Auburn football: Projecting which freshmen will see playing time on offense

In less than three weeks, the Auburn football team opens the 2018 season in Atlanta against Washington. The depth chart is coming together and it looks like some of the freshmen will get playing time in Week 1 and beyond.

The new redshirt rule allows freshmen to play in up to four games without losing redshirt eligibility. That likely means that more first-year players will see the field in 2018 than in previous seasons. But some of the freshmen are doing good things in practice and are positioning themselves more greater roles than some on-field experience here and there. Gus Malzahn and his staff will have plenty of decisions to make and here’s how they’re approaching that decision, according to AL.com.

One thing is for sure: Auburn will put the players on the field that give them the best chance to win, regardless of class or even the position they were recruited to play.

Here’s a projection of what we expect to see from some of the freshmen:

Offense

It’s likely that the offensive side will see more first-timers in 2018 playing vital roles than the defense. Why? Auburn has more opportunities on that side and the adjustment period for most freshmen is a little quicker on offense than defense.

WR Anthony Schwartz: With his blazing speed — he may very well be the fastest player in college football — it’s a no-brainer that he’ll find his way onto the field in some capacity. Maybe it’s as a receiver running fly routes or filling the void left by the injured Eli Stove on speed sweeps. Maybe even kick returner. Stock: Up

RB Asa Martin: It helped that he arrived on campus in time for spring practice. He has a real shot to get real carries. It won’t be easy because while the Auburn backfield is mostly inexperienced, it’s full of talent and he’ll have to bypass some talented ball carriers. Stock: Up

RB Shaun Shivers: Like Schwartz, there’s no substitution for speed and Shivers has it. You won’t see Shivers as the lead back this fall, but he could fill a role as a change-of-pace back, especially in the second half when defenses are wearing down against the Auburn offense. He also could see opportunities at flanker, where Stove made his mark on speed sweeps. Stock: Up

RB Harold Joiner: The question remains: What will Auburn do with Joiner? He’s got a lot of tools and that’s enough to get him onto the field either as a runner or receiver. Stock: Up

QB Joey Gatewood: Don’t expect Gatewood to catapult ahead of Malik Willis on the depth chart. He’s still raw, but the redshirt rule could benefit him more than anyone if he’s able to take snaps against live defenses in blowout wins. Stock: Even

WR Shedrick Jackson: Another early enrollee, Jackson has proven to be physical and reliable. Much like running back where Auburn football coaches lean toward the hot hand, there’s an opportunity to jump in and have an impact at receiver. Stock: Up

WR Seth Williams: At 6-3, 210, Williams has the size to be a difference maker. Is that time 2018? He’ll have to prove that he’s worthy of playing time with Nate Craig-Myers in front of him. Stock: Up

WR Matthew Hill: Another one of Auburn’s star-studded receiver class. Hill could find himself in Will Hastings’ position, which means there’s an opportunity. Stock: Up

WR Kolbi Fuqua: Fuqua is one of Auburn’s most intriguing prospects. Sort of lost in the shuffle in the 2018 class, Fuqua arrived with no clear position — offense or defense. But he has shown some good signs as a receiver (he’s got good size, too, at 6-2, 190). Stock: Even

OL Jalil Irvin, Kameron Stutts: Yes, the Auburn football team has multiple position battles across the offensive line, but the two offensive linemen the Tigers signed in 2018 won’t be winning any starting spots this fall. That’s not to say they aren’t good, but their time won’t be 2018 unless something bad happens across Auburn’s front five. That being said, the opportunity to play because of the redshirt rule could be a big assist in their development. Stock: Even