The 2021 Auburn football season means different things to different fans, depending on who you ask.
Many Tiger fans probably aren’t expecting big things in 2021 after Bryan Harsin and co. were hired late in the recruiting cycle in the wake of an exodus of recruits from the program following a swift and sudden exit from Gus Malzahn.
Others are not as willing to give Harsin some rope considering the disastrous results of the 2020 season. 6-5 is not a successful year on the Plains despite what Malzahn was trying to say towards the end of his final season with AU. Another down year for Auburn football could be damning, especially if their primary regional recruiting rivals Alabama and Georgia live up to their scary potential.
It’s unclear as of now just where the Tigers will fair in 2021. With the unpredictability factor of canceled games due to COVID-19 present this season,–just as it was during last year’s brave early pandemic campaign–expectations are likely set to be dashed again this coming fall.
However you view this season as a fan, these 4 Tigers need to view this season as a competitor as a make-or-break year with a talented Class of 2022 on the way:
Auburn football QB TJ Finley
The heat is already on for TJ Finley, who left LSU in hopes of overtaking the QB position from incumbent junior legacy signal-caller Bo Nix. Myles Brennan is once again injured down in Baton Rouge, so Finley left a chance to once again start for the Bayou Tigers to potentially ride the pine on the Plains.
With 2021 4-star dual-threat QB Dematrius Davis already chomping at his heels to be QB2, Finley will also have 4-star pro-style QB Holden Geriner from Savannah on the way as well in 2022. Whenever he is under center this season, he needs to prove to be productive in the passing game or get left in the dust with all of the competition looming.
Auburn football RB Jarquez Hunter
Great things are being said about freshman rusher Jarquez Hunter, including by sophomore Heisman hopeful and fellow RB Tank Bigsby.
If he can live up to the praise he should be fine when 4-star Damari Alston makes his way to Auburn next year. If not, the Bigsby NFL hype and Alston freshman hype will overshadow Hunter, especially if Shaun Shivers utilizes his extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19.
Auburn football DL Marcus Harris
Coming over from Kansas, Marcus Harris will be competing with Colby Wooden and Caleb Johnson for reps. The Montgomery native sees this as a dream come true, but those positive thoughts could dissipate if he can’t find the field in his sophomore season.
Harris came from Kansas after Les Miles was canned, and it’s possible that he would have never left Lawrence if Les was still around. With Caden Story on the way, it’s imperative Harris finds a definitive role along Nick Eason’s defensive line.
If he doesn’t, the Harris homecoming story won’t have a happy ending.
Auburn football CB Ro Torrence
Perhaps the most notable addition to Zac Etheridge’s secondary was Donovan Kaufman from Vanderbilt. The sophomore is expected to contribute right away, offering competition to the incumbent Nehemiah Pritchett to be Roger McCreary’s primary counterpart. Coming from the program Derek Mason coached is a definitive plus for Kaufman.
Ro Torrence doesn’t have that same advantage, coming from JUCO Champion Hutchinson Community College. While he was the definitive top dog of that defense, the SEC talent gap from the JUCO level is something he will need to navigate early on in essentially a new college football weight class.
The versatile Ja’Kobi Albert, who has played as a WR and DB in high school, could further complicate Torrence’s rise if he is used at CB at all in 2022.