Auburn opened preseason camp Wednesday with the season opener against Baylor now exactly one month away, and the first look inside practice offered a quick snapshot of where things stand.
The Tigers traveled by bus from the Marriott Grand National resort in Opelika and got back to work at the Woltosz Football Performance Center. Media were allowed to watch roughly 25 minutes of the session, which featured stretching and individual drills before the window closed.
Several players were either absent or working off to the side. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Tai Buster was not present after suffering a long-term injury.
AnQuon Fegans, Shamar Arnoux, Corey Wells and Devin Williams all spent the viewing period working individually with the training staff on the indoor field. Chris Murray, who Golesh said is recovering from an injury, also was not present during the viewing window.
A pair of players were on the field but in orange non-contact jerseys: safety Sylvester Smith-Reed and wide receiver Christian Neptune.
The mood on the first day was exactly what you’d expect from the start of camp. The energy was high, and Waka Flocka Flame’s “O Let’s Do It” was blaring as the players stretched to begin the viewing window. Auburn practiced in helmets without pads on Day 1, with shoulder pads set to begin Saturday.
Up front, the offensive line work offered an early peek at the pecking order. Auburn opened with a drill that featured four linemen working at once, and the first group from left to right was Jo Simmons, Cole Best, Cole Skinner and Stanton Ramil.
All four enter camp with a real chance to win starting jobs. Ramil, who has spent most of the offseason recovering from a lower body injury, did not look limited during the portion of practice that was open.
There’s also an early name to keep in mind at running back: Omar Mabson II. He was second in line behind Jeremiah Cobb during drills, and Golesh was complimentary of him in Tuesday’s press conference. The running back order during drills went Cobb, Mabson, Nykahi Davenport and Bryson Washington.
At tight end, South Florida transfer Jonathan Echols also appeared to be moving freely after dealing with a torn labrum during the offseason. Golesh said at SEC Media Days that he would like to see Echols add some weight.
Defensively, sophomore edge rusher Jared Smith continues to look like a player with breakout potential. His length jumps out when he’s working with Auburn’s edge group.
Another sophomore who turned heads physically is linebacker Elijah Melendez. He was already in good shape as a freshman, but now he’s up to 240 pounds and looks even stronger than he did before.
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