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4 Auburn WRs who emerged behind Duke Williams during spring
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Auburn has become known for its explosive offense during the brief two-year tenure of head coach Gus Malzahn, and that trend is expected to continue in 2015.
However, unlike Malzahn’s first two years on the job when he produced the SEC’s leading rusher in consecutive seasons, this year’s Auburn team is likely to move the ball through the air more than ever before. Jeremy Johnson was recently announced as the team’s starting quarterback, and the strong-armed signal caller appears ready to spread the ball around this fall more than Nick Marshall was ever asked to.
The Tigers also return star wideout D’haquille Williams, perhaps the best receiver in the conference. Williams will certainly make Johnson’s job easier, but what about the other wideouts on the team? Who will fill the remaining roles on the offense to complement Williams and improve the unit as a whole?
Here are four players expected to shine in larger roles for the Tigers this season:
1. Ricardo Louis: As a senior, Louis is the Tigers’ most experienced receiver behind Williams. In fact, he’s even more experienced than Williams, who is also a senior but transferred into Auburn’s program from the junior college ranks.
For his career he’s been a big-play receiver (he’s the wideout who caught the Prayer at Jordan-Hare) who has lacked consistency and battled drops during the last three years. However, Louis has been adamant this spring that he’s working on improving his consistency in an effort to assume the starting job left vacant by Sammie Coates, who was also seen as an inconsistent, big-play wideout during his days at Auburn.
Louis is likely to play a larger role in the offense this fall, and with his experience and his explosive abilities he could be the perfect complement to Williams, who will attract attention from opposing defenses on every snap. If Louis can burn single coverage, it will really put defenses in a bind in 2015.
2. Marcus Davis: As a rising junior, Davis is on track to make a leap from athletic role player to regular contributor in Auburn’s offense. He’s the top candidate to fill Quan Bray’s old role as slot receiver and punt returner now that Bray has graduated from AU.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Davis has straight line speed and makes quick cuts when the ball is in his hands, which makes him a dangerous threat in the open field. That’s why he’s expected to shine as the slot man and punt returner, two roles that allow streaky, shifty runners like Davis to play to their strengths in the middle of the field.
“Marcus Davis is one of the more reliable players we have on offense,” Malzahn told AL.com earlier this spring. “He just does a lot of things right. He’s made some big plays for us and I really believe this will be his year to take that next step.”
He has earned the trust of his head coach, and he could be the secret weapon of the passing game if he continues down the path he’s been on throughout the spring.
3. Myron Burton: After redshirting as a true freshman last season, Burton had a coming out party of sorts during Auburn’s A-Day spring game last weekend, winning offensive MVP at the end of the game. He led all pass-catchers with seven receptions for 124 yards (17.7 yards per catch) and a touchdown on the day, and he amassed those numbers while playing for both teams and multiple quarterbacks throughout the game.
Burton may have just had an uncharacteristically good day that day, but he may be the hidden gem of the offense. He’s certainly not hidden anymore, and it appears the only thing holding him back is a lack of experience, something Auburn has tried to remedy during last winter’s bowl preparation season and the spring.
“He’s had a lot of reps this spring,” Malzahn told AL.com. “He’s made some plays. He just needs more experience.”
If Burton can continue to develop and build off of his A-Day showing, he could find himself on the field this fall in certain situations or spread packages.
4. Jason Smith (wild card): Smith is the wild card of this group as a four-star dual-threat quarterback who transferred to Auburn from junior college during the past recruiting cycle. He arrived on campus hoping to fill a similar role to departed quarterback Nick Marshall, who maintained a similar build and similar tools at the quarterback position.
But that spot has been locked down by Johnson since the end of last season, and Smith was eventually moved mid-spring to wide receiver, where he’s continuing to improve despite his abbreviated timeline at the position.
He caught three balls on A-Day but only amassed four yards on those completions, which is obviously less than desirable. Still, Smith is a player with incredible speed who can stretch the field and can attack defenses from the slot.
“I got more comfortable than I thought I would be,” Smith told John Zenor of the Associated Press. “Running routes, that’s something that I can pick up kind of easy. Catching the ball is just natural.”
If he continues to improve and impress at receiver, it seems likely Malzahn will find unique ways to utilize his star athlete, especially considering he only has two years as a Tiger.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
