How much can Auburn buy into the DeShawn Spencer breakout?

The freshman slot from Saraland stole the show on A-Day. But how realistic is it for Spencer to have a role in this offense right away?

(Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)

AUBURN — The buzz for DeShawn Spencer at Auburn technically started before he even stepped on a field.

More than a month prior to the start of spring practices, Auburn receivers coach Kodi Burns — the former elite quarterback prospect who reinvented himself out wide, won a national championship and then built a coaching career at that position — was clearly excited about being able to snag Spencer at the last second.

Spencer hadn’t been a big-name recruit, even though he had put up more than 2,600 receiving yards and more than 40 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Saraland High School. The 247Sports Composite had him outside the top 25 players in the state of Alabama and the top 100 receivers in the country for the 2026 class.

But Burns liked what he saw out of Spencer, and for good reason. When Burns was with new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh at Tennessee, he had Velus Jones Jr. — another Saraland receiver who went on to become an All-SEC selection and a third-round pick in the NFL Draft. Saraland had also produced Ryan Coleman-Williams, the Alabama superstar wideout who Auburn had recruited heavily.

At USF, Burns hoped that Spencer would keep getting overlooked by the big programs. That didn’t happen, though, as he eventually committed to play in the power conferences at Duke. However, a second chance came in the form of Burns returning to his alma mater.

“I thought he was always one of the better slots in the country,” Burns said back in February. “I had an authentic relationship with him and his whole family. We thought we had a real chance. And we honestly did, at the end, at USF.

“Obviously, just the timing of everything where we get the job Sunday, right before Signing Day — and he’s here, and it makes sense, right? Because he wanted to be in this system that we run, this offense, but it’s obviously hard to turn down the SEC. Super excited to be able to work with him. Uber-talented.”

Less than two months later, Spencer made sure everyone who was inside Jordan-Hare Stadium or was following along with coverage online knew his name.

“I felt like I had an OK spring,” Spencer said after the A-Day Game last month. “I ain't feel like I was my best every day, so today was really important to me. I was like, ‘Whatever I've got to do, I'm going to leave it all out on the line,’ whether that's a big catch, competitive block, some type of way to create an explosive play.”

Spencer put on a show in his first appearance in front of fans at Auburn. He came down with nine catches for 93 yards in the A-Day Game, earning Offensive MVP honors. He had twice as many targets as the next-closest player and three times as many catches — even though he was surrounded by USF transfers at the position.

“He’s going to be a really good player here,” Golesh said. “This place means a lot to him. He came in here with the intent to go win a job, and he’s competed his tail off.”

Auburn closed spring practices with that buzz for Spencer turning to a full-on roar. There’s now plenty of excitement both internally and externally for the true freshman.

But a lot of fans can probably name past players who came on strongly in spring practices, only to have that hype fizzle out in the fall. There’s also a natural “buyer beware” element when it comes to true freshmen, especially ones on offense.

Yet there are reasons to believe in Spencer carving out a legitimate role in a new-look Auburn attack in 2026. He’s got the game, the pedigree and the coaching staff to turn into a real-deal Signing Day steal in his first season of college football.