Auburn football: How does 4-star Omari Kelly impact WR depth chart?

2021 is a big season for Auburn football’s wide receivers room, primarily because their three best, most experienced receivers moved up to the NFL leaving WR coach Cornelius Williams to determine who will step up as their replacements.

The arrival of Demetris Robertson on the Plains certainly changed the outlook for Williams, providing him an SEC veteran with four seasons under his belt. If Bryan Harsin and his new staff can bring out the Demetris Robertson that Cal saw back in 2016, the Tigers should be successful when it comes to the passing game.

Today, Auburn football added another wide receiver commit to the roster of 2022 in 4-star Omari Kelly. The Trussville, AL native can be considered a major recruiting win for Bryan Harsin seeing as Kelly chose the Tigers over in-state rival Alabama.

The #14 recruit out of the state of Alabama, Kelly caught 67 passes for 1,012 yards and nine touchdowns in his last two seasons at Hewitt-Trussville High. He makes the third and most highly-ranked receiver on the 2022 roster, ahead of 3-star commits Kobi Albert and Jay Fair.

Though the coming season is likely to be more of a building year for the wide receivers as Coach Williams works to identify who will step up as the starters, and it leaves room for incoming WRs to make their mark and earn early playing time. Many Auburn receiver questions will have to remain unanswered until we see them in action this fall.

Ze’Vian Capers and Elijah Canion both made splashes late in the 2020 season for the Tigers, and we can expect to see more of those two along with Kobe Hudson and Malcolm Johnson Jr. according to 247Sports’ Auburn preseason depth projection. The current group is largely made up of sophomores, save Demetris Robertson and Shedrick Jackson, so the way things pan out this season could impact the WR room for the next few years on the Plains.

The Tigers definitely have some questions to answer when it comes to wide receivers this fall, but Bryan Harsin and the coaching staff are making sure to load up on quality WR recruits that guarantee good depth in the coming years.