Auburn Football: Offensive Depth Chart Projections – Running Back
Sep 21, 2013; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Peyton Barber (25) is tackled by LSU Tigers linebacker D.J. Welter (31) in the first quarter at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
Peyton Barber
Sophomore running back Peyton Barber would start for a lot of teams across the country – even a handful in the SEC – but he’s likely to be overshadowed at Auburn in 2015.
As a 5-foot-11, 225-pound redshirt freshman, Barber appeared in six games for the Tigers in 2014. The Alpharetta, Georgia native carried the ball just ten times but gained 54 yards last season, including a 10-yard run against Louisiana Tech and a 14-yarder against Arkansas.
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It was a very limited performance, but showed glimpses of why many believe Barber has the ability to do big things.
“Before you tackle him, you never know what he’s going to do,” safety Derrick Moncrief said during fall camp prior to last season. “He’ll juke you or he’ll run you over. You’ve just got to be ready for whatever with Peyton Barber. He’s a real special back.”
Still, Barber isn’t likely to win the starting job at running back in 2015, and Johnson has a more exciting overall skillset. Given the logjam at running back and the lack of depth at H-Back, it’s possible that Barber would see the field more as a sophomore if he changed positions.
However, a move like that isn’t likely anytime soon since Johnson won’t be on campus for spring practice and redshirt freshman Kamryn Pettway – the only other scholarship running back on the roster – is already a candidate to move to H-Back.
Therefore, Barber will have an opportunity to make his claim for an increased backfield role this spring.
Next: 2015 Auburn Recruiting Class Player Profiles
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