Auburn vs. Washington State: Tigers' depth chart against the Cougars

Gus Malzahn released his first official depth chart of the season Wednesday, four days before the Tigers' opener against Washington State. We posted our projections Monday, so let's see how accurate those picks were. Our reaction is below the list.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

Nick Marshall
Jonathan Wallace
Jeremy Johnson

Running back

Tre Mason
Cameron Artis-Payne

H-back

Jay Prosch
Gage Batten

Tight end

Brandon Fulse OR
C.J. Uzomah

Wide receiver

Sammie Coates OR
C.J. Uzomah

Wide receiver

Jaylon Denson
Brandon Fulse

Wide receiver

Quan Bray
Trovon Reed

Wide receiver

Ricardo Louis
Marcus Davis

Left tackle

Greg Robinson
Shon Coleman

Left guard

Alex Kozan
Devonte Danzey

Center

Reese Dismukes
Tunde Fariyike

Right guard

Chad Slade
Jordan Diamond

Right tackle

Patrick Miller
Avery Young

DEFENSE

End

Craig Sanders
Nosa Eguae
Elijah Daniel

Tackle

Angelo Blackson
Montravius Adams
JaBrian Niles

Tackle

Jeff Whitaker OR
Gabe Wright

End

LaDarius Owens
Ken Carter
Carl Lawson

Middle linebacker

Jake Holland
Kris Frost

Will linebacker

Cassanova McKinzy
Anthony Swain
JaViere Mitchell

Star

Justin Garrett
Robenson Therezie

Cornerback

Jonathan Mincy
Ryan White

Free safety

Jermaine Whitehead
Ryan Smith

Boundary safety

Josh Holsey
Kiehl Frazier

Cornerback

Chris Davis
Ryan White

Place-kicker

Cody Parkey

Punter

Steven Clark
Jimmy Hutchinson

Deep snappers

Jake Lembke
Forrest Hill

Kick returners

Tre Mason
Corey Grant
Quan Bray
Ricardo Louis

Punt returners

Chris Davis
Quan Bray
Trovon Reed

Reaction

• Even though Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne are on "equal footing" in the coaches' eyes, Mason gets the No. 1 status at running back without the "OR" attached to his name. That's likely because of his effort last season once the season was already down the tubes. Good on ya, Tre.
• Jeremy Johnson is redshirting, but he's still listed on the depth chart. That wasn't necessary, but Johnson impressed in fall camp and deserved to get his name on there.
• Nice to see Ricardo Louis and Sammie Coates on the No. 1 line at receiver. They've reportedly been good in practice, and they're probably Auburn's best receivers right now in terms of raw talent. Here's hoping one of them step up and become a go-to target.
• The offensive line is pretty much what we were expecting. Went out on a limb and listed Avery Young as a starter at guard over Alex Kozan, but Kozan's just been that good. And if Patrick Miller beat out Young, who is 100 percent healthy, for a starting tackle job, he must be greatly improved over last season.
• A lot of names on the defensive line, but anyone thinking about the future is just looking at three. It's only a matter of time before Carl Lawson, Elijah Daniel and Montravius Adams are running the show in the trenches.
• Jake Holland of Auburn football present, please be better than Jake Holland of Auburn football past.
• That secondary is awfully thin. Why Malzahn would risk injury to Chris Davis, Auburn's best corner, by making him the primary punt returner is a bit of a head scratcher.
• In roughly two weeks, Kiehl Frazier has gone from an afterthought at quarterback to second-string boundary safety. It's partially due to depth at the position, but that's awesome.
• So much speed on kick returns. So much speed.
• Jake Lembke is the starting long snapper! He'll be a difference maker at that position!

More from College and Magnolia:

• Auburn football: More videos to get you ready for the season
• College football TV schedule: Week 1 viewing guide
• The Plainsman's Kitchen: Jalapeno poppers
• First glance, Auburn vs. Washington State: Preview, TV schedule, odds, key players and more
• Auburn vs. Washington State: Highlights from Gus Malzahn's Tuesday press conference