What we learned from the second practice of Auburn football fall camp

Two true freshmen turn more heads during the veterans practice as the offense gets creative and the defense brings the thunder on a hot Saturday morning in Auburn.

RB Tank Bigsby (Alex Keller/Auburn Athletics)

It doesn’t take long to see it on the practice field — the players who aren’t household names just yet, but they’re carrying themselves like they are.

Sometimes, it’s a brand-new transfer who was specifically recruited to fill a need. Other times, it’s a young player who was heavily hyped during the recruiting process but hasn’t broken out just yet. And sometimes it’s a true freshman who arrived on campus ready to make an instant impact.

A few of those have already emerged during the first couple of days of Auburn football fall camp, which continued Saturday morning. And there’s one thing all of those players have in common — confidence.

That’s the name of the game for Kilian Zierer, a former JUCO star who had to overcome a massive knee injury, a sudden coaching change and two seasons of being mostly on the sidelines. But you wouldn’t be able to tell that, judging by how he’s handling a lot of first-team reps at left tackle in practices.

“I think I’ve finally got my confidence back after injuries and not playing for about two years,” Zierer said. “Getting back in the game and not knowing how it’s going to go, playing and starting a couple of games and seeing that I can play in this league — that kind of gave me my confidence back.”

This is the time of year to build that confidence, whether you’re a veteran trying to finally break through like Zierer and Kameron Stutts or a number of newcomers who could be difference-makers for an Auburn team that needs them this fall.

Let’s start these Observations from the second practice of fall camp by highlighting two players who are in that latter category. And if you missed Friday afternoon’s practice report, click the button below.

(Note: Remember, if you don’t see a player named, they’re probably going in the rookies practice later in the day. We can’t comment on specific injury absences, but Auburn is still healthy right now.)