Freshmen flash: Auburn's Spencer, Zierer make early impact

AUBURN, Ala. – Standing out ever since his arrival at Auburn in January, freshman receiver DeShawn Spencer has continued his upward trajectory, scoring two touchdowns in first three college football games.

“What’s been working for me is detailing out my process,” said Spencer, a 5-foot-11, 175-pounder from Saraland High School north of Mobile. “You’ve got to put in those extra hours of work, push yourself, strain and as we say here, finish. Adding those extra details and having an elite process, that’s what helped me.”

Spencer scored his first Auburn touchdown in the Tigers’ 43-8 victory Sept. 12 over Southern Miss.

“It was phenomenal, I really couldn’t believe it. Catching the ball, seeing all those fans cheering,” said Spencer of his 8-yard scoring reception. “It was a great moment, a wholesome moment and a moment that I’m going to cherish forever.”

For an encore, Spencer made a 10-yard touchdown catch in his SEC debut last week against Florida.

“My team needed a big play, and I got the opportunity to get my number called,” he said. “I was thinking, get in the end zone, catch a ball, let’s go try to finish this game.”

No stranger to the end zone, Spencer scored 25 touchdowns last season at Saraland, including 20 TD receptions. That was high school, this is the SEC.

“I’m really proud of myself,” he said. “It took a lot to get here. A lot of long hours of work. I’m proud to see how much I’ve developed and grown. The sky’s the limit. I’m ready to see how much more I develop and get better.

“A lot of those guys are much bigger than me, but that’s something that’s been going on since high school. You’ve still got to make plays and do your job to your best capability.”

Easing Spencer’s transition, his seasoned teammates are eager to share tips.

“One thousand percent,” Spencer said. “Chas (Nimrod), Ke(shaun Singleton), all of those veterans who have been in the system and understand how the offense goes. I look at how serious they are about their business, it motivates me to want to get my process to where theirs is. Having those two guys in this room has truly helped me a lot.”

“He keeps coming up with play after play after play,” head coach Alex Golesh said. “He doesn’t get rattled by anything. He’s dynamic, he’s smart, he’s strong. He doesn’t look like a big dude, but he plays like a big kid. Really excited to see his role continue to grow here.”

It’s one thing for a freshman to flash at a skill position, quite another for a newcomer to emerge on the offensive line, traditionally more of a developmental position.

Wilson Zierer bucked that trend, earning a start at left guard in his third game on the Plains.

“It’s really exciting, it’s what I dreamed of,” said Zierer, a 6-foot-6, 315-pounder whose older brother, Killian, played offensive line for Auburn in 2021-22. “Seeing my brother play in this stadium in front of all those fans, it’s something I’ve really wanted to do and something I’ve worked towards. I’ve been really lucky in this position to achieve all that.”

“To play O-line in this league as a freshman says a lot about him,” Golesh said. “We’ve seen growth week to week with him. He’s highly intelligent, he’s really tough, he’s athletically gifted. He looks like one of the guys. Now, he’s got to continue to grow, and this defense presents a huge challenge this week.”

After playing in Auburn’s first two games, Zierer joined the starting lineup last week in Auburn’s SEC opener.

“Really exciting, trying to do my best, do the right things and play the best I can,” he said. “There are a lot of things I need to work on. I’m a freshman. I have things to clean up, from assignments to technique. It’s something that’s going to come with time. The more I put in my process, the better it’s going to get.”

A soccer player growing up in Munich, Germany, Zierer credits his multisport background that includes track and field with helping him excel in football.

“It helps you because your feet are used to running more,” Zierer said. “It helps you in general with being better in other sports.”

Wilson eagerly takes advice from Killian, who’s in his fourth season on NFL practice squads, currently with Jacksonville.

“He told me that it’s going to be painful at times,” Wilson Zierer said. “That it’s going to be a lot, especially as an international student, but it’s also going to be so much fun being out there Saturday with your brothers, trying to execute and trying to make the other people quit.”

Like Spencer, Zierer also looks to his older O-line teammates to tutor him.

“He really prides himself on his IQ and knowing what he’s doing,” graduate center Cole Best said. “He’s going to be a really important player for us, for this unit and for this university for years to come.”

On Homecoming this Saturday, the rising rookies will take the next step on their Auburn football journeys when the Tigers host Vanderbilt in front of 88,043 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“Sitting in the Allianz Arena where Bayern Munich plays, and it’s 75,000 in there,” Zierer said. “Growing up, you want to play soccer. Being able to play American football in the U.S in a college stadium in front of so many people, for me it’s a dream come true.”

“It’s crazy,” Spencer said. “As a kid, you used to dream about things like this. To actually live out this dream, I can’t do anything but thank God. I’m so grateful for God having me here and keeping me along this path that I’ve dreamed for since I was a kid. It’s a great feeling.”