Everything we saw and heard on Day 2 of Auburn fall camp

Friday's observations include a position battle to watch, high praise for a newcomer and some changes in the running back room.

CB Keionte Scott (Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)

While the second day of camp on the Plains didn’t feature nearly as long of a practice viewing window as the opener, it was an opportunity to speak with several Tigers for the first time this fall.

Media members were allowed to watch the 20-minute individual drill period during the middle of Friday morning’s practice — which was another absolute scorcher. There have been noticeably more hydration breaks through these first couple of days, and for good reason.

Here’s what we saw and heard on Friday at the Football Performance Center, ranging from a top position battle to watch to several relatively unknown players who are among the most impressive so far in practices.

In case you missed our observations from Day 1 of fall camp, you can check them out here. We also put out a premium podcast this morning talking all things practice, along with a couple of non-football Auburn topics.

S Caleb Wooden (Declan Greene/Auburn Tigers)

The closest — and perhaps most intriguing — position battle

If I had to pick Auburn’s 22 offensive and defensive starters for Week 1 against Alabama A&M, I would personally feel confident in at least 18 of them.

The vast majority of the position battles on the roster are happening in the second strings or lower. Those are important, because you need much more than just a starting lineup to play at a high level in the SEC. But it’s a testament to the amount of experience and familiarity that there just isn’t that much up for grabs in fall camp.

One of the notable exceptions can be found at safety. Jerrin “Bug” Thompson feels like a lock to start, as he’s been a first-teamer since he arrived from Texas this spring. (In practices, Thompson sometimes looks like a coach in pads, with the way he’s talking up his teammates.) But who will line up beside him?