What will Auburn football’s depth chart look like in season opener? Our final prediction

AUBURN — The time has come to predict Auburn football's opening-week depth chart.

Yes, including the quarterbacks.

After watching preseason practices and talking with Auburn coaches throughout the last month, here is our educated guess.

Quarterback

The starter: T.J. Finley, jr.

The reserves: Robby Ashford, r-fr.; Zach Calzada, so.

Against the odds, Finley has positioned himself to retain the starting job after Auburn brought in two Power Five transfers, seemingly in response to Finley's 0-3 record as the starter last season. Who's backup? Ashford had the stronger preseason than Calzada.

Running back

The starter: Tank Bigsby, jr.

The reserve: Jarquez Hunter, so.

It's Tank's world. Auburn is just living in it.

Receiver

The starters: Shedrick Jackson (X), sr.; Malcolm Johnson Jr. (Z), jr.; Tar'Varish Dawson (H), r-fr.

The reserves: Ja'Varrius Johnson (H), jr.; Camden Brown (X), fr.; Koy Moore (Z/H), so.; Ze'Vian Capers (X), jr.; Landen King (H), so.

Brown was a preseason darling whose hype should turn into rare freshman playing time. This position will blur the line between first and second string more than any other, especially with a variety of intriguing slot receivers.

Tight end

The starter: John Samuel Shenker, sr.

The reserves: Luke Deal, jr.; Tyler Fromm, jr.

Shenker is back after a record-setting season for an Auburn tight end in the passing game. Expect plenty of 12 personnel.

Offensive line

The starters: Kilian Zierer (LT), sr.; Brandon Council (LG), sr.; Tate Johnson (C), jr.; Keiondre Jones (RG), jr.; Austin Troxell (RT), sr.

The reserves: Brenden Coffey (LT), sr.; Kameron Stutts (LG), sr.; Avery Jernigan (C), so.; Jalil Irvin (RG), sr.; Alec Jackson (RT), sr.; Colby Smith (T), r-fr.; Jeremiah Wright (G), jr.

The injury to center Nick Brahms shakes up the dynamic, but Auburn still has an army of seniors. Left guard is the only lingering battle. The 2023 offensive line is the bigger concern at this point.

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Defensive line

The starters: Colby Wooden, jr.; Marcus Harris, jr.; Jayson Jones (nose), so.

The reserves: Morris Joseph Jr., sr.; Jeffrey M'ba, so.; Marquis Burks (nose), sr.

The Tigers won't have a nose tackle on the field as frequently as they'll set up in a nickel defense (2-4-5), but the 6-foot-6, 328-pound Jones is a perfect newcomer for that role when needed. Auburn's defensive front is stacked.

Edge

The starters: Derick Hall, sr.; Eku Leota, sr.

The reserves: Dylan Brooks, so.; Marcus Bragg, sr.

Hall and Leota both aspire to accumulate 10 sacks. They could pull it off after combining for 16 last season. Bragg (Western Kentucky) was a vital transfer addition and has practiced a bit with the defensive linemen.

Linebacker

The starters: Owen Pappoe, sr.; Cam Riley, jr.

The reserves: Wesley Steiner, jr.; Eugene Asante, jr.; Desmond Tisdol, jr.

Auburn fans, cross your fingers for a year of healthy Pappoe. The repeat team captain is one of the most talented linebackers in the SEC. Riley and Steiner form a solid rotating duo.

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Cornerback

The starters: Nehemiah Pritchett, jr.; Jaylin Simpson, jr.

The reserves: D.J. James, sr.; Keionte Scott, so.; Austin Ausberry, fr.; JaDarian Rhym, fr.

Pritchett and Simpson are Auburn's only experienced returners, so James (Oregon) was a welcomed addition. But depth is still shaky in a room that lost All-American Roger McCreary to the NFL. Rhym and Ausberry are two of Auburn's best 2022 signees, but they need time to develop.

Safety

The starter: Zion Puckett, jr.; Cayden Bridges, r-fr.

The reserves: Craig McDonald, so.; Marquise Gilbert, so.

Aside from Puckett, the safety group is a big question mark. Bridges has seemingly beat out transfer McDonald (Iowa State) in a position battle.

Nickel

The starter: Donovan Kaufman, jr.

The reserve: Keionte Scott, so.

When secondary coach Zac Etheridge was asked which defensive backs are working at nickel this season, he said, "All of them." That said, Kaufman is Auburn's most movable DB and will probably continue to take the majority of snaps in the slot.

Kicker

The starter: Anders Carlson, sr.

The reserve: Alex McPherson, fr.

Carlson spent the offseason recovering from an ACL tear suffered last November. The top kicking recruit in the country, McPherson, patiently waits behind him.

Punter

The starter: Oscar Chapman, jr.

The reserve: Marshall Meyers, so.

Chapman is one of the best returning punters in the country. Auburn hopes not to use him too much.

Returner

The starter: Ja'Varrius Johnson (punts), jr.; Nehemiah Pritchett (kickoffs), jr.

The reserves: Koy Moore, so.; Keionte Scott, jr.; Jarquez Hunter, so.

Auburn has experimented with several options. Best guess is Pritchett returns kickoffs and Johnson handles punts, the job he took over late last season.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football 2022: Our depth chart prediction, quarterback and all