Auburn Releases First Depth Chart

Here it is. Gus Malzahn and the Auburn football team have released the season’s first official depth chart as we inch closer and closer to kickoff against Georgia Southern on Saturday.

That picture might be a tad small, so we’ll go ahead and write it out for you.

On offense...

QUARTERBACK

1. Jarrett Stidham
2. Sean White

RUNNING BACK

1. Kam Pettway OR Kerryon Johnson

H-BACK

1. Chandler Cox
2. Spencer Nigh OR Keenan Sweeney

TIGHT END

1. Jalen Harris
2. Tucker Brown

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Darius Slayton OR Kyle Davis

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Nate Craig-Myers
2. Sal Cannella OR Marquis McClain

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Eli Stove
2. Noah Igbinoghene

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Ryan Davis OR Will Hastings

LEFT TACKLE

1. Prince Tega Wanogho
2. Bailey Sharp

LEFT GUARD

1. Mike Horton
2. Marquell Harrell

CENTER

1. Austin Golson
2. Casey Dunn

RIGHT GUARD

1. Braden Smith
2. Wilson Bell

RIGHT TACKLE

1. Darius James
2. Calvin Ashley

Looking at what we’ve got here, it’s pretty clear that there’s a ton of depth all around the offense. None of our starting wideouts are seniors, so that should be a position of strength for a couple of years to come, and the offensive line should be able to handle just about anything that comes its way in terms of injuries or a need to reshuffle. No surprises, obviously at the QB/RB positions, but with the number of times we see “OR” in the receiver listings, I think there are going to be a ton of different guys catching passes this season.

Let’s flip it around. Defense...

BUCK

1. Jeff Holland
2. Paul James III OR T.D. Moultry

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. Dontavius Russell
2. Byron Cowart OR Tyrone Truesdell

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. Derrick Brown
2. Andrew Williams

DEFENSIVE END

1. Marlon Davidson
2. Big Kat Bryant

STRONGSIDE LINEBACKER

1. Darrell Williams
2. Richard McBryde

MIDDLE LINEBACKER

1. Deshaun Davis
2. KJ Britt OR Chandler Wooten

WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER

1. Tre’ Williams
2. Montavious Atkinson

CORNERBACK

1. Javaris Davis OR Jamel Dean
2. John Broussard, Jr.

FREE SAFETY

1. Tray Matthews
2. Nick Ruffin OR Jeremiah Dinson

STRONG SAFETY

1. Stephen Roberts
2. Daniel Thomas OR Jason Smith

CORNERBACK

1. Carlton Davis
2. Traivon Leonard

On defense, the starters could combine to form one of the best units in the league. They did last year, and there are a ton of guys back. You’ve got to love our linebackers and even the secondary looks pretty deep despite the worries leading into fall camp. The 7th-best scoring defense in the country last year might just be better this season.

On to special teams...

PLACEKICKER

1. Daniel Carlson
2. Anders Carlson OR Sage Ledbetter

PUNTER

1. Ian Shannon
2. Aidan Marshall OR Tyler Stovall

HOLDER

1. Tyler Stovall

LONG SNAPPER

1. Ike Powell
2. Bill Taylor

PUNT RETURNER

1. Stephen Roberts
2. Ryan Davis

KICK RETURNER

1. Kerryon Johnson AND Javaris Davis
2. Devan Barrett AND Noah Igbinoghene

First of all, Long Snapper U is going to produce another NFL prospect out of that position, but I am worried about our depth at holder.

In all seriousness, the only real surprise here is Javaris Davis at returner, since we haven’t seen that much. Gus says he might be the fastest guy on the team, and as long as he can hold onto the ball, I say let him go. Check out the two true freshmen on deck for kickoff returner, though. They must be nice and fast as well.