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The start of Auburn's highly-anticipated fall camp finally arrived Friday morning with the first of two practice sessions. The Tigers are splitting up the work between the veterans and the newcomers to open the 25-practice camp in preparation for their season opener on Sept. 4. The media was allowed to watch roughly 20 minutes of Friday's opening session. Here were the biggest takeaways from what we saw: The Tigers' sported an interesting front five on the offensive line Friday. Auburn's first-team offensive line consisted of left tackle Austin Troxell, left guard Tashawn Manning, center Nick Brahms, right guard Brandon Council and right tackle Brodarius Hamm. There was plenty of movement among those players as practice continued, as Hamm and Manning also ran with the second teamers alongside right guard Kameron Stutts, center Avery Jernigan and left tackle Kilian Zierer.

Council's status entering fall camp was one of the major questions surrounding the Tigers. A transfer from Akron, Council worked his way into a starting role in 2020 before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Ole Miss on Oct. 24. Council's offseason later included shoulder surgery. Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin spoke about Council's availability on Thursday. "He's not limited out there at practice. I think we understand that he hasn't had the amount of practice time that other guys have, so he's going to go. He's going to be able to go out there and cut loose," Harsin said. "We're going to have to do a good job of allowing him to build into a few things that he hasn't done in a while. Other than that, it's really kind of based on how he feels and how he looks, how he responds after each practice." - Opelika-Auburn News

(DS#53 OG) rSr/2023

OG Brandon Council, Auburn
News Source: Opelika-Auburn News
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08/09/21 - Brandon Council, rSr/2023, Auburn, 6-3, 302 (DS#53 OG) + More +

One of Auburn's most experienced and consistent offensive linemen will have no limitations in practice when the team opens fall camp Friday. Brandon Council has been fully cleared to practice this fall, according to head coach Bryan Harsin. Council was sidelined this spring while recovering from a tore ACL he sustained midway through last season, as well as an offseason shoulder issue. "As far as Council goes, he's not limited out there at practice," Harsin said. "… He's going to be able to go out there and cut loose. We're going to have to do a good job of allowing him to build into a few things that he hasn't done in a while. Other than that, it's really kind of based on how he feels and how he looks, how he responds after each practice, what his recovery time is." Council's return without limitations is promising news for Auburn up front, and how quickly he returns to form could hold the key to unlocking the Tigers' best five-man lineup along the offensive line. - Birmingham News

(DS#53 OG) rSr/2023

OG Brandon Council, Auburn
News Source: Birmingham News
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08/08/21 - Elijah McAllister, rSr/2024, Auburn, 6-7, 271 (DS#74 DE) + More +

Senior linebacker Elijah McAllister showed promise during his sophomore year in 2019. He was second on the team with 2.5 sacks and fifth with 4.5 tackles for loss (with 34 yards of lost yardage, second on the team). But he missed the entire 2020 season with an injury. If he can stay healthy, he has the ability to wreak havoc on the edge. - Tennessean

(DS#74 DE) rSr/2024

DE Elijah McAllister, Auburn
News Source: Tennessean
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08/07/21 - Demetris Robertson, rSr/2022, Auburn, 6-0, 183 (DS#47 WR) + More +

Auburn added 10 players through the transfer portal this offseason, but one of those additions has yet to arrive on campus as the team reports for the start of fall camp. Former Georgia wide receiver Demetris Robertson has not yet joined the team, Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said Thursday, but that is expected to change imminently. According to Harsin, Robertson is still wrapping up a few thing from an academic standpoint to finish up his undergraduate degree at Georgia. Harsin said the former five-star prospect could arrive on the Plains as early as Friday when the Tigers hit the field for their first of 25 fall practices. That means that, while he has yet to report to the team, Robertson could still conceivably not miss a practice with his new team.

"In his situation, he will (be at Auburn)," Harsin said. "He's right there. No, he's going to be here today, but he's very close, I'll just say that.... Just from an academic standpoint, making sure we have everything all buttoned up and good to go once he gets here. We anticipate that to be very soon, hopefully tomorrow, and have him out there for practice. If not, the next couple days. "But he's close, he's been working hard, he's staying on top of it. I appreciate that about him. It's very important to him. He's an older player, he's mature. So those things - we all feel very good. But like everybody, we just want to get him here and get him started as fast as possible. We're hoping that tomorrow we'll get a chance to do that." - Birmingham News

(DS#47 WR) rSr/2022

WR Demetris Robertson, Auburn
News Source: Birmingham News
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08/05/21 - Jaylin Simpson, rSr/2024, Auburn, 6-0, 179 (DS#7 FS) + More +

Auburn's secondary could be the toughest group to project from a personnel standpoint just because of what the team brings back in terms of returning production and what it added this offseason. Senior Smoke Monday is all but assured of locking down one of the starting safety spots, while the same can be said for senior Roger McCreary at corner. The other three main positions at safety, corner and nickel should be up for grabs in fall camp, and there is no shortage of options for the Tigers at each spot.

Nehemiah Pritchett and Jaylin Simpson both saw ample playing time at corner last season, with Simpson earning the starting job in fall camp but Pritchett starting every game but the season opener opposite McCreary due to an early-season injury sustained by Simpson. Those two will be competing for the job with West Virginia transfer Dreshun Miller, who led the Mountainers' top-ranked pass defense with eight pass breakups last season. JUCO transfer Ro Torrence, another one of Auburn's offseason additions, could work his way into the rotation as well. Simpson ended spring practices as the projected starter at corner, but that was before Miller arrived on campus. Pritchett can also move inside and play nickel, and if he doesn't lock down a spot at corner, he could be one of several options in the slot for Auburn, as Zion Puckett and Ladarius Tennison - who spent the spring working mostly at safety - as well as JUCO transfer Bydarrius Knighten are all capable of competing for reps there. - Birmingham News

(DS#7 FS) rSr/2024

FS Jaylin Simpson, Auburn
News Source: Birmingham News
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08/04/21 - Demetris Robertson, rSr/2022, Auburn, 6-0, 183 (DS#47 WR) + More +

Auburn added three transfers from SEC schools this offseason, but Robertson is the one who likely has the best chance to play a significant role this season. Robertson showed flashes during his three years at Georgia but never lived up to the hype created by his freshman season at California in 2016, when he earned Freshman All-American honors after reeling in 50 passes for 767 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He left the Bulldogs this offseason after recording 42 receptions for 443 yards and three touchdowns over three seasons.

Robertson joins an Auburn receiving corps totally lacking experience; the returning leaders in receptions from last fall are Kobe Hudson and Ze'Vian Capers, who each had seven over 11 games as true freshmen. The Tigers do have talent at the position, but there's a clear window for Robertson to step in and use his standout speed to earn considerable playing time. - Opelika-Auburn News

(DS#47 WR) rSr/2022

WR Demetris Robertson, Auburn
News Source: Opelika-Auburn News
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08/03/21 - John Samuel Shenker, rSr/2023, Auburn, 6-3, 242 (DS#39 TE) + More +

Production from the tight end position has been scant at Auburn in recent years, as the Tigers haven't had a tight end finish the season with at least 10 receptions since 2014, when C.J. Uzomah had 11 catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Shenker came closest to that mark last year, when he had nine catches for 97 yards-but that production paled in comparison to what tight ends have done in Harsin's offenses.

In each of Harsin's seven seasons as head coach at Boise State, the Broncos had two tight ends finish with double-digit receptions. During his tenure, the Broncos also produced four tight ends who finished a season with at least 20 catches, three of whom eclipsed the 30-catch mark in a season. That's the kind of involvement Auburn could expect to see from the position this fall. It's just a matter of who will be the biggest beneficiary of it. Shenker returns as the Tigers' most experienced player at the position, with 36 games and 14 starts under his belt. He spent the spring focusing most of his time on baseball, but he will factor into the starting role for the Tigers this fall. - Birmingham News

(DS#39 TE) rSr/2023

TE John Samuel Shenker, Auburn
News Source: Birmingham News
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08/01/21 - *Tank Bigsby, Jr/2023, Auburn, 6-0, 215 (DS#8 RB) + More +

Seven Auburn players were named to preseason watch lists for 13 different national college football awards over the last 12 days as the 2021 season inches closer and closer. Leading the way among preseason nominees was running back Tank Bigsby, who landed on four different watch lists. The sophomore, who last week picked up preseason first-team All-SEC honors, was named to the watch lists for the Doak Walker Award for nation's top running back, the Hornung Award for nation's most versatile player, Walter Camp Award for player of the year and Maxwell Award for player of the year. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix was also named to the Maxwell Award watch list. Bigsby is coming off an impressive freshman campaign in which he rushed for 834 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 6.04 yards per carry and added another 306 yards on kickoff returns. He is widely regarded as one of the top running backs in college football entering his sophomore season. - Birmingham News

(DS#8 RB) Jr/2023

RB *Tank Bigsby, Auburn
News Source: Birmingham News
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07/28/21 - Jay Hardy, rSr/2026, Auburn, 6-3, 317 (DS#108 DT) + More +

Former Auburn defensive lineman Jay Hardy is heading to Liberty. The former four-star prospect, who entered the transfer portal May 3, announced on his Instagram account that he will be transferring to Liberty. Hardy appeared in just one game last season -- Auburn's season-ending loss to Northwestern in the Citrus Bowl -- and while he went through spring practices with the Tigers, he was one of several players who did not participate in A-Day. Hardy, originally from Chattanooga, Tenn., was rated as the No. 101 overall prospect in the 2020 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-4, 299-pounder was considered the No. 13 defensive tackle in the nation coming out of high school and the third-best player from Tennessee. - Birmingham News

(DS#108 DT) rSr/2026

DT Jay Hardy, Auburn
News Source: Birmingham News
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07/28/21 - Morris Joseph Jr., rSr/2023, Auburn, 6-1, 280 (DS#88 DT) + More +

How good can Morris Joseph be for Memphis this season? Ask coach Ryan Silverfield and there's a high ceiling for Joseph's potential. "I truly believe Morris Joseph has a chance to be the best defensive linemen in this conference," Silverfield said in March. The praise was well earned after Joseph had seven sacks last season, tied for the most of any returning AAC player. It was a breakout season for the junior, who finished with 10 1/2 tackles for loss. He didn't practice in the spring due to a shoulder injury. Now that he's healthy, he'll need to meet Silverfield's lofty expectations after Memphis lost two longtime stalwarts on the defensive line. - Memphis Commercial Appeal

(DS#88 DT) rSr/2023

DT Morris Joseph Jr., Auburn
News Source: Memphis Commercial Appeal
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07/26/21 - *Tank Bigsby, Jr/2023, Auburn, 6-0, 215 (DS#8 RB) + More +

Auburn fans know Tank Bigsby has the potential to be a star. The word's getting out among the SEC media. Bigsby and veteran center Nick Brahms both earned first-team honors among the preseason All-SEC picks made by the media this week at SEC Media Days, leading the 10 Auburn selections. Linebacker Zakoby McClain and defensive back Smoke Monday were both named second-team picks. Bigsby was also listed as a second-team all-purpose pick. Auburn landed five third-team selections, namely Bo Nix on offense, Derick Hall, Owen Pappoe and Roger McCreary on defense, and kicker Anders Carlson on special teams. Rival Alabama led the way in preseason All-SEC voting with 16 representatives making the team, including eight on the first-team. Auburn tied Georgia for the second-most total selections with 10. Texas A&M had seven. - Opelika-Auburn News

(DS#8 RB) Jr/2023

RB *Tank Bigsby, Auburn
News Source: Opelika-Auburn News
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07/25/21 - Owen Pappoe, Sr/2023, Auburn, 6-0, 225 (DS#5 ILB) + More +

Now, with his junior season quickly approaching, Pappoe has a newfound sense of self-assurance. "I actually was talking to my dad about this earlier this week: It's just finally found that confidence that I needed to go out there and make plays," Pappoe said on Thursday at SEC Media Days. "I feel my confidence is through the roof. I feel really it's a different energy coming in this off-season from preparation, film study, and all that. "I'm really excited to see what happens this season, and I feel really good about it." Pappoe's confidence was evident going back to Auburn's coaching change this offseason. Harsin told reporters Thursday that Pappoe was one of the first players to meet him once he got to Auburn and settled in as the Tigers' new head coach. Harsin said he was immediately struck by Pappoe's professionalism, and the moment demonstrated to Harsin the type of leader he had on the Tigers' defense.

"Guys respect him. He does things right," Harsin said. "I'm excited about Owen. Owen's a guy that I have tremendous respect for. If anybody is going to represent our program, Owen Pappoe is going to be one of them. He'll do a great job today [at Media Days]. He'll answer honestly. He's a good man and he's going to be a hell of a player for us this year, there's no doubt about it. "He's one of the reasons why I feel like our team has made the decision to continue to keep improving and growing and doing the things we're asking them to do because we've got some leadership on our team from guys like him." - Opelika-Auburn News

(DS#5 ILB) Sr/2023

ILB Owen Pappoe, Auburn
News Source: Opelika-Auburn News
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07/22/21 - Demetris Robertson, rSr/2022, Auburn, 6-0, 183 (DS#47 WR) + More +

Smart also recruited Robertson to Georgia after being named the Bulldogs' head coach after the 2015 season, and the former five-star receiver took an official visit to Georgia that spring before ultimately signing with Cal and heading out west. The two rekindled their bond three summers ago, when Robertson transferred from Cal following the 2017 season and signed with Smart's Georgia team. Over the last three years, the 6-foot, 190-pound receiver has appeared in 32 games for the Bulldogs, catching 42 passes for 443 yards and three touchdowns, adding another 161 yards rushing and one score on 10 carries. During the 2019 season, Robertson was Georgia's third-leading receiver, but he was never able to replicate the success he had during his freshman year at Cal, when he caught 50 passes for 767 yards and seven touchdowns while earning Freshman All-America honors.

After entering the transfer portal once more in June, Robertson committed to Auburn on July 8. Now, he'll have one more chance to try to live up to those five-star expectations, bringing a needed veteran presence to an Auburn receiving corps that is replacing its top-three receivers from last season. "(Robertson is) a good friend of mine and a great player," Georgia quarterback JT Daniels said. "I can't say enough good about D-Rob. Since he's been here, he and I have been good friends and really close. He's a good person, a great player…. I don't think anybody at Georgia will tell you anything other than we wish the best for him." - Birmingham News

(DS#47 WR) rSr/2022

WR Demetris Robertson, Auburn
News Source: Birmingham News
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07/07/21 - Demetris Robertson, rSr/2022, Auburn, 6-0, 183 (DS#47 WR) + More +

After three years catching passes at Georgia, Demetris Robertson will be heading across to border to play for Bryan Harsin and his Auburn Tigers. The former Bulldog announced his decision to spend his final year of eligibility at Auburn via Twitter Thursday morning. "Thank you Georgia from the bottom of my heart for everything," Robertson wrote. "With that being said, I have decided to use my last year of eligibility at... Auburn University! I can't wait to get to work." At Georgia, Robertson played in 32 of 38 games from 2018-2020.

In his first season, Robertson only recorded rushing yards. However, his 2019 season was the strongest season he had at Georgia. He made 30 catches for 333 yards, the third-best on the team. Robertson finished out his time at Georgia with 12 catches for 110 yards in 2020. Two of Robertson's catches in 2020 came in Georgia's 27-6 win over Auburn. Prior to his transfer to his home state college, UGA, Robertson played at California. He picked up freshman All-American honors in 2016 after making 50 catches for 767 yards and seven touchdowns, the second-best on the team. The following season, he started the first two games but had to medically redshirt the rest of the season. - Birmingham News

(DS#47 WR) rSr/2022

WR Demetris Robertson, Auburn
News Source: Birmingham News
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06/05/21 - D.J. James, rSr/2024, Auburn, 6-0, 181 (DS#11 CB) + More +

In many ways, DJ James is exactly on schedule. Oregon was expecting to have Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir back in 2020 and Mykael Wright and James to serve as their respective understudies before taking over this fall. Half that plan proved accurate after both starters opted out but Lenoir returned for the short season and probably ensured his selection in the NFL draft in the process. James got an increase in reps and closed the season out strong with some crucial plays in the Pac-12 championship game and Fiesta Bowl.

Now he'll be a starter on the boundary side and go through the same process Wright did as a first-year starter last season. "I'm excited for the opportunity," James said. "I feel I've been talked to, coached into this position that I'm about to acquire. I feel that I'm ready for it, my coaches will have me ready for it and I'm going to take over the opportunity and enjoy it." Mario Cristobal's take: "DJ James, he's a bigger guy than what you would think. He's a 6-foot-and-a-half, 6-foot-1 guy that can run, can bend, come out of his hips. He can play the boundary, he can play the field, can play man coverage, drop back there in zone, run the alley, make plays, get guys on the ground." - The Oregonian

(DS#11 CB) rSr/2024

CB D.J. James, Auburn
News Source: The Oregonian
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