March 30, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- The goal for the Auburn defense this spring has been simple. Competition at every spot. Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said Thursday that he wants more than one guy competing at all 11 spots. It holds everybody accountable and responsible.
That's been a little more difficult for the offense where injuries have taken their toll.
Wide receivers Eli Stove and Will Hastings both suffered ACL injuries that will keep them out for an extended period of time. Offensive lineman Nick Brahms will also miss time with a leg injury. And that doesn't even include starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who is still recovering from offseason surgery on his shoulder and has been limited through spring.
However, the season is still five months away, and head coach Gus Malzahn has yet to rule any player out. He said last week that he expects Stove to rejoin the team during the season.
As for the spring, the injuries have created opportunities for some of the younger players, which has helped accelerate their development.
"The one thing we kind of look at it is it gives us an opportunity for us to really evaluate some other guys that maybe weren't getting reps," Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. "At quarterback, Jarrett being limited now has created a lot of opportunities for Joey Gatewood. Which, how much would he get if Jarrett and Malik (Willis) both were going? I don't know. But it's been really good for Joey.
"At wideout, I think you've got to turn it into a positive and let those guys that are getting some reps now get some work and evaluate them. Then you kind of know. One thing we do know is some of the guys we're missing, they've played some for us. You kind of have an idea of what they can do."
The new guy in the wide receiver room this spring is Shedrick Jackson, an early enrollee who arrived in January. The freshman has turned heads this spring, earning praise from Lindsey who said he's been making progress and doing a great job competing thus far.
Jackson was one of our four wide receivers to sign in Auburn's 2018 recruiting class. The others -- Matthew Hill, Anthony Schwartz and Seth Williams -- are expected to join the team this summer, and with the injuries to Stove and Hastings, all four freshmen now have a possibility of contributing early this coming season.
"You sign guys these days, and you anticipate they'll get an opportunity to play early," Lindsey said. "A lot of them want that anyway. Obviously, sometimes the situation creates more opportunity than you anticipated maybe. That's going to create some opportunities for those guys and also for some guys that are here right now that maybe weren't getting as many reps.
"We're going to turn it into a positive and get some guys some reps and see who can play."
Another possible option is sophomore Noah Igbinoghene. He moved from wide receiver to cornerback at the beginning of spring, but according to Lindsey, he's been going back and forth between the two this week. That was meant to be the plan all along, regardless of injuries.
"I think Noah's approach is kind of like mine -- whatever's best for our football team," Lindsey said. "I know we lost a really good corner last year, and he's done well over there for sure. We'll see how it turns out."
The Tigers will scrimmage again Saturday as they continue to push toward A-Day on April 7.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf