Auburn football: Marcus Davis focusing on fundamentals with WRs

The Auburn football team has a lot of work to do ahead of the 2023 season, and it all starts at the end of this month with spring practice. The new coaching staff, led by head coach Hugh Freeze, will have to get to know their players, and the players will have to learn new schemes and adapt to the coaching styles.

One group that many Auburn football fans are hoping to see in a new light this fall is the wide receivers group. Though the group seems to be full of talent (i.e. Landen King, Camden Brown, Ja’Varrius Johnson, etc.) it also seems to be one of the more underperforming groups on the team. It feels like it has been a long time since the Tigers have had a go-to receiver.

The Tigers’ new wide receivers coach Marcus Davis, a former Auburn receiver himself, is up for the challenge when it comes to elevating the pass-catchers, and told Auburn Live what the process will look like from the ground up:

"“The fundamentals is the first thing,” Davis said. “Before that, it’s meeting them where they are, each individual and getting a true evaluation. My biggest thing is the fundamental part of it. Having a good stance, the ball get off, seeing the ball all the way in, those are the things that matter. Those are the things that show up time after time. It’s all about mindset and the opportunity. I tell everybody, that time goes by quick. I learned from Coach Cadillac (Williams), ‘be where your feet are.’ That’s the message I give my guys all the time. Be the best where you are. That’s when you get to the next level.”"

Also new to the Plains this year is a former player of Marcus Davis: Nick Mardner. Davis coached Mardner at Hawaii in 2021, and the receiver had his best college football season to date that year. Davis arrives at Auburn with experience proving his ability, a love for the Auburn Tigers, and plenty of seemingly untapped talent in the WR room.

Though there is certainly much work to be done before the fall, it’s possible that 2023 could end up being the year of the wide receiver for the Auburn offense.