Auburn kicked off its spring practice on March 1 and it couldn’t have come sooner. The Tigers had arguably the most disappointing season of any team in college football.
Instead of the preseason expectations of winning the SEC Championship and contending for a College Football Playoff spot, Auburn finished last in the SEC West with a 7-6 (2-6 SEC) record.
Now, the Tigers look to bounce back from a nightmare season by addressing several areas of concern early. Here’s a look at what to watch for in Auburn’s spring practices.
Is Malzahn on the hot seat?
Gus Malzahn gained national attention as Auburn’s offensive coordinator during its BCS Championship season in 2010. Malzahn’s offense flourished with Heisman winner Cam Newton at the helm and he dominated the recruiting trail, which played to his benefit when he returned to Auburn as head coach in 2013.
The Tigers made a BCS Championship appearance during Malzahn’s return but have since won fewer games that the previous year in back-to-back seasons. There’s no denying that Malzahn’s job security has decreased coming off a disappointing 2015 campaign and he will need to have a strong start in 2016 to keep fan support on his side.
Replacing Will Muschamp with Kevin Steele
The Will Muschamp experiment was a failure at Auburn. Muschamp was hired to be the Tigers’ defensive coordinator in December less than a month after being fired as Florida’s head coach. Despite the disappointing tenure in Gainesville, Muschamp still had a reputation as one of college football’s best defensive minds with his teams ranking in the top 10 for total defense nationally since 2009.
But that streak ended in 2015 as Auburn ranked 13th in the SEC. Ironically, South Carolina — the only SEC team to rank lower — hired Muschamp as its head coach this offseason despite a failed stint at Florida and having come off his worst season as a coordinator of his entire career.
Auburn hopes its fortune will be better with former LSU defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Kevin Steele, who joined its staff in December. Steele has experience as a staff member for multiple SEC teams — including Tennessee and rival Alabama — and helped LSU rank fifth in total defense and third in rushing defense among SEC teams.
Will Jeremy Johnson be the starting QB?
(Photo by Scott Donaldson/Icon Sportswire)
Jeremy Johnson may have faced the loftiest of preseason expectations for a new starter in college football history. Not only was he a considered a Heisman hopeful but he was compared to Auburn’s last winner and eventual NFL MVP, Cam Newton, based on his similar frame and dual-threat ability.
But Johnson was, aside from Muschamp, one of the biggest busts for Auburn in 2015. He lost the starting job to freshman Sean White just before the Tigers’ fourth game then reclaimed it toward the end of the season. Sure, Johnson improved during his second stint as the team’s starting quarterback but it wasn’t enough to erase the memory of his early season struggles.
Johnson should be the favorite to start in Auburn’s Week 1 matchup against Clemson and could rebound from last season’s woes with a great senior campaign. But he needs to have a strong showing in spring practice to take momentum into the 2016 season.
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