The Auburn 3-2-1 Report: Spring Football Edition

A-Day is a memory, the spring practice period has ended and everyone’s attention already is moving toward what will be an eventful month of official visits beginning May 28th.

Football never slows down. It just hides behind closed doors sometimes.

In this 3-2-1 Report, I’ll offer three observations, two questions and a fearless prediction — all surrounding Auburn’s spring practice and what’s to come in the fall. I’m looking at Auburn football from 10,000 feet, as Gene Chizik might say, and trying to make sense out of some things that have confused me along the way.

So let’s get to it:

THREE OBSERVATIONS

1. Byrum Brown‘s A-Day was off-putting. He wasn’t terrible per se, going 7-of-14 for 85 yards and rushing for another 16 yards. He just didn’t throw the ball well. Even Alex Golesh said afterward that Brown “wasn’t seeing the field well,” which raised a few alarm bells. We know that a lot of Brown’s value centers on his running ability — much like Nick Marshall 13 years ago. He cannot prove that value in a scrimmage. You’ve got to get Seabiscuit to the track, right? So Golesh played it shrewdly and kept Brown in an orange (non-contact) jersey throughout the spring.

With that said, I expected more from Brown as a passer. It’s tempting to watch him play and nitpick little things like his release being sidearm-y, his passes always coming in hot, his ball positioning being hit or miss. Yet Golesh remains fully confident in his quarterback because he’s answered the bell every single time. Brown performs in games. He’s at his best on a game field with the outcome riding on his shoulders. He rises to the challenge.

Until Byrum starts facing Southeastern Conference opponents, we’ll just have to rely on Golesh’s judgment. Will his undeniable talent be enough to put Auburn ahead of the undeniably talented defenses it will face this fall? There is no answer — least not yet.

2. Golesh’s push for intentionality pleases me. A side effect of society being so online these days is that we’re losing (or have lost) some interpersonal skills. Golesh is aiming to change that. He actively encourages players to put the phones down and instead spend time with teammates in the real world.

He says that’s the only way to build real bonds. And he believes those bonds are the only way a team can overperform. If players truly trust the other guys around them, they’re more willing to push themselves even harder.

Golesh hopes these kinds of outings typify the Tigers’ summer.

“I know it sounds corny. I genuinely know it does, but that’s the stuff that brings the team together,” Golesh said. “That time outside of the building that they can come and grow together and continue to create a level of connection that’s really, really hard to replicate and really, really hard to happen unless it’s organic.”

3. Landing Myson Johnson-Cook is a big get. Signing Day remains many months away, sure, but Auburn landing the commitment of this powerful tailback is important. It’s been a little while since the Tigers suited up a 6-foot-2, 235-pound mauler in the backfield.

Also significant is the ambition Auburn showed in the lead-up to this commitment. Keep in mind that the program’s biggest foe here was Miami, which is flush with cash. It also played for the national championship in January. It also has a popular and persuasive head coach in Mario Cristobal.

Auburn dug deep in terms of financial investment and interpersonal relationships to land this commitment. Golesh’s Class of 2027 haul includes just five players right now, but Johnson-Cook gives it a big dose of cachet. And he’ll certainly be important if Jeremiah Cobb has the All-SEC season many expect this fall.

TWO QUESTIONS

1. Is Stanton Ramil actually part of the solution? Offensive line, and specifically tackle, has been a personnel bugaboo for years now. Xavier Chaplin was supposed to be The Solution last season — and he flopped. Golesh’s first choices at Auburn are Jo Simmons from JMU and Ramil, who began his college career at Michigan State.

Simmons drew positive reviews during spring drills and the general feeling is that he’ll be a solid choice at right tackle. The situation with Ramil is more vague. The Thompson High graduate participated sparingly during the spring due to a knee injury. Golesh said recently that Ramil will be “truly full-go when we start our summer program” in May. With that said, Ramil was limited to five games with the Spartans last season. Now he’s been here four months and still isn’t cleared for contact.

We really have no choice but to keep expectations for Ramil low at this point. He may play a major role. He may not play a major role. If Ramil isn’t ready, there are other options like TJ Hedrick and Jacob Strand available for consideration. Ramil is supposed to be the star performer, however.

2. Do we truly trust this offense? We already have some light reservations about Brown and stronger concerns about the situation at offensive tackle. The situation at wideout looks good. The situation at tailback looks good. I’d even say tight end will be decent.

On paper, no, there’s no compelling reason to fret over the Tigers’ attack.

Still, I’m ready to hear about a scrimmage where the offense pieces together a semi-dominant performance. I realize that DJ Durkin is a master at personnel assessments, roster development and motivation. Most of his squad returns — and they were quite good last season. The defense entered spring practice with a proverbial running start. The offense certainly did not.

The season is only four months away and there’s only one real month of practice ahead of that first game. Will Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon have the Tigers averaging better than 32 points per game? They trust Brown and the handful of USF guys who made the trip north from Tampa. Will that be enough? I really don’t know. We’ve all been promised offense for eight years now and, honestly, it’s been one big bait-and-switch since Kerryon Johnson’s shoulder injury.

ONE FEARLESS PREDICTION

Cody Sigler is going to be a sensation among Auburn folks this fall. He may lack elite quick-twitch ability, but he has an incredibly strong motor. He’s a tireless worker. The Arkansas State transfer will play often and will make second-effort plays that will endear him to the populace. Auburn people love high-effort linemen like Braden Smith, Marlon Davidson, Derrick Brown, Montravius Adams. Sigler is the next guy in line — and he’s a really good one.