AUBURN, Ala. – From providing a deep threat to running between the tackles to making plays on defense, Auburn true freshmen have been making their presence felt this fall.
An instant impact.
"We just came in here and got right to work," said receiver Anthony Schwartz, whose five touchdowns tie for the team lead with JaTarvious Whitlow. "We all prepare like starters. We do whatever the coaches want us to do and so we have a good role on the team."
Schwartz's role is multifaceted, with offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey utilizing Schwartz's world-class speed in the passing and running games. He's Auburn's fourth leading rusher, averaging 10.6 yards on 13 carries with three touchdown runs. Schwartz averages 21.8 yards on 12 receptions with a pair of touchdowns.
"I knew what I was getting myself into coming to Auburn, especially playing in the SEC West," Schwartz said. "The SEC West is very physical so I can't be scared going in there so I just go in, do my assignments, and do it full-speed at all times. It's been very fun, especially watching all of my teammates succeed. It's been very exciting to me."
Seth Williams (18) Photo: Cat Wofford/Auburn Athletics
Fellow receiver Seth Williams averages a team-leading 22.1 yards per catch, with two of his 14 catches resulting in touchdowns.
"If the ball comes my way, I expect to come down with it," said Williams, a big target at 6-3, 210 pounds. "That was my mindset coming in in college. I feel like if I can get on the field with whoever, I'm going to belong, because I feel like I belong on the field. That never was a question in my mind."
Williams enjoys the challenge of blocking for Schwartz on sweeps.
"He's the fastest person I've ever seen in my life," Williams said. "He's shifty. The speed sweep, that guy is going to move. He can get in the open space, he's going to be gone. I know if I can hold my block enough time for him to get downfield, nobody can catch him.
"Coach Burns did a good job teaching me the ways of blocking, so I've gotten better with it. I like playing with a fast player like that. Hold my blocks, just watch him run."
Shaun Shivers Photo by: Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics
Averaging 5.7 yards per carry, running back Shaun Shivers is Auburn's third leading rusher.
"On the practice field, everybody's getting better day by day," Shivers said. "This is going to be a good group. Everyone who came in as a freshman is pretty talented. We came here to bring an impact to the program."
In his sixth season as head coach and ninth season at Auburn, Gus Malzahn says the freshman Class of '18 contains the largest number of impact newcomers in his time on the Plains.
"They're not just playing, they're starting to make plays on a consistent basis," Malzahn said. "That's real encouraging, and a lot of them aren't playing like freshmen anymore. We do have a bunch of them out there."
On defense, safeties Smoke Monday and Jamien Sherwood and defensive back Christian Tutt played a key role in Auburn's 31-16 win at Ole Miss, helping contain a high-powered passing game.
"It was very fun, getting out there and competing with some top guys, going into the Draft," Tutt said. "We're just looking forward to all the great competition coming forward."
Auburn's freshmen credit their seasoned teammates for displaying the standard that's expected.
"Those guys inspire me to be the best I can be every day, help me anytime I can," said Sherwood, who had a sack against Ole Miss.
Veteran safeties Daniel Thomas and Jeremiah Dinson offered advice to their young protégés.
"'Focus, make your call and play. If you do something wrong, go to the next play,'" said Monday, relaying the vets' message. "'Just keep playing hard. No matter what happens.'"
After such an impressive opening act, what might Auburn's new Tigers have in store for an encore? Stay tuned, says the speedster known as "Flash."
"We're only going to get better from there," Schwartz said. "It's not like we're 100 percent as much as we can do. We're still going to get a lot better. As our role expands, too, you're going to see a lot of it."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer