What we saw at Auburn football practice: Notes, observations from fall camp

[ASFN Admin]

AUBURN — The energy was certainly palpable on the first day of Auburn football's preseason practice, and the Tigers kept it up for the second day.

That was evidenced from the start of its public viewing window for practice on Thursday, Aug. 6, began. Quarterbacks were shoulder-bumping linebackers mid-air, and assistant coaches were dancing with players, set to the of rapper Young Joc's "It's Goin' Down" to start a pre-practice stretching period.

Here's what we saw from Day 2 of Auburn's latest preseason period, including a handful of health updates, as well as rotational observations and other takeaways.

Auburn football practice notes from August 6​

• The biggest injury update from Thursday was that not much had changed. Wide receiver Christian Neptune and safety Sylvester Smith-Reed remained the only players in non-contact protocol. Safety An'Quon Fegans and cornerback Shamar Arnoux remained sidelined, doing rehab work, and defensive lineman Corey Wells was spotted with them.
• Speaking of Wells, the Texas flip looks every part of his roster listing, at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds as a true freshman. That makes him the fourth-heaviest defensive lineman on Auburn's roster. Both a late arrival and on the mend from injury, it's unclear how soon Wells will see the field. Point being, his size is imposing.
• Auburn's defense started its practice some a unit-wide pursuit drill. This was how the first rotation broke down:
  • DL: Darrion Smith, Dallas Walker IV, Walter Mathis Jr.
  • EDGE: Joe Phillips
  • LB: Xavier Atkins, Elijah Melendez
  • CB: Gavin Jenkins, Andre Jordan Jr.
  • S: Kaleb Harris, Eric Winters, Champ Anthony (STAR)
• Team- or unit-wide drills, especially this early in the preseason, aren't always an indicator of who will start when the games begin, but it was certainly notable to see Gavin Jenkins running with the opening set of defenders. Some other defenders who saw the field, just not with the first rotation: DE Da'Shawn Womack (second rotation); CB Rayshawn Pleasant (second); S Fred Gaskin III (second); LB De'Marcus Riddick (second); DL Cody Sigler (third)
• There was some positional swapping for Auburn's defense throughout individual drills Thursday. Jared Smith and Nate Johnson primarily worked with defensive line instead of edge rushers, and Womack worked with the edge group instead of the D-Line.
• It was a similar case in the secondary, as Champ Anthony worked largely at cornerback, and he was often one of the first two up in the rotation.
• Another rotational note: Elijah Melendez was first in line for virtually every individual linebacker drill, ahead of Xavier Atkins.
• Here's a rundown of scouts we've seen in attendance the last two days: Denver Broncos; Indianapolis Colts; Las Vegas Raiders; New York Jets; Philadelphia Eagles

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: What we saw at Auburn football practice: Notes, observations from fall camp

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