Auburn football: 3 freshman that will thrive in backup roles in 2021

Two months and less than a week remains until Jordan-Hare Stadium is whited out by 86K+ loud Auburn football fans celebrating the beginning of two new eras.

Not since 2019 has Auburn been whole. Cars parked on sidewalks, Tiger Walks, and the camaraderie of hundreds of thousands of Tiger fans descending upon the Plains that was customary prior to the pandemic will be returning at the end of this summer.

All of that coincides with the first go-round for new head coach Bryan Harsin and his overhauled staff. It’s a season of new beginnings, and Auburn football will be collectively heading in a bold new direction after years of failing to burst into the upper echelon under Gus Malzahn.

Whether that means a new QB under center or someone rising from the ranks of relative national obscurity in the wide receiver room, there will be an unfamiliar riser on the Tigers in 2021.

Could that be a freshman? Fly War Eagle thinks so.

Here’s who we have in mind as a first-year man set to thrive, if even in limited minutes, this upcoming season:

Auburn football freshman set to thrive #1: Landen King, TE

The Texas tight end product Landen King was a major get considering the competition for his services. Beating ‘Bama, Georgia, and even the in-state Longhorns is no small feat for Bryan Harsin, Brad Bedell and co.

King is a physical specimen that can steal some of the shine from the sophomores challenging John Samuel Shenker for the starting TE role. When targeted, he likely will show why powerhouse programs on every coast wanted him.