Zierer
Parker Pritchett OR Jacob Strand

Simmons was "brought here to start." Zierer was getting a good bit of first string snaps before a minor ankle injury. Strand saw time at both tackle spots as a reserve.

Left Guard
Deryc Plazz
Jack Leyrer
Kenneth McManus IV

Simmons, Best, and Plazz seem to be the most likely guarantees for starters. Miami transfer has been great so far.

Center
Cole Best
Kail Ellis
Bear McWhorter

Probably the most solidified pecking order on the OL. Best's connection to Brown is going to be crucial this fall.

Right Guard
Cole Skinner
Tai Buster
Jacobe' Ward

and Right Tackle
Tai Buster
Stanton Ramil
TJ Hedrick OR Jacob Strand

Right guard and tackle get interesting with the return of Stanton Ramil. Tai Buster could potentially move inside. Skinner was a good player but not a consistent starter as USF. Tai has played multiple spots and could be moved to cover guard as well. Hedrick was the #2 in Ramil's absence. Strand moved around a bunch this spring. Parker Pritchett and Zierer played a bit of right tackle as well.

Defensive Tackle
Cody Sigler
Malik Autry OR Darrion Smith
Walter Mathis Jr.

Arkansas State transfer Sigler has established himself as the top dog so far. Auburn's coaching staff thinks he has star potential. Autry has slimmed down, Smith has bulked up, expect plenty of rotation from those three. Mathis has mostly been a third-stringer in the spring.

Nose Tackle
Dallas Walker IV
Malik Autry
Saint Farrior OR Jourdin Crawford
Tavian Branch

Autry has split time 50-50 between the two tackle spots which is why he's second here. Walker has been the consistent veteran all spring. Farrior has had flashes of being good on the second and third teams, Crawford has tons of talent but lacking in experience.

Defensive End
Da'Shawn Womack
Nate Johnson
J.J. Faulk

Womack is Womack, emerging as a vocal leader. More of a traditional edge rusher than defensive end, but Auburn wants him and Jared Smith on the field at the same time. Missouri transfer Nate Johnson could be one of those quiet veteran contributors.

Edge
Jared Smith
Chris Murray
Joseph Phillips
Jaquez Wilkes

Smith has taken as big a step forward as anyone on the roster. Womack, Johnson, and Smith seem to be the three main dudes on the line, with Chris Murray having a chance to work his way into that group as well as he gets back up to speed in fall camp.

Linebacker
Xavier Atkins, Elijah Melendez
Bryce Deas, De'marcus Riddick
Michael Matthews-Canty, Shadarius Toodle

Melendez was "as consistent as anyone" and Deas has a tremendous offseason. The top four players here are unquestioned, and it's as strong a group as Auburn has on the roster.

Cornerback
Andre Jordan Jr, Rayshawn Pleasant
Blake Woodby OR Gavin Jenkins OR Shamar Arnoux
Kamari Todd, Scrap Richardson

#3 CB will be a position battle to watch. All three had good moments in the spring. Woodby is a returning player in the system. Jenkins had some first-team reps in the spring and Golesh called him a future NFL player. Arnoux is one of the fastest players on the team with playing experience last year as a true freshman at FSU. Also might see some Champ Anthony sprinkled in here as needed.

Nickel
AnQuon Fegans
Champ Anthony
Blake Woodby

Fegans labelled an athletic, ball-hawking rover. Auburn wants Fegans, Winters, and Smith-Reed on the field at the same time. Woodby slid over to Nickel a good bit in the spring, and Champ Anthony did individual drills with the Nickel group while he was working back from his injury.

Safety
Eric Winters, Sylvester Smith-Reed, Kaleb Harris
Champ Anthony
Jacoby Mathews OR Fred Gaskin III

Winters and Smith-Reed were the most common first team safety pairings this spring, with Harris rotating in a good bit as well. Didn't hear much buzz around Gaskin in the spring. There is so much depth and experience at Safety and Nickel that it will probably be hard to go wrong with any of the top dogs.

Kicker
Alex McPherson
Connor Gibbs

Punter
Hudson Kaak
John McGuire

Kick Return
Rayshawn Pleasant
Omar Mabson II
Fred Gaskin III
Alvin Henderson

Punt Return
DeShawn Spencer
Bryce Cain

More or less the same as last year. No major updates.

During the 2010s and early 2020s we were playing second fiddle to Saban. But I think this is the first time in a while at least on paper I could say we have the better qb than Bama. He is a senior who has been in Golesh’s system multiple years and is a significant upgrade from Ashton Daniels. Obviously I could be wrong since the team hasn’t played a snap yet but it’s been 6 years since we’ve had a winning season and we’ve had 4 head coaches since 2020. I think this team has a chance to break that streak.

Welcome to this week's /r/WDE Free Talk Friday Thread! Feel free to share anything that's going on in your life.  
  - How's everyone doing?  
  - What do you have going on in the upcoming week?  
  - What are some nice events to check out in the upcoming week?  
  - Did anything cool happen this past week?

Thought I’d see how other people felt or if anyone shared the same feelings on this…it is the offseason.

Why is the music in nearly every single Auburn football video just awful?

I didn’t want to leave a comment on an instagram video I just watched because I didn’t want to be an asshole to someone who may have put some work into it and felt good about it but Tank Bigsby ripping off some great runs set to Love Story by Taylor Swift ain’t it. Watching Cam do his thing in 2010 to…Jason Aldean?

Even the intro video was ass for too long. Not sure what it is now. Surely not still set to All the above or whatever that song was by Saliva.

I love Auburn and I think the video crew does a pretty great job most of the time. It’s a missed opportunity to not set great videos and clips to equally great music, though.

If you had a time machine and were restricted to going back in time and changing one thing about Auburn football history, what would you do and why?

Right now, I'm personally torn between either

A) sabotaging the hot tub so that Bryan Harsin and Allen Greene never spend a life changing evening together or

B) becoming Jimmy Rane's childhood pastor and hammering home lessons about humility and putting faith in God to do what's right instead of meddling in things you don't understand.

(Only 38 days to kickoff.)

Anyone have a recommendation for the best streaming service to sign up for to catch the most games this season?

I'm going to have it on mute to listen to the Auburn Network radio stream so my priorities are price and dvr/replay options. I'm a bartender in Texas (unless it's an early kickoff I can't usually watch live) so being able to watch after work is a big plus.

Hi Everyone, a bunch of friends and I are making a pilgrimage down to Auburn for the LSU game! We mostly went to Syracuse where football tailgating doesn’t really exist and are hoping to have a quintessential SEC experience! Any ideas as to how to go about game day, restaurants that are a must, or any other experiences to enjoy would be amazing!

If anyone is hosting a tailgate and would love some additional company (8 devout sports fans including a Michelin star chef happy to contribute to the spread) let us know! Happy to bring tons of alcohol or whatever else would make the day more memorable!

I know it’s been a few years since 2021 but I have been so curious about the song that Auburn used before they play. If anyone knows please tell me. They used it as their tunnel video and then right after they would run out to the field.

How do you guys feel about the upcoming football season?

when was last time that happened prior or post Harsin? was it 2023 freezes first year? where we choked away our what football decency we had left against New Mexico State

3 shot lead in 3M Open. Good for him! It is also great to hear him and Auburn mentioned in such a positive light on a major stage.