Auburn Football: Spring Practice Stock Report

Jan 6, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; Auburn Tigers guard

(63) tries to hear the play call while in the huddle with tackle

(73) center

(50) and tackle Avery Young (56) against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half of the 2014 BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

UP: C Austin Golson; DOWN: C Xavier Dampeer

For more than a calendar year, Xavier Dampeer was considered the front-runner to replace All-American and Remington Award Winner Reese Dismukes. However, it only took a few spring practices for Austin Golson to pass Dampeer as the favorite to earn the top spot on the center depth chart.

“We’re going to give (Golson) an opportunity, but that doesn’t mean we’re not confident in Dampeer,” Gus Malzahn said recently. “He’s a guy that’s got a lot of snaps. It just means that those three guys will get opportunities. It’s kind of like the quarterbacks. We want to make sure those guys get equal opportunities as we’re installing the base offense. We’ll see how it sorts out after that.”

RELATED: Offensive Line Depth Chart Taking Shape

Dampeer joined the Auburn football team following a stint at Copiah-Lincoln (MS) Community College. Despite being the No. 1 ranked JUCO center in the nation in his class, the Mendenhall, Mississippi native has a limited background as an offensive lineman after playing defense earlier in his career. Golson is learning the position as well after playing guard and tackle at Ole Miss before transferring to Auburn in 2014. However, he shifted to center prior to the Outback Bowl in preparation for the 2015 season.

The position battle is far from over, but Golson has a higher upside than the rising senior Dampeer and is likely to start against Louisville in the season opener.

Next: Jason Smith, Jonathan Wallace