Fall camp opened on the Plains on Tuesday, and one of the clearest messages from Auburn’s first media availability was this: Omar Mabson has made himself hard to overlook.
Head coach Alex Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon both singled out the sophomore running back when asked about the position group, even though the conversation began with Jeremiah Cobb, the clear starter who has changed his physical appearance to be more of a presence inside the SEC this season and to handle a bigger workload.
But the spotlight shifted quickly to Mabson, and both coaches sounded almost identical in how they talked about him.
Golesh said the staff didn’t know exactly what it had when it first arrived at Auburn, but that has changed fast.
"He doesn't say a whole lot, but he's on a mission to win a job," Golesh said. "He just keeps showing us why he should play."
Gordon followed that up by pointing to more than just what Mabson does on the field.
"Mabson has been as consistent as anybody on our side of the ball," Gordon said. "He loves Auburn.
He works his butt off... He's a great teammate.
He's a leader for us."
That kind of praise matters, especially in a camp where so much remains unsettled with just over a month left before Auburn opens week one against the Baylor Bears. The running back room is one of the bigger storylines, and Mabson’s name has moved to the front of the conversation without even being prompted directly.
Golesh also made it clear that the Tigers want plenty of bodies working through the competition before trimming things down closer to the season. He said he wants five or six running backs getting reps during camp to help manage the workload and limit injury risk, with the goal of having "three and a half running backs ready every game," while Gordon joked he'd rather have four.
Cobb still enters camp as running back one. But after Tuesday, it’s hard to ignore how much ground Mabson has gained. If there was a stock report coming out of Auburn’s first fall camp press conference, his arrow was the one pointing straight up.
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