Auburn Football: Top 3 way-too-early 2022 breakout candidates

Following a year of frustration, and an offseason swirling with controversy, which players can help bring glory back to Auburn football in 2022?

It’s no secret that Auburn football had a disappointing 2021 season under first-year head coach, Bryan Harsin, who is currently dealing with his own quarrels. Not only did they lose each of their last five games, but the Tigers also finished 3-5 in the SEC and 6-7 on the year, capping off one of the Tigers’ worst seasons in nearly a decade.

To make matters worse, their long-time quarterback, Bo Nix, transferred to Oregon, and their defensive coordinator, Derek Mason, took a considerable pay cut to leave for Oklahoma State.

That being said, Auburn did manage to bring back a good amount of starters and could see notable improvement with transfers like D.J. James, Eugene Asante, and Zach Calzada, to name a few.

It’s also worth noting that the last time Auburn had a losing football season was in 2012, in which they won just three games. Although, they then responded by going 12-2 the following year, and even competed for a national championship, narrowly losing out to Florida State in the title game.

So, history bodes well for Auburn to bounce back in 2022, even if they do face one of the more difficult schedules of any Power Five school in the country. Including road games against Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama, as well as having to host Penn State, LSU, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.

Regardless of how the year turns out for the Tigers, there’s bound to be some key contributors step up on both sides of the ball.

Here are the top three way-too-early breakout candidates for Auburn football in 2022.