Tar'varish Dawson Jr. is primed to breakout in 2022
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Auburn’s receiving corps is one of the biggest question marks going into the 2022 football season.
For Auburn’s offense to thrive against the best defenses college football has to offer in the SEC, the Tigers will need somebody in the receiver room to have a break-out season. From what we know about spring practice, Tar'varish Dawson could be that guy. Dawson, who was a 4-star recruit out of high school, is entering his redshirt freshman season and had an excellent spring.
Reasons for Breakout
Dawson is a speed demon. In high school, he ran a 10.58 second 100-meter dash and we have already seen this speed translate to the field as well. In the Birmingham bowl Dawson ran by a Houston cornerback like he was standing still only to have the ball overthrown, and in A-day Dawson got separation deep downfield vs. the nickel, and TJ Finley threw him a great ball only to be dropped.
Dawson has also been described as a playmaker by the coaching staff this spring. Dawson is listed as 5-foot-10, 161 pounds, so look for the coaching staff to get him the ball in creative ways. Whether that be used in the slot to avoid press coverage, speed sweeps to get him on the edge as we saw on A-day, or in condensed sets on jet sweep plays as we also saw in the spring game.
If it doesn’t happen this year
The main knock on Dawson has been his drops, and we saw evidence in the spring game. Dawson is also slightly underweight right now, although he appears to have long arms and legs. He may need another year to put on weight before he is ready to truly start taking over games as a breakout receiver.
However, if Dawson can limit drops, continue to grow in the offense, and if the offensive staff can find creative ways to get him the ball in space then Auburn could have a true game-changer on the outside. Auburn needs a receiver to step up and be ready for the big moments and Tarvarish Dawson could be that guy.
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