Bryson Washington arrived at Auburn with real buzz, but the early part of preseason camp has shown that hype alone won’t lock down a spot in this running backs room.
The Baylor transfer, one of Auburn’s most talked-about offseason additions, has been working his way through camp after coach Alex Golesh pointed to his conditioning before practices began. Once camp opened last week, Washington’s name started sliding down the depth chart, and running backs coach Larry Porter explained Wednesday that the story is still very much unfolding.
“Obviously, we didn’t see much of him in the spring because of injury,” Porter said. “Now that he’s able to hit the grass, if you looked at his first couple days, you liked what you saw.
He’s continuing to work. As he gets more comfortable, you’ll continue to hear his name.”
Washington’s résumé is part of why Auburn wanted him in the first place. He ran for 788 yards last season at Baylor, and his top year with the Bears came in 2024, when he piled up 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Porter said that kind of production matters in a transfer-heavy era, and he sees Washington’s experience as one of his biggest assets.
“A lot like Jeremiah (Cobb), he’s an experienced running back, with multiple reps and playing time under his belt,” Porter said. “In this world of transfer portal, you’d much rather have production than potential.
He’s had a ton of (production). That’s what he brings to this room, but we’ve got to put him in position to settle him in and get him going.”
That process is still ongoing. During Wednesday’s scrimmage period, Washington worked with the third team behind Jeremiah Cobb and Omar Mabson.
Auburn is trying to build out a group that can give it around four backs on game day, and transfers Tae Meadows and Nykahi Davenport are also in the mix. Porter said the challenge is making sure everyone is ready, because the position can turn over quickly from one week to the next.
“I tell them all the time, it’s tough to get four, five, three guys ready to play each week,” Porter added. “We have to operate in a way, as well as in a space, to where you have to assume that you’re next. It’s a starter mentality that you have to approach every day with, and we try to make sure that we hold them to that standard.”
Auburn goes back to work Thursday morning, and Friday brings the team’s first official scrimmage inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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