College Football Top 25 projections after 2018 spring practices
By Zach Bigalke
Jarrett Stidham is back for another year as the quarterback on the Plains. The transfer from Baylor helped guide the Tigers to the SEC West title over rival Alabama last season. But two losses in Atlanta closed out the 2017 campaign for Auburn, which fell to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and UCF in the Peach Bowl.
Stidham will have to carry the team more through the air as Auburn adjusts to a new-look running game. Both Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway left school early to declare for the NFL Draft. Only Johnson was actually selected. The dual departure drained the backfield talent for Gus Malzahn’s offense.
The biggest loss, though, could be graduated kicker Daniel Carlson. We will find out soon enough when the season opens with a statement opportunity against Washington. The Tigers will open somewhere in the mid-teens of the AP Top 25, and the game against the Huskies will determine whether they rise or fall from there.