With A-Day on the way in a month and a day, tidbits about what the Auburn football first string is going to look like is making the rounds via AL.com and the like.
The Tigers have a ton of moving pieces in 2022 after a mass exodus following the 2021 season, but there will be plenty of returners, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines.
Certain position groups–we’re looking at the WR room dead in its metaphorical face here–are in disarray due to the amount of youth and unknowns present. We can’t even sift through who is the clear top dogs at each receiver position there.
But other positions have a clearer pecking order. Those same positions could have the current totem pole rearranged from a strong spring.
Fly War Eagle is going beyond the primary backups and taking a look today at which third-stringers could surprise in how big of a role they earn in the 2022 season:
Auburn football third-stringer that can surprise in 2022 #1: RB Sean Jackson
Sean Jackson out of Hewitt-Trussville is a Birmingham area product that has a classical fullback build standing at five-foot-nine and weighing 236 pounds.
He brings a grinding element to the offense that varies greatly from Jarquez Hunter’s outside speed-based running attack.
If Hunter can’t regain the form he flashed in the early going of 2021 that eventually faded as the season progressed, Jackson has a chance to become a bigger factor in the backfield behind Tank Bigsby. This RB3 could be due for a status leap in 2022.
Auburn football third-stringer that can surprise in 2022 #2: QB Robby Ashford
In keeping up with the Birmingham theme, Hoover once had one of the hottest QB prospects in the south with Robby Ashford.
Ashford chose to go to Oregon, but never got to see a single snap in Eugene before taking to the transfer portal this offseason to follow up the addition of Zach Calzada to the QB room in 2022.
The dual-sport athlete–Ashford has a powerful bat and the ability to run the base path like a pro in the making on the baseball diamond–will have plenty of Tiger fans in the Jordan-Hare Stadium stands at A-Day that saw the former 4-star signal-caller play in high school.
April 9th will be the biggest stage he has had since winning state championships with the Hoover Bucs in 2017 since Mario Cristobal glued him to the bench and didn’t allow him to fly like a peacock.
On that day, if he can make a spectacular play or two, the Auburn family will have the chance to vouch for the local kid over the two SEC experienced gunslingers on the depth chart ahead of him. T.J. Finley has the strongest chance to remain QB, but has the most to lose in spring practice. Zach Calzada is a safe option but lacks the ceiling Ashford has.
Auburn football third-stringer that can surprise in 2022 #3: TE Tyler Fromm
Heading into the 2022 season, Landen King is getting a ton of attention as a potential riser at the tight end position for the Tigers. So much so that AL.com’s Nubyjas Wilborn titled a piece about the depth at TE “Can Landen King become a star at Auburn?”.
But what if the tight end that can catch the timely passes in a matter that isn’t spectacular but is still practical and laudable all the same?
Tyler Fromm could be that TE, and Wilborn acknowledged as much:
"Fromm had one touchdown last year, but it was one of the biggest for the Tigers. He caught the game-winner from Nix in the victory against LSU. Fromm mostly is a blocking tight end, however, don’t be shocked when he makes some plays."
Fromm, at six-foot-five and 225 pounds, is less physical but still highly skilled lining up to both block or to catch end zone fades.
He won’t have the hype of King or returning super senior stud John Samuel Shenker fresh off a historic season, but Fromm is a stealthy choice to contribute plenty at TE in 2022.