In a sea of transfers and a handful of holdovers from the Hugh Freeze era, Auburn Tigers true freshman DeShawn Spencer is one of the top guys during the program's spring practice sessions so far. AL.com's Peter Rauterkus named the former Saraland Spartans star as one of his "5 Auburn players who have improved their stock this spring."
It was guarded optimism, but Rauterkus implied that Spencer is on the track to being a somewhat featured weapon for USF Bulls transfer quarterback Byrum Brown, and Joel Gordon and Alex Golesh's imported offense from Tampa.
Best yet, Rauterkus relayed special teams reps as a punt returner, and potentially a different role in the return game.
Per Rauterkus, "Spencer was one of three true freshman wideouts Auburn signed this offseason, but might be the most likely to earn early playing time. The Alabama native starred at in-state powerhouse Saraland High School and he caught Golesh’s eye early in spring ball. That has earned him some first-team reps this spring, which is impressive considering the other players in Auburn’s receiver room. Spencer is also getting reps at punt returner, and his speed could give him a role on special teams. True freshmen who break out during spring ball don’t always end up playing right away in the fall, but Spencer’s early development is a promising sign for Auburn’s receiver corps."
In a short time period, Spencer has earned recognition for how well he's adapted to the speed of the college game. We'll see if he gets a featured role in the offense this Saturday during the A-Day spring game's return, the first with Golesh as head coach.
DeShawn Spencer was one of Alex Golesh's first flips
Spencer never committed to Freeze, having chosen Manny Diaz's Duke Blue Devils. Just two days after Golesh was hired, and a day before early signing day, though, Spencer flipped to his home state Tigers.
We'll see how quickly Spencer's choice pays off. He probably had a good chance to start in Durham, but it'd undoubtedly be sweeter to start in Sweet Home, especially while potentially helping to lead the gridiron Renaissance on the Plains.
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