Auburn football practice report: It's here; fall camp is finally here

Auburn reported to fall camp Thursday, and on Friday the Tigers actually put on helmets and jerseys and hit the practice field. If we aren't mistaken, that means football is just around the corner. That's a good thing, because we've been going through such strong withdrawals, replays of old B1G games have made regular appearances on our television. Yes, it's that bad. On to the news and notes:

All eyes will be on the quarterbacks over the next few weeks. The hope is that Nick Marshall will win the starting job quickly, but there's no guarantee the JUCO transfer will be the QB of Auburn fans' dreams. How did the quartet of Marshall, Kiehl Frazier, Jeremy Johnson and Jonathan Wallace look on Day 1? Not much of a shock, but they experienced "a few mishaps" (Marcello). Obviously, the race is still wide open, but reading Gus Malzahn's quotes, it really does sound like Marshall's job to lose.

True freshman tight end Ricky Parks has been dismissed from the team for the always popular violation of team rules (Erickson). Well, that didn't take long. Parks was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2013 and rated as the top tight end nationally by 247Sports. He wasn't expected to make a huge contribution this season, but at 6'4 and 257 pounds, he would have provided nice depth at tight end and H-back.

Quarterback isn't the only position with a race for playing time. The battle to get into the defensive line rotation is heated, too (Crepea). Dee Ford has one defensive end spot locked down, but the other could be up for grabs. Nosa Eguae, Kenneth Carter and Craig Sanders haven't really excelled, and five-star recruits Carl Lawson and Elijah Daniel are going to push the veterans. As we mentioned in our look at Auburn's incoming freshman, don't be surprised if Lawson has won the other spot on the end of the line before the end of the season.

Demetruce McNeal went through some personal issues during spring and spent some time away from the team. McNeal was listed on the roster and at practice Friday, but he wasn't participating, which raised concerns among fans following the beat writers on Twitter. Apparently, the safety is dealing with a medical issue (Erickson). While that isn't ideal, it doesn't sound too serious, and it's better than McNeal not practicing due to disciplinary reasons.

Greg Robinson knows it's his time to shine on the offensive line (Marshall). He's listed at 6'6, 320 pounds, and as a former four-star prospect, he has plenty of talent. Yes, it's time for the redshirt sophomore to step up and make an impact.

More from College and Magnolia:

• Five-star RB Roc Thomas commits to Tigers
• Good luck, Michael Dyer
• Initial reactions to the preseason coaches' poll
• Auburn unranked in preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll
• Which true freshman will have the biggest season?