Freshmen to be key contributors...

[Ogre]

AU freshmen to be key contributors
By ANDREW GRIBBLE

The high, nearly dream-like hopes that are customary on National Signing Day morphed into cautious optimism when Auburn’s consensus top-five freshman class arrived almost completely in tact and as big as advertised.

Through 10 days of practice, Gene Chizik won’t put an exact number on how many he expects to make immediate and important contributions, but he’s had a tough time downplaying the hype.

“I can’t tell if I’m just really ready for them to contribute, or they’re really ready,” Chizik said. “I don’t know. But seemingly there’s quite a few that are going to contribute ... There are quite a few of them that if you asked me at this point in time ‘Am I counting on them helping us?’

“My answer is yes.”

With the exception of offensive line — an area of the field where redshirting, not immediate contributions, is considered ideal — Auburn has freshmen everywhere who have received endless praise from their position coaches. Considered better on paper than Auburn’s previous signing classes when it pertains to basic strength and ability, members of the 2010 class are fitting in places where holdovers from Tommy Tuberville’s signing classes could not during Chizik’s first season.

“When you recruit, being specific obviously helps,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said.

“The main thing is are they mentally ready for the moment?’”

After two scrimmages under the lights, but not in front of the 87,000 fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the answer, as Chizik said, appears to be a resounding yes.

Both of Auburn’s starting wide receivers, Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery, are upperclassmen. The players giving them the most heat to maintain their status as starters are freshmen. Trovon Reed, Antonio Goodwin and Shaun Kitchens have all been singled out for their stellar play in the first two scrimmages.

Goodwin caught two touchdowns Wednesday and caught another deep pass Saturday, wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. Kitchens snagged two passes Saturday and caught many more Wednesday, as he uses his big body to his advantage at the “5” wide receiver slot. Reed, who has been plowing through a nagging knee injury, was the name on everyone’s lips at the start of camp. He re-emerged as the star Saturday, wowing his teammates as he caught passes, ran reverses, fielded punts and took over the reins as the Wildcat trigger-man.

“The kid’s explosive,” Taylor said. “He can make some plays.”

Tailback Michael Dyer was the first consensus five-star to commit to Auburn last year and has continued to impress as a potential threat to steal carries from senior Mario Fannin.

Built with the compact sturdiness of a bowling ball, Dyer was recruited specifically as a perfect fit for Malzahn’s offense, which has a history of making stars out of more than one running back per season.

On Saturday, Malzahn talked about Dyer as if he’d been at Auburn for years, focusing less on his potential and more on the “What is he doing for me now?” aspects of his game.

“The main thing,” Malzahn said, “is that he held on to the football.”

Defensive end Corey Lemonier has been the hot new name on defense over the past week, receiving plenty of praise from defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and Chizik, the latter of whom said Lemonier would “push someone for a position.” At defensive tackle, Rocker has repeatedly singled out freshmen Kenneth Carter and Jeffrey Whitaker as players who have caught his eye through the early goings-on.

“The game is getting slower,” Whitaker said. “I think it’s very valuable for me to get out there and for the other young guys to get out there.”

Defensive end Craig Sanders, a freshman who has been on campus since the spring, is also a threat to take some snaps away from Auburn’s entrenched upperclassmen. Though he won’t be doing it at the expense of someone who will completely miss out on the action.

“I don’t see nobody around here not playing,” Rocker said. “I think everyone is going to have a role to do something on this team. We’re going to need everybody.“

The depth problems felt by Auburn’s linebackers in 2009 were well-documented, as Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens both played every meaningful snap. Freshmen such as LaDarius Owens, Jake Holland and Jessel Curry have been the constant recipients of praise from Chizik, who has made it no secret that Auburn will play more than three linebackers in a given game this season.

“It’s been good watching these guys step up,” Chizik said.

The tenuous status of senior safeties Zac Etheridge — who has yet to face contact — and Aairon Savage makes it all the more important that freshmen Demetruce McNeal and Ryan Smith are ready in a pinch. Both players were singled out Wednesday by Chizik and upperclassmen as two of the first scrimmage’s top performers.

“They were just back there hustling all day,” Stevens said. “That’s what it’s going to take to give us some depth on the defense.”

Even senior punter Ryan Shoemaker has been forced to sweat it out. Freshman Steven Clark has the body of an NFL punter, special teams coordinator Jay Boulware said, and Chizik called the battle a “great competition.”

“They all want to contribute, which is a good thing,” Chizik said. “And a lot of them are going to have to.”

[Tiger Wench]

“The main thing,” Malzahn said, “is that he held on to the football.”

Oh.... oh...  mmmmmm.... oh.... yes... yes...

[Snaggletiger]

This type stuff makes me quiver like a 14 year old school girl sitting in Sani's...wait.  Anyway, what gets me hyped up is looking at what happened across the State.  It's right in our back yard so the goings ons at Bama are publicized daily.  I look at how quickly a very average program was transformed into a national contender with just a couple of recruiting classes.  Guys like Ingram and Who-Lee-Oh and Barron etc. stepped in right away and put them on the map.  All of a sudden, it looks like this top 5 class is going to make an instant impact at every single position on the field except O-line, which is loaded.  Our QB is from this class.  A 5* RB will get in the rotation.  Several WR's are pushing for time.

Seeing the names of Carter, Whittaker, Holland, Curry and Owens are the ones that get me pumped the most.  THAT is where we need immediate help more than anywhere else. Inside D-linemen and linebacker.  Our DE's are set and Lemonemonier-ier and Sanders will make them 3 deep.   

[Godfather]

Why do you hate the front page?

[Snaggletiger]

Why do you hate the front page?

There's a front page?

[Saniflush]

There's a front page?

There used to be one but the link I used to get there went away.

[JR4AU]

There used to be one but the link I used to get there went away.

yep...it's still there, you just have to work to get to it.

[Godfather]

There used to be one but the link I used to get there went away.

That's funny, I see it up there, right next to help.

[JR4AU]

That's funny, I see it up there, right next to help.

If you're referring to "home" it takes me to the forums, not the front page.

[AWK]

If you're referring to "home" it takes me to the forums, not the front page.

Pwned.

[JR4AU]

Pwned.

 

[GH2001]

Enough of the "ambulance chaser on ambulance chaser" violence. We've got to stop this guys..... 

[Saniflush]

That's funny, I see it up there, right next to help.

Damn.  I can't even get my jab in before everyone else goes to beating on you.

[Snaggletiger]

Damn.  I can't even get my jab in before everyone else goes to beating on you.

Go to the back.  Aaaaalways one, isn't there?

[Godfather]

If you're referring to "home" it takes me to the forums, not the front page.

[Tiger Six]

Mine doesn't have that.

Suck it, Trebek.

[Saniflush]

Yeah you must have had another brain fart cause ours don't look like that. 
 

[Godfather]

Yeah you must have had another brain fart cause ours don't look like that. 
 

odd

[CCTAU]

Reed, who has been plowing through a nagging knee injury, was the name on everyone’s lips at the start of camp. He re-emerged as the star Saturday, wowing his teammates as he caught passes, ran reverses, fielded punts and took over the reins as the Wildcat trigger-man.

Thank God. No more Kodi.

[JR4AU]

Hmmmm