Defending national champion Auburn kicks off spring practice on Wednesday, but the Tigers will be missing many of their biggest stars from last season — most notably Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton and All-American defensive tackle Nick Fairley — and will be replacing more starters than any other team in the country.
Let’s take a look at some of the key storylines for the Tigers as they begin early preparations for the 2011 campaign.
Auburn (14-0, 8-0 SEC)
Roster attrition
ICONGene Chizik is looking for new stars to emerge at Auburn.
Not only is Auburn dealing with the loss of many of its stars to graduation and the NFL — Newton, Fairley, receiver Darvin Adams, offensive tackle Lee Ziemba, etc. — but the arrests and dismissals of safety Mike McNeil, wide receiver Antonio Goodwin, receiver/H-back Shaun Kitchens and offensive lineman Dakota Mosley further depleted the team’s depth. And if that wasn’t enough, the team handed out an updated roster with three scholarship players missing: wide receiver Philip Pierre-Louis, offensive lineman Andre Harris and tight end Robert Cooper.
In total, 35 scholarship players are missing from the roster that won the national championship in January.
Of course, the Tigers signed a top-five Class of 2011 featuring 24 recruits, and they’ll get back two offensive linemen — Florida State transfer Aubrey Phillips, who was shelved for two years with a medical condition, as well as 2010 signee Shon Coleman, who continues to recover from leukemia. But the Tigers will enter the fall below the 85-scholarship limit, so the team’s depth will be something to keep an eye on in spring and fall camps.
Will these new faces emerge?
The Tigers return only four defensive starters from last season, so coordinator Ted Roof will be seeking out a new wave of impact defenders. Here are some names to keep an eye on:
Jonathan Rose: Two of the returning defensive starters reside in the secondary, but Rose could still make an impact at cornerback after enrolling in January. If Neiko Thorpe moves to safety, Rose could see the field immediately.
Jonathan Mincy: Mincy made an impression last fall but fell off the map and never contributed as he ultimately redshirted. Now the defensive back has as good an opportunity as anybody to seize the moment and move up the depth chart.
LaDarius Owens: Owens was one of the highly rated linebackers from the 2010 class but he redshirted because of the Tigers' veteran corps. He could be ready to contribute at a position that needs two new starters. Also keep an eye on Jawara White, who also redshirted last season.
Meanwhile, these two Tigers have a chance to flourish in Gus Malzahn's offense.
Reese Dismukes: The Tigers need help on the offensive line after losing four starters. Dismukes was arguably the best center prospect in the nation, and he could be in line to replace Ryan Pugh.
Trovon Reed: The redshirt freshman Reed is healthy after dealing with knee problems and could become one of the team’s go-to receivers along with Emory Blake. He also could be used as a Wildcat quarterback, something that was discussed before Newton showed that he could be a one-man show under center.
The running backs will carry the load
ICONMike Dyer rushed for 1,093 yards despite playing hurt for a good portion of last season.
With Newton gone and the Tigers breaking in a new quarterback, expect Malzahn to rely on his talented running backs. Auburn led the SEC in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and yards per carry last season. And while Newton accounted for a good portion of those totals, Mike Dyer averaged six yards per carry on his way toward 1,093 yards and Onterio McCalebb averaged an incredible 8.5 yards per rush. Dyer played through injury and still managed to show that he can be an effective lead back against tough SEC defenses. Meanwhile, McCalebb can be used in a variety of ways to take advantage of his game-breaking ability. He has reportedly run the 40-yard dash in the 4.3-second range, so few defenders can catch up to him when he breaks free for a big gain.
Who’s the next Newton?
Well, no one can replicate what Newton did last year, but whoever ends up under center will benefit from working with Malzahn, who will tailor the game plan around the strengths of each respected signal caller.
As of now, Barrett Trotter is the leading candidate to replace Newton. Keep in mind that the Auburn staff was content with Trotter as the future QB even before Newton arrived. Remember, Chizik and Co. discovered Newton while watching film of one of his teammates. Trotter was impressive in very limited reserve duty last year while working with reserves, completing 6 of 9 passes for 64 yards and rushing for 68 yards on five carries.
Clint Moseley is the only other quarterback on scholarship in camp, but he seems to be holding a spot for big-time recruit Kiehl Frazier, who will arrive on campus this summer. Moseley isn’t the best of runners, as he’s more of a dropback passer. But he will get plenty of reps this spring to showcase his throwing arm.
Frazier is touted as the next big star at Auburn, but it’s hard to envision him winning the job out of fall camp because he didn’t enroll early. However, he could easily see the field at some point. In addition, expect the Tigers to use the Wildcat formation to their advantage with their multiple hybrid players.
Malzahn has said the coaching staff would like to see either Trotter or Moseley assume the top spot on the depth chart after the 15 spring sessions. No matter who ultimately ends up as the starter, it will be Malzahn's sixth different starting quarterback in his six years as a college coach.
Note: Auburn will play its annual spring game on April 16.
Email dave.miller@nationalfootballpost.com or follow me on Twitter at Miller_Dave