Aubserver Mailbag 163: Where will all of the pieces fit at receiver?

This week: Portal talk, the running game, the Super League, Auburn's frontcourt, luck, baseball trash talk and the return of Tacorita

WR Cam Coleman (Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)

Welcome back to the traditional time slot for the Aubserver Mailbag.

We’ve got plenty to talk about with Auburn football and men’s basketball, so I’m not going to delay any of it with a long intro.

Thanks for reading and listening to everything we’re doing here at The Observer — this has been a fun spring in terms of football access, basketball action and subscriber growth. I can’t thank y’all enough for the support, especially as someone who bought a house this week.

Let’s go.

What’s your best guess at the WR players and positions? XYZ, slot, flanker, call them what you will. Interested in seeing where Cam Coleman, Sam Jackson, Robert Lewis, etc. fit.

Vin

Auburn’s base offense usually has three wide receivers on the field at the same time. The first is a split end/X, which was called a “9” back in the Gus Malzahn days. The second is a flanker/Z, which used to be a “2.” The third is a slot receiver/Y, which was sometimes called a “3” when it wasn’t an H-back.

Versatility is important for any offense, and there are certain formations where players might line up in different spots. Sometimes you might see a split end occupy a big slot position. Receivers can motion into and out of the backfield, or even start a play standing right next to a quarterback. And, of course, there are receivers who have the ability to play multiple roles.

I like to think of receivers in three different groups, and it’s similar to what you see on the offensive line. There are outside players, there are inside players, and there are swing players who can move inside or outside. These aren’t hard-and-fast rules or definitions, either. Injuries elsewhere can move receivers around, as we’ve seen this spring at Auburn.

With all of that in mind, here’s where I see all 10 of Auburn’s scholarship receivers, from oldest to youngest:

• Koy Moore: Outside/Inside — Moore started 2023 by playing more in the slot, but he eventually got most of his snaps out wide. At 6-foot-1 with a physical edge to his game, he’s a flanker who can sometimes kick inside.

• Robert Lewis: Outside/Inside — Lewis isn’t as tall as Moore, but he played more than 600 snaps out wide for Georgia State last season, compared to a little more than 100 in the slot. With the amount of smaller receivers on the roster, I would tend to view Lewis a little more as an outside guy because of his experience there.

• Camden Brown: Outside — He’s the definition of a split end: Tall, long and physical. He’ll slide to a big slot role at times, but his main spot is easy to identify.

• Jay Fair: Inside — Fair played 300-plus snaps in the slot compared to just 40 out wide in 2023. He’s got plenty of experience on the inside, so he’ll likely stay there.

• Sam Jackson V: Inside — I don’t know if I’ve seen him play much on the outside during spring ball. I would expect the Tigers to get creative with the former QB in 2024, using him in motion or even coming out of the backfield to make plays.

• Caleb Burton III: Outside/Inside — Burton played 100 snaps on the outside and 84 on the inside in 2024. I believe there’s a greater need for him out wide, and he’s got the ability to be a weapon there. But he’s ultimately a guy you just find ways to get on the field, no matter where it is.

• Cam Coleman: Outside — Don’t need to explain this one.

• Perry Thompson: Outside — We haven’t seen Thompson yet at Auburn — he’ll arrive in a couple of months — but he’s a lot like Coleman in terms of pure size.

• Bryce Cain: Inside — While he’s got the jets to get separation from anywhere, Cain is one of the lightest players on the team. He’s a burner in the slot right now.

• Malcolm Simmons: Outside/Inside — Simmons is a fantastic all-around athlete who is around the same height as Moore, so I think he projects into a similar role.

Put it all together, and here’s a rough estimate of who primarily fits where, with the receivers listed in alphabetical order:

• Split End/X: Camden Brown, Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson

• Flanker/Z: Caleb Burton III, Robert Lewis, Koy Moore, Malcolm Simmons

• Slot/Y: Bryce Cain, Jay Fair, Sam Jackson V

And, again, you might see some flankers line up in the slot, and you might see slots venture out wide. But I like the positional balance of this wide receiver crew. We’ll see if they can turn that promise and potential into stronger on-field production this fall.

Two football questions this week:

1. Coach Freeze has said that Auburn will be in the market for DL depth in the 2nd transfer portal. After watching spring practice, is there another position group where you could see them hit the portal market?

2. The running game returns almost everyone… how do you think it will look under Derrick Nix?

Bandit