Overview

• AL.com projects Jackson Arnold as the Week 1 starter, with coaches leaning into quarterback mobility and Ashton Daniels and Deuce Knight backing him up.
• Receiver depth looks strong with Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton Jr. and Horatio Fields, as coaches say Fields has flashed, and the running back rotation remains open with Damari Alston currently favored.
• Placekicker is unsettled as Alex McPherson and Towns McGough continue to compete, and the staff may deploy multiple specialists even as AL.com lists McPherson as the frontrunner.
• Defensive coaches are emphasizing takeaways after last season’s SEC-worst minus-nine turnover margin and are installing multiple pass-rush looks under coordinator DJ Durkin.
• Recruiting buzz includes a Steve Wiltfong projection that 5-star safety Bralan Womack could choose Auburn, and AL.com identifies season-defining tests at Baylor on Aug. 29, at Oklahoma, at Texas A&M, at Vanderbilt, and the Iron Bowl.