Three Things to Look For in Auburn’s A-Day Spring Game

The Auburn Tigers are a few weeks out from the annual spring game, but it's never too early to start a checklist for it

Here are three key things to look out for when the A-Day game arrives | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers will have their spring game April 12. With many new additions already, it seemed like it was Christmas for the Tigers with how well the transfer portal and the new high school recruits on paper. As they continue to get ready, here are three things Tigers fans should pay attention to in the spring game.

 Arnold’s Chemistry With His Wide Receivers

A standout addition is transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold. The new Tiger quarterback is the frontrunner for the starting job. Arnold will get the full complement of receivers Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton Jr. and Horatio Fields. The real question will be how long will it take for these four to gel as a unit. None of these four played on the same team last season. Despite that, they all have a lot of promise. 

Last season, Coleman was the Tigers’ second-leading receiver in terms of yardage. He finished with 37 catches, 594 yards and eight touchdown catches. Singleton Jr. played at Georgia Tech last season. He finished 2024 with 56 grabs for 754 yards and three touchdowns. These two in particular have very similar playstyles. They both are acrobatic ball hawks. Jackson Arnold will enjoy these two receivers as they can go up and make any catch. Horatio Fields was at Wake Forest in 2024. His final stats included 39 catches, 463 yards and four scores. These three are expected to be the starters headed into spring.

Which Running Back Emerges as Early Favorite to Be Starter

Auburn, for the first time in two years, has a dilemma. Star running back Jarquez Hunter is graduating and is headed to the 2025 NFL Draft. With Hunter moving on, his job is up for grabs. There are three candidates for the job. Firstly, senior Damari Alston was the lead backup to Hunter. He ran the ball just 52 times for 276 yards and three touchdowns. However, with more touches, it can be argued that Alston would be a suitable replacement for the departing Hunter. 

The other running backs that will be competing for carries are Jeremiah Cobb and UConn transfer Durrell Robinson. Cobb was the Tigers’ third running back last season. He carried the ball just 29 times for 142 yards. Robinson, on the other hand, had 731 yards and eight touchdowns as a redshirt freshman at UConn. He could be seen as the possible No. 2 option or even the main back if he outperforms Alston. The last one to note is true freshman Alvin Henderson. Henderson had 10,923 yards on 748 carries in his career with 202 total touchdowns. With his countless awards, it would be terrible to keep him out of the discussion.

Look for Defensive Leaders to Step Up

With Eugene Asante and Jalen McLeod graduating and heading to the draft, the defense will need a new set of leaders. It won’t be surprising if those who were mentored by the players mentioned above will be leading next year. Those players include linebacker Demarcus Riddick who Eugene Asante said he could see being a fantastic leader as well as being at the NFL Combine one day. Kaleb Harris was also leading from day one. As a freshman, Harris was thrust into the starting secondary and he made 44 tackles in 2024. 

With several new freshmen on the way from a new top-10 recruiting class thanks to head coach Hugh Freeze, these younger players will have to step up and show the new players how it's done.