Spring Practice Discussion Thread Week 1

[aubiefifty 16,695]

Eric Kiesau hopes his actions speak louder than words as Auburn's new OC

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-7 minutes

---

Eric Kiesau’s path from Boise State offensive coordinator two seasons ago to, now, Auburn’s new offensive coordinator, was an unconventional one.

It included a stint as an offensive analyst, a sudden midseason promotion to wide receivers coach and, most recently, a rise to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach following a whirlwind offseason overhaul of Bryan Harsin’s coaching staff entering Year 2.

Read more Auburn football: What Eric Kiesau, Jeff Schmedding said in first meeting with media at Auburn’s coordinators

Bryan Harsin on Auburn QB competition: “Their life’s a documentary right now”

Observations from Auburn’s first spring practice of 2022

“When I got here to where I am now, that evolution of how it all happened, it’s an exciting time,” Kiesau said Wednesday, speaking with the media for the first time since he arrived on the Plains a year ago.

As exciting as it may be — Kiesau’s first full-time opportunity as a Power 5 coordinator in a decade — it wasn’t the most likely of transitions. Prior to coming to Auburn as an offensive analyst last spring, Kiesau spent four seasons on Harsin’s staff at Boise State.

That included spending the 2019 season as the Broncos’ co-offensive coordinator before taking over sole coordinator responsibilities in 2020. That December, Auburn made a change at the top of its program, and at the end of a drawn-out and well-publicized search, athletics director Allen Greene emerged from a behind-the-scenes power struggle with Harsin as his next head coach.

When Harsin made the move from Boise State to Auburn, he brought with him several assistants, both on and off the field. Among them were Jeff Schmedding, the Broncos’ defensive coordinator who spent last season coaching the Tigers’ inside linebackers before being promoted to defensive coordinator in January, and tight ends coach Brad Bedell. He also brought strength coach Jeff Pitman and chief of staff Brad Larrondo.

Kiesau eventually joined as an analyst following several private conversations with Harsin. It was a move 2,100 miles across the country for, essentially, a demotion that paid him $120,000 for the year.

“I hope people see, because everyone can say a lot of words and lot things, but you look at people’s actions and so… basically going from one of the top guys in the program really to coming in as a bottom entry-level guy, if that doesn’t show people that I believe I believe in the vision and structure and what we’re doing as a program with Bryan Harsin, because everybody can say it. But I actually showed it.

“And I’m not trying to pat myself on the back at all. I’m saying that’s how much I believe in this program. That’s how much I believe in Coach Harsin. I believe in his vision. I believe in what we’re doing.”

Kiesau’s decision paid off. Four games into last season, he was promoted to wide receivers coach following the firing of first-year assistant Cornelius Williams. That decision wasn’t an ideal one, Harsin admitted, but one he felt needed to be done at that time. The receivers were struggling and did not seem to be progressing at the same rate as other positions within the office.

In stepped Kiesau, who had 13 prior years as a wide receivers coach on his resume. That included three seasons coaching the position on Harsin’s staff at Boise State. The transition, he said, was sudden but seamless. He knew the system. He knew the terminology. He already knew the other coaches on staff.

“I don’t want to say it was a natural progression,” Kiesau said. “It was a progression.”

After the season, Harsin parted ways with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo just one year into his three-year deal. The search for the next OC lasted nearly three weeks before Harsin tabbed Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach Austin Davis for the position. Davis was hired on Dec. 18, arrived on campus in January and then abruptly resigned due to personal reasons just 43 days after accepting the job.

Needing to hire his third coordinator in 13 months, Harsin — after emerging from a tumultuous early-February saga that saw the university launch an investigation into his handling of the program — looked inward. He promoted Kiesau, citing the program’s need for consistency and continuity from Year 1 to Year 2. Along with being elevated to offensive coordinator, Kiesau moved from receivers coach to quarterbacks coach, where he will work in tandem with Harsin to develop the position and identify Auburn’s next starting quarterback.

Now the two hope they can create the same type of offensive success they experienced together at Boise State. The work began this week as spring practice got underway.

“I know his direction and his core beliefs, and what we want to do offensively,” Kiesau said. “The direction we want to go, it’s not necessarily going to be two different philosophies. It’s more of me just kind of putting it all together, moving forward, things we did at Boise. And also, we’re going to grow on that, as well, and continue to add new things we need to implement to help our personnel we have year — because the personnel is very different, obviously.

“But I think you’ll see a lot of similarities, and that’s why it was an easy transition going from receivers to coordinator with Coach Harsin — because we do have that background.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[au302 2,669]

Some of our trench guys look way bigger in these clips. Eku, Marcus Harris, and Z. Walker all look way different for the better. Colby Smith and Zierer look like SEC tackles. Coffey looks well put together despite still being listed at under 300

[oracle79 3,569]

23 hours ago, Sizzle said:

What the hell happened to Owen?

I would have held him out regardless to make sure he is 100% healthy and not risk any more injury during spring since he has proven himself and knows the scheme. He should be out there in shorts taking mental reps and coaching up the other LB'ers though.

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

16 hours ago, Sizzle said:

 

I bet we will see Cam Riley there some with added wait and height he might be a good fi. That said we don't really have enough LB depth either.

[Didba 5,256]

 

[aubiefifty 16,695]

Auburn’s inexperienced, thin WR group buoyed by key offseason decisions

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-6 minutes

---

Auburn’s wide receiver room was set to be in potentially dire straits heading into 2022, but two critical offseason decisions may help buoy a relatively thin and inexperienced group.

Shedrick Jackson’s decision to return for a fifth season and Ja’Varrius Johnson’s decision to return to Auburn following a brief stint in the transfer portal back in January could transform the outlook for a group that is replacing two of its three-most productive players from a year ago and is breaking in a third position coach in 14 months.

Read more Auburn football: Auburn adds SEC legend Ike Hilliard to coach wide receivers

Eric Kiesau hopes his actions speak louder than words as Auburn’s new OC

Bryan Harsin on Auburn’s QB competition: “Their life’s a documentary right now”

“Keeping both of those guys was a huge advantage for us because, like we were talking earlier, the receiver position is going to be fairly young,” said offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau, who spent much of last season overseeing Auburn’s receivers.

The returns of Jackson and Johnson has bolstered the position this spring for Auburn, which would have otherwise had just five scholarship players available — with a combined 19 career catches among them — for first-year assistant Ike Hilliard to work with.

The Tigers saw the departures of Kobe Hudson, Demetris Robertson, Elijah Canion and Caylin Newton from the wide receiver position this offseason. Hudson led the team in receiving last season, catching 44 passes for 580 yards and four touchdowns, but he was dismissed in the offseason and has since transferred to UCF to reunite with Gus Malzahn. Robertson, the team’s third-leading receiver in 2021 (37 catches for 489 yards and four scores) exhausted his final year of eligibility. Canion transferred to Purdue, while Newton transferred to William & Mary.

Had Jackson decided against returning for a fifth year, and had Johnson decided to remain in the transfer portal, Auburn’s wide receiver corps for the spring would have been made up of juniors Malcolm Johnson Jr. and Ze’Vian Capers, redshirt sophomore J.J. Evans, redshirt freshman Tar’Varish Dawson and true freshman Jay Fair. Johnson caught six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown last season, while Capers has 13 career receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown. Evans and Dawson have yet to record a reception at the college level, while Fair is an early enrollee.

Instead, the Tigers get the benefit of returning Jackson, who was the team’s second-leading receiver last year with 40 catches for 527 yards and a touchdown, and Johnson, who showed flashes of being an explosive playmaker in the slot but caught just 19 passes for 274 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“I wanted Shed back,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “No question about that. I wanted Shed back. I think Shed’s best football’s ahead of him…. Var, getting him back out there, Var was very productive last year. Should have been more productive and could have been. That’s not his fault; we’re a part of that as a coaching staff. We have to help our players out. So, to get him back and get him out there, it gives some more experience to that wide receiver room. It helps with the coaching change, for sure, because those guys have changed.”

Those two, at least, provide a veteran presence in an otherwise inexperienced room — not just for Hilliard, who joined the program late last month following Kiesau’s promotion to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, but for the team’s group of quarterbacks competing for the starting job this spring.

The group is still relatively short on depth this spring, and that much has been apparent during practice viewing periods this week. More help is on the way in the offseason, with 2022 signees Omari Kelly and Camden Brown set to join the fold—plus the potential for a post-spring transfer addition—but in the meantime, Auburn will be working with a lot of two- and three-receiver sets (and fewer four- or five-wide sets) this spring out of necessity.

Kiesau doesn’t seem to mind, even as he collaborates with Harsin on building the team’s offense from the ground (and the ground game) up.

“The good thing about spring is you’re not playing a game, so it’s really more about fundamentals and developing and making sure they have a good understanding of the system,” Kiesau said. “As we go through spring, we’ll kind of find out, hey, who are those three or four guys that can play, or maybe five guys that can really help and contribute?... Now, they might be young, but they’ll be talented. I’m actually pretty excited about that group. I know everybody keeps saying it’s not a lot of depth, which is true, but the kids we do have here now, they do have some talent. They’re very different in their own way; it’s very impressive.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[aubiefifty 16,695]

For Auburn DC Jeff Schmedding, 'it's all about the details'

ByJason Caldwell

4-5 minutes

---

 

Auburn OLine vs. DLine in spring practice

 

AUBURN, Alabama—Taking over for departed defensive coordinator Derek Mason, Jeff Schmedding has a history of calling plays on defense going back to his days at Eastern Washington and then at Boise State with Bryan Harsin. Now he’ll do it in the Southeastern Conference for the Auburn Tigers against the best of the best in college football.

With knowledge of what he’s all about as a coach, Harsin said you first have to understand what makes Schmedding tick and that’s the day-to-day operations of the defense.

“He's very detailed,” Harsin said. “He's a great communicator. When he's talking about some type of subject, he has done the work and the research on it to really understand it. He sees things on the field that he can correct immediately, and he's got good buzz words and coaching points to get done. They're going to go back in the film room tonight and they are going to debrief, and he's going to have a plan coming out of that with a purpose tomorrow of what they are going to get done.

“If there's something that we're not doing well, he'll change it, or he'll find a way to make it better. If there's something that we need to add, he'll add it. If there's something we need to take away because we're not, we don't need it, or we're not going to be good at it. He's going to take it away, but he's always constantly searching for something to get better at. You know, he's a curious guy, that's the one thing I like, like, he's curious, he is always looking for ways to improve and I think it's going to help our guys and I've seen it in meetings.”

Someone who has become very close with Schmedding over the last year is 2021 Auburn snior linebacker Chandler Wooten. In the position room with Auburn’s new defensive coordinator last season, Wooten agrees with Harsin about Schmedding and what he brings to the table for the Tigers in his new role.

“You’re getting a tremendous brain,” Wooten said of Schmedding. “Just a real football mind. The attention to detail, on a weekly basis, the way he dissects opponents and breaks it down with the little pointers and reminders, it’s all about the details. I have no doubt the defense is going to go in the right direction under his leadership because of the attention to detail he has and the laser focus. He encourages everyone to be better. I have no concerns, no worries.”

As for Schmedding and his philosophy, he said it’s all about the players and making sure they take ownership of the defense. That starts with the older guys setting the example for everyone else to follow.

"I have been fortunate to be around good coaches and good players and win some championships, and leadership is the difference-maker," Schmedding said. "I think we’re in a better position to get that in year two. It’s hard in year one, and it’s no excuse, but you’re learning the norms in year one. When you know the norms some of those guys can stand out and hold those guys accountable.

1COMMENTS

"First you have to lead by example, but I do think there are some guys in that room that have the chance to take the next step, especially when you bring young recruits in and they can say ‘that’s how you do it.’ I got the opportunity to be at a practice with the Rams a few years ago and watch Aaron Donald practice. I’m not comparing anybody to Aaron Donald, but if you see how he practices and how guys gravitate to what he’s saying and and showing guys what’s important, there’s a reason why teams are successful and it’s usually passed down from older guys. In year two you’ve got a much better chance to do that because they already understand the norms.”

*** Subscribe: Receive the latest Auburn intel and scoops***

">247Sports

[aubiefifty 16,695]

 

[toddc 13,194]

 

[au302 2,669]

One week through. Believe Harsin said he was expecting to start seeing separation in the QB race in about that time. There's a media viewing period on Monday. Anxious to see if anything's changed yet

[woodford 3,655]

16 hours ago, au302 said:

One week through. Believe Harsin said he was expecting to start seeing separation in the QB race in about that time. There's a media viewing period on Monday. Anxious to see if anything's changed yet

I’m ready to hear about QB’s as well. Mostly DD and Ashford. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

TJ/Calzada

DD

Ashford/Holden

[McLoofus 35,182]

10 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

TJ/Calzada

DD

Ashford/Holden

Your guess or what you're hearing?

[W.E.D 11,070]

23 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Your guess or what you're hearing?

Logical Guess.  

I'd be shocked if much movement really happened in 1 week. Have we even scrimmaged?

Edited March 21, 2022 by W.E.D

[Sizzle 3,909]

19 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Logical Guess.  

I'd be shocked if much movement really happened in 1 week. Have we even scrimmaged?

Harsin said you usually see separation in QB battles after a week. So going by what he said he should probably be seeing a little separation now

[AU North 164]

24 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

Harsin said you usually see separation in QB battles after a week. So going by what he said he should probably be seeing a little separation now

Just guessing, but even if he "is" seeing anything, he probably won't share with us. wde

[abw0004 10,104]

51 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Have we even scrimmaged?

I could be wrong, but I think they did.  The only reason I say that is I remember being surprised reading that they did so early in the spring.

[woodford 3,655]

4 hours ago, W.E.D said:

TJ/Calzada

DD

Ashford/Holden

Goodness I hope not

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

I am not to worried up where each QB is on the chart this early in practice. What I want to hear is that at least two have really stepped up and tried to earn the QB1 role and that the other is more than capable of being QB1.  With Calzada not able to do contact practice I want him to show enough he will have a chance come fall and two others really standout.  I wouldn't expect any real knowledge on who is stepping up or not till just before spring game or just after evaluation of spring game.

The other thing I want out of spring is to see how ell individual O-Line players do against individual D-Line players and a little bit of how well the O-line works as a unit. Because of the amount of experience on O-line cohesion as a unit in spring should be ahead of previous years. 

Edited March 21, 2022 by AuburnNTexas

[W.E.D 11,070]

4 hours ago, Sizzle said:

Harsin said you usually see separation in QB battles after a week. So going by what he said he should probably be seeing a little separation now

Coaches say nothing to the media that is actually relevant 

[W.E.D 11,070]

50 minutes ago, woodford said:

Goodness I hope not

You're right, DD js probably way too high

[DAG 33,955]

1 hour ago, woodford said:

Goodness I hope not

Why you hope not ? The top two have more in game experience than the others..it only makes sense right now.  

[woodford 3,655]

32 minutes ago, DAG said:

Why you hope not ? The top two have more in game experience than the others..it only makes sense right now.  

Did you catch any games when TJ was on the field without a broken leg?

[DAG 33,955]

30 minutes ago, woodford said:

Did you catch any games when TJ was on the field without a broken leg?

Did you catch any of the games from the guys beneath him? You are formulating an opinion on athletes that you have no clue about other than high school tape

[W.E.D 11,070]

2 hours ago, woodford said:

Did you catch any games when TJ was on the field without a broken leg?

Did you catch Calzada being mostly terrible and the other guys never throwing a pass in D1???

Not sure what you really expected here