Auburn Football: Can Tigers overcome treacherous schedule?
Offense
Jarrett Stidham is the best quarterback in the SEC heading into 2018. Stidham didn’t miss a beat after his transfer from Baylor to Auburn and was a star in 2017. The Tigers starting quarterback threw for 3,158 yards tossing 18 touchdowns and averaging 8.5 yards per attempt. On the ground Stidham scored four more times. The 6-foot-3, 214-pound quarterback will be the engine behind the Auburn offense that has thrived with the right signal caller in place since Malzahn arrived in Auburn as an offensive coordinator, and in his tenure as head coach.
Supporting Cast
The Tigers return seven starters on offense after being ranked 34th by the S&P+ in 2017. The biggest standout that isn’t returning is running back Kerryon Johnson. Johnson ran for 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns last season and a trio of backs will try to replace his output. Those backs are Kam Martin, JaTarvious Whitlow and Devan Barrett. Martin will more than likely be the feature back after rushing for 453 yards and two touchdowns as a backup last season. Whitlow was a redshirt in 2017 while Barrett looks to fill a versatile role as both a pass catcher and runner like Eli Stove did last season.
At wide receiver, the Tigers return Ryan Davis, Darius Slayton and Nate Craig-Myers who saw significant playing time in 2017. Davis caught 84 balls for 815 yards and five scores while Slayton averaged 22.2 yards per catch and caught five touchdowns as well. Craig-Myers came on late but caught fire towards the end of the season catching touchdowns against Alabama in the Iron Bowl and Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Craig-Myers and Barrett were high school teammates at Tampa Catholic High School in Florida.
H-Back Chandler Cox returns for his senior season and it is his fourth as a starter for the Tigers. Cox has mainly served as a blocking back in Coach Malzahn’s offense but has throw a pass, caught 15 balls over his career and ran in a touchdown in 2016. The offensive line returns only two starters. Left tackle Prince Tega Wanogho thrived in 2017 while right guard Mike Horton also returns. The Tigers line lost 2nd round NFL Draft pick Braden Smith from a year ago.