Entering his third season as head coach at Auburn, Gene Chizik has the tough task of following an unbelievable 2010 season that saw the Tigers produce Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and their first national title since 1957.
The 2010 season was very special for Auburn. Faithful Tiger fans who stuck with the team through many years of ups and downs finally experienced a national championship after a long 53-year drought. Too bad those die-hard fans can't go back in time and relive last season all over again. It was definitely a fun ride. But now, the start of the 2011 season is just a few short weeks away and the team that takes the field for the season-opener against Utah State on Sept. 3 will be totally different.
Even though Auburn signed a recruiting class that was rated as high as No. 2 nationally in February, it may not help fill the void left by the 32 players from last year’s national championship team who either graduated, entered the NFL Draft, or were dismissed from the team because of off-the-field problems.
The biggest void to fill is at quarterback after Newton announced three days after the BCS title game that he was leaving for the NFL.
Arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of college football, Newton won numerous awards and set all kinds of records during his junior year on the Plains. He led an Auburn offense that averaged 42.7 points per game and 497.7 total yards of offense per game. He accounted for 37 percent of the team’s rushing yards, 95 percent of its passing yards and played a part in 66 percent of the team’s touchdowns.
While Newton was named the starter at quarterback a few weeks after spring practice ended a year ago, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has yet to decide on who will lead the offense in 2011. The decision on Newton's successor probably won't be made until well into August.
Barrett Trotter
(Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com)The job at quarterback is up for grabs between redshirt junior Barrett Trotter and redshirt sophomore Clint Moseley. Trotter was Newton’s backup last year which meant he saw very limited playing time. He did complete 6-of-9 passes for 64 yards and ran for 68 more yards and a touchdown.
Both Trotter and Moseley possess strong throwing arms but Trotter has more on-field experience and seems to have a better knowledge of running Malzahn's complicated spread offense.
Incoming freshman Kiehl Frazier arrived on campus in late-May and has been participating in informal summer workouts with his teammates.
Frazier, who was the USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year, threw for 2,975 yards, ran for 1,164 yards, while accounting for 64 touchdowns during his senior season at Shiloh Christian High.
Frazier may not be ready to start under center, but look for Malzahn to find a way to utilize his talents right away, possibly as quarterback in the Wildcat formation.
Wide receiver Darvin Adams, a huge piece of Auburn's success on offense last year, also bolted for the NFL after a very successful junior campaign. Adams led all receivers with 963 yards on 52 catches.
Adams' departure would have been a big enough blow to the receiving corps but the Tigers will also be without Antonio Goodwin and Shaun Kitchens, who were immediately kicked off the team after being arrested for robbery in the offseason. Both would have given the Tigers more bodies at an already thin position with the loss of Terrell Zachery and Kodi Burns to graduation.
Emory Blake
(Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com)Auburn will have to rely on junior Emory Blake to step up and be the leader of an inexperienced group of receivers. Blake had a solid season last year when he hauled in 33 passes for 554 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns, including one in the BCS title game.
The speedy Quindarius Carr was poised to have a breakout season as a junior in 2010, but ended up having a sub-par year. Carr only caught three passes, but two of the receptions were for touchdowns. Carr, along with junior DeAngelo Benton, will be counted on to pick up the slack left by Adams and Zachery.
If redshirt freshman Trovon Reed stays healthy, the multi-talented wide receiver could provide a much needed spark for Auburn’s offense. A knee injury early in the 2010 season kept him sidelined for the rest of the year. The playmaker will lineup at slot receiver and at quarterback in the Wildcat formation.
Newcomer Sammie Coates could be thrown into the mix right away, especially when the Tigers lineup in 5-receiver sets. Last season as a senior at Leroy High School, Coates caught 57 passes for 1,170 yards and 14 touchdowns.
One area where the Tigers aren't lacking experience is at tight end. Junior Philip Lutzenkirchen is back after a surprisingly solid 2010 campaign. Lutzenkirchen caught 15 passes for 185 yards and five scores, including the game-winning touchdown against arch-rival Alabama in the 2010 Iron Bowl.
Phil Marion
Next week: Running Backs
