AU FOOTBALL: Ten players to keep an eye on this spring

Jobs aren’t necessarily won during spring football, but a strong first impression certainly doesn’t hurt.

Last year, for instance, Andrew McCain basically wrapped up the starting role at right tackle when he arrived to camp with a fresh outlook and something to prove. Linebacker Eltoro Freeman went from second-team to first in a matter of days.

Sure, the quarterback job wasn’t settled after 15 practices, but the lack of separation between Kodi Burns and Neil Caudle may have had a direct impact on where Gus Malzahn honed his focus in August.

With that in mind, here are 10 players to hone your focus on when the Tigers open spring practice Wednesday morning.

10. Jessel Curry — LB — freshman
* He’s one of the lowest-touted prospects in Auburn’s banner recruiting class, but he is already on campus and has a legitimate shot of receiving real playing time this season. Auburn’s linebacking corps is still razor thin on depth, and Curry, a Ted Roof favorite, will have the chance to make a strong first impression.

9. Mike McNeil — S — redshirt junior
* Perhaps if Auburn truly needed him at the end of the season, McNeil could have seen the field in the final few games. But now McNeil is fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered this time last year and has a viable shot at reclaiming his job. With Daren Bates moving to linebacker and Demond Washington likely returning to cornerback, it’s McNeil’s job to lose.

8. Nosa Eguae — DE — redshirt freshman
* A freakish accident at the team hotel one day before the season opener derailed this promising freshman’s season before it even started. Eguae was a favorite of Tracy Rocker’s, which spoke volumes considering Rocker values experience as much as anything else. Now that Antonio Coleman is gone, there is an opening on the first-team defensive line, a position that certainly isn’t out of Eguae’s reach.

7. Roszell Gayden — OT — junior
* Gayden was recruited specifically to fill the void left by McCain, thus making it Gayden’s to lose. Early reviews on the junior-college transfer’s fitness have been high and, if he’s able to win the job early, it will remove a lot of Jeff Grimes’ stress.

6. Brandon Mosley — OT/TE — junior
* If Gayden doesn’t step up, Mosley could be the player to step in at right tackle. He played tight end in junior college, but is big enough and athletic enough to do both. Though the starting tight end job is Philip Lutzenkirchen’s to lose, Mosley could find a niche in run-heavy formations as a blocker.

5. Daren Bates — LB — sophomore
* There are two big reasons to keep an eye on Bates this spring. First, he’s recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, so his action may be limited or non-existent. Second, he’s making a big switch from safety, where he thrived as a freshman, to linebacker, a position he’s never played. Bates certainly has the body of an outside linebacker, but he’ll be spending the entire spring learning the intricacies of the position.

4. Barrett Trotter — QB — redshirt sophomore
* Perhaps the most forgotten of Auburn’s four potential starting quarterbacks, Trotter is 100 percent healthy after tearing his ACL in the practice before last year’s A-Day game. He has sneaky mobility and an underrated arm. He’s a longshot for the job, but shouldn’t be ruled out as a sleeper candidate.

3. Aairon Savage — DB — senior
* His comeback story has been inspirational and is a true example of resiliency. Now, though, is the time for Savage to make it even better. He was considered a front-runner for a starting cornerback position before he tore his ACL in 2008 and had a great shot at it again in 2009 before tearing his Achilles tendon. The bar is going to be set much lower in 2010, but low depth in the defensive backfield sets up a situation where Savage can see the field with regularity.

2. Mario Fannin — RB — senior
* He’s one of Malzahn’s favorite players because of the versatility he provides on offense. He thrived at H-back in 2009, finishing third on the team in receptions and picking up big chunks of yards whenever he carried the ball. With Michael Dyer arriving in the fall, this will serve as Fannin’s biggest chance to lock down the position he originally came to play at Auburn.

1. Cameron Newton — QB — junior
* This is a no-brainer. Newton surprised plenty of people when he chose to come to Auburn instead of Mississippi State. It’s safe to assume he didn’t come here to sit on the bench. Though no one will say it, Newton is in the driver’s seat to lead the Tigers in 2010 as the team’s third quarterback in as many seasons.

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