Auburn football fans will be filling the bleachers at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time in 2022 on Saturday afternoon for the annual A-Day spring game.
The Tigers have a ton to sort out ahead of the 2022 slate. Today’s orange and blue scrimmage will be the first glimpse into how several impact transfers will fit into the grand scheme of things in Bryan Harsin’s coaching staff’s system.
The action starts at 1 P.M. central and will be broadcast on ESPN+/SECN+. It’s expected to be in the mid-50s and partly cloudy on the Plains.
Let’s get into it. Here are 5 things to look out for during the Auburn football A-Day spring game:
The Auburn football Week 1 QB starter might not even be playing during A-Day
First-team snaps for Auburn football on Saturday will be taken by T.J. Finley. Given the sour taste in the mouths of Tiger fans last year, Finley has some pressure to make accurate throws and show off the arm that got him scholarships at SEC powerhouses LSU and Auburn.
The second QB that’ll hit the Pat Dye Field turf will be former Hoover Buc Robby Ashford. An Oregon transfer that has yet to take a snap the past two years playing for Mario Cristobal’s Ducks, Ashford will have plenty of Birmingham area fans in the JHS stands that will be in his corner. Freshman Holden Geriner will get the remaining snaps.
It’ll be important to monitor how each signal-caller responds to live-time action in front of a crowd, but it’s also possible that the starter against Mercer Week 1 isn’t even in uniform on Saturday. Zach Calzada, the Texas A&M starter for most of their 8-4 2021 campaign, is still recovering from a shoulder injury.
With the QB battle projected to spill into the summer, Calzada has a chance to be named the starter without stepping foot on the field at A-Day.