Fall Camp 15: The Auburn football players we'll be watching closely
Before the Tigers return to the practice field next week, here are our picks for the players who could raise their stocks the most in camp.
AUBURN — One week from today, Auburn football will begin what should be its most exciting edition of fall camp in years: The first one under Alex Golesh.
There’s no denying that Golesh has brought some instant buzz to the Tigers, who are desperate to end their brutal streak of five straight losing seasons. After importing a lot of what made him successful at USF and rounding out a balanced roster with more additions, Auburn pivoted right off of spring practices into a red-hot summer for recruiting that has put it in a surprising top-10 position for the Class of 2027.
Auburn’s ultimate goal for the 2026 season is to build a sustainable foundation for years to come instead of chasing a specific win total. But it’s obvious that winning more games than it loses — while not easy with this schedule — is an attainable way for Golesh to show progress in Year 1.
The serious push towards that will begin next week, when Auburn returns to the practice field and goes on a month-long run toward the opener against Baylor in Atlanta. The Tigers will report to campus a week from Tuesday, with actual drills set to start Wednesday at the football performance center.
In years past, we’ve looked ahead to preseason practices here at The Observer by unveiling “The Fall Camp 15” — the 15 players that we’re watching the closest in August. It’s now time for the 2026 edition.
You won’t find a massive list of projected starters here. Those are obvious. Instead, we’re singling out players that we think could see their stocks shoot up in camp with good weeks of practice, leading to big roles and important spots on the depth chart.
Observer subscribers can read the entire list below. Those of you who haven’t joined yet can check out our first pick, then subscribe to read the rest. As a reminder, Observer prices will increase to $70/year or $7/month this weekend, so your best value is to buy your first whole year for $60 between now and August 1.
RB Omar Mabson II
While Jeremiah Cobb is the expected leader of the running back room as the only returning starter on offense, Auburn is going to need much more than just him to do what it wants to do on the ground. So with Bryson Washington working his way back to full speed and both Nykahi Davenport and Tae Meadows making the jump from the Group of Five, why not Mabson as the one to watch at the position in fall camp?
Mabson had a strong set of spring practices — his first at Auburn, as he reclassified last year before an early true freshman season — and physically looked the part of a workhorse SEC running back. He got plenty of praise for already being the best pass protection option in the room, and that should naturally get him some chances early.
The young Auburn High product could form a pretty lethal thunder-and-lightning combination with Cobb at the top of the Tigers’ running back rotation this season. He’s gotten even more buzz in summer workouts, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take fall camp as an opportunity to launch into a significant role in this offense.
