Auburn 2019 Season Preview

SEC West | Auburn, Alabama | Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451) | 2018: 8-5 (3-5)

by Christopher Paschal

Gus Malzahn’s back is against the wall, yet again. Last time he was on the hot seat, after the 2015 season, he was able to rise to the occasion making it to the Sugar Bowl in 2016 and beating Alabama and Georgia in 2017. This year, Malzahn has to win nine, maybe even ten games, if he is to save his job. He’s done it before, but can he do it again?

Offense

In order to save his job, Malzahn isn’t leaving anything to chance, taking back over the play-calling duties on offense. He actually assumed that duty before last season’s bowl victory over Purdue. How did that go? All he did was manage an offense that scored 63 points and amassed over 585 yards in offense. Auburn’s offense looked like a track meet, and that is just how Malzhan likes it.  

Quarterback

Bo Nix (6-2, 205) or Joey Gatewood (6-5, 235)? That’s the question people around Auburn are asking themselves. Both are young and extremely talented. But that doesn’t always translate to wins in the SEC. Nix is a true freshman from Alabama who was considered one of the best offensive prospects in this past recruiting cycle. He can do it with his legs or through the air. He may not have the strongest arm, but he is very accurate with the football and is athletic enough (and fast enough) to be a legitimate threat in the rushing attack. Gatewood is a redshirt freshman who has the Cam Newton-like body type. He is big, physical, strong, and has a great arm. He, too, can hurt you in the run game, and has the speed to slash a defense, but is not as quick as Nix. The talent is there, the question is whether that talent is ready for this schedule.

Running Back

JaTarvious “Boobee” Whitlow (6-0, 215), Kam Martin (5-10, 195), and Shaun Shivers (5-7, 170) all return to a backfield that needs them to produce. Last season, Auburn finished tenth in the SEC in rushing yards per game. Whitlow is the best back of the group. He runs hard behind his pads, has decent vision, and has just enough speed and agility to make a defense sweat. Kam Martin will enter his senior season needing his best effort yet. After averaging 7.3 yards per carry and 6.1 yards per carry in his first two seasons at Auburn, Martin averaged just 4.4 yards per carry last season. He has the speed and elusiveness needed to excel in Malzahn’s offense, and the Tigers will need him to showcase his talents on a more consistent basis this season.

One wrinkle in this Tiger offense is the use of Anthony Schwartz (6-0, 180) in the rushing attack. Schwartz is one of the fastest guys in the SEC. After a decent freshman campaign, my guess is Malzahn tries to get 50 rushing attempts and 25 pass receptions out of Schwartz this season. He will be used in a plethora of ways. Auburn has recruited well at the position. Keep your eye on Florida-native, Mark-Anthony Richards (6-1, 200). He was considered by many recruiting analysts wo be one of the best offensive weapons in the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Wide Receiver

Along with the aforementioned Schwartz, Auburn has a solid receiving corps returning, although not widely heralded. When pundits talk about the best receiving corps in the SEC, many point to Florida, Alabama, and even LSU. But Auburn has talent. Back from injury riddled seasons are Eli Stove (6-0, 185) and Will Hastings (5-10, 170). Both are huge shots in the arm after both of them missed huge portions of last season. Stove is a big-play threat with touchdowns of 55, 57, and 78 yards, while Hastings is more of a possession receiver with the athleticism needed to take a short reception into a big-gain (think Auburn’s version of Hunter Renfrow).

Returning with Stove and Hastings is Seth Williams (6-3, 210) who finished last season with five touchdown receptions and an average of 20.5 yards per catch. Auburn has recruited this position well with Matthew Hill (6-1, 185) and Jashawn Sheffield (6-1, 180) poised to step in and produce in the foreseeable future.

Offensive Line

Same song, different verse with the offensive line. Like every other position group on the offensive side of the ball, this offensive line is talented but inconsistent. At left tackle, Auburn has a monster in senior Prince Tega Wanogho (6-7, 305). He’s the anchor of this offensive line. He has All-American potential. Great feet for a man his size. There is a play in the Auburn-Georgia game in 2017, Wanogho’s sophomore season, where he climbed to the second level as good as anyone can do it and destroyed Georgia’s Roquan Smith who was later picked in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. This play also highlights Wanogho’s speed.

With Wanogho are fellow seniors Marquel Harrell at guard, Kaleb Kim at center, Mike Horton at right guard, and Jake Driscoll at right tackle. This offense needs positive plays on first down more than any other type of offense. If they can get positive yardage on first down, Auburn can really turn up the tempo on a defense. If this veteran offensive line rises to the occasion, this offense will be elite. If this offensive line doesn’t progress and plays mediocre football at the line of scrimmage, Gus Malzahn will be looking for a new job.

Defense

This defense was good, but not great last season. This season, Kevin Steele returns as the defensive coordinator. After struggling at Clemson, Steele has made Auburn one of the best defenses in the country. He has a chance to make this defense elite in 2019. Auburn finished outside the top three in scoring defense, total defense, rush defense, and pass defense last season. The talent is there to finish inside the top three in each category this season. 

Defensive Line

“This Auburn defensive line might just be the best in the whole dang conference. It’s hard to make a claim like that because any distinction you make comes down to splitting hairs, but regardless if they’re the best or simply one of the best, you get my point. What do we talk about most in the SEC? Large, athletic, crazy-fast human beings. Auburn has more than their share.” That’s what I said in last season’s preview of the 2018 Auburn Tigers. Guess what? All of that is true for this 2019 Auburn defensive line.

It all starts with Derrick Brown (6-5, 325) at defensive tackle. He would have been a high draft pick in last year’s NFL Draft. With an All-SEC senior season, he could be a top-10 draft pick. It will be hard for him to top his 2018 production of  10.5 tackles for loss, but even if he doesn’t, his presence on the line of scrimmage is huge for Auburn. On the edge, Auburn has a host of pass rushing options. Nick Coe (6-5, 290) and Marlon Davidson (6-3, 280) both have All-SEC talent. Behind them is the quick TD Moultry (6-2, 245) and long Big Kat Bryant (6-5, 245). If Auburn can pressure the quarterback, and Brown can dominate the interior portion of the line of scrimmage, this defense will win Auburn a lot, but maybe not enough, games.

Linebacker

Auburn lost three of their starting linebackers from last season’s team. I think this unit may be better than last year’s. At the head is KJ Britt (6-0, 230) at middle linebacker. Britt is a thumper. He’s a blue-collar type of linebacker. Yes, he has speed, but his best skillset is arriving at the ball carrier in a bad attitude. At outside linebacker, Auburn has some athletic, undersized options that can absolutely fly. The interior will feature true freshman Owen Pappoe (6-1, 220) who was a five-star prospect out of Georgia. Linebackers coach Travis Williams is not afraid to put in underclassman that are ready to play. Pappoe is SEC-ready. He will be starting by the end of the season.

Also on the outside is Zakoby McClain (6-0, 210) from Valdosta, Georgia. He plays like a South Georgia prospect. He has unbelievable speed and quickness and should be excellent in stringing out perimeter zone runs and sweeps. Look for junior Chandler Wooten (6-2, 230) to also get a ton of snaps at outside linebacker.

Defensive Back

At cornerback, Auburn returns Christian Tutt (5-11, 195), Jarvis Davis (5-10, 185), and Noah Igbinoghene (5-11, 195) at cornerback. All three of these cornerbacks are talented, but a bit undersized. If Auburn is to improve in pass defense, it starts with them. At safety, Auburn has some elite talent. Jeremiah Dinson (6-0, 195) is poised to have a big-time senior season after putting up solid numbers as a junior. Next to Dinson is fellow senior Daniel Thomas (5-11, 210) who has a knack for forcing turnovers (2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and a defensive touchdown in 2018). Smoke Monday (6-2, 190) returns after a decent freshman campaign. He has All-SEC talent. This sophomore season could be a big one.

Special Teams

Both specialists return after a good, but up-and-down season. Auburn will need more consistency out of Anders Carlson at place kicker. Australian Arryn Siposs should have a strong junior campaign.

Schedule Breakdown

Aug. 31       vs Oregon*

Sept. 7        vs Tulane      

Sept. 14       vs Kent State        

Sept. 21       at Texas A&M       

Sept. 28       vs Mississippi State       

Oct. 5          at Florida    

Oct. 12        OFF    

Oct. 19        at Arkansas

Oct. 26        at LSU       

Nov. 2         vs Ole Miss

Nov. 9         OFF  

Nov. 16       vs Georgia  

Nov. 23       vs Samford  

Nov. 30       vs Alabama

Projected Finish: 8-4 (4-4)

Losses: Florida, LSU, Georgia, Alabama

*Arlington, TX

Auburn will start off 4-0. I think Gus Malzahn calling the plays gets the Tigers off to a fast start. This defensive line will keep them in every game this season, but it comes down to the quarterback and the rushing attack. If Nix or Gatewood is the second coming of Cam Newton, and this offensive line finally plays to its potential, there is not a team on this schedule Auburn could not beat. But those are huge assumptions. I don’t think this offense collapses in the second half of the season. However, tough road trips to Florida and LSU will slow down the pace of this offense while Georgia and Alabama, even though both at home, have too much talent for Auburn to win those games.

Cubelic’s Thoughts

We reached out to SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic to get his thoughts on this year’s Auburn Tigers. Here is what he said:

Obviously, the quarterback play will go a long way in determining how Auburn will look this fall. The wide receiver position will be a strength of the team and could help offset some of those growing pains. The offensive line will need to improve. Physicality will need to improve. I anticipate the defense being one of the best in the SEC.

Be sure to follow Cole on twitter @colecubelic or to catch him on the radio as the host of Birmingham’s “3 Man Front”