BY RYAN BLACK | rblack@ledger-enquirer.com

@wareagleextra | Like the blog on Facebook

AUBURN, Ala. — Reese Dismukes isn’t worried about the right tackle position.

Auburn’s starting center knows whoever winds up winning the job — be it redshirt freshman Avery Young or sophomore Patrick Miller — will man it capably.

Patrick Miller (51) is continuing to battle Avery Young to become Auburn’s starting right tackle. (Todd Van Emst/Auburn University)

“They’re both coming out every day, competing hard and that’s what we need,” Dismukes said following Tuesday morning’s situational scrimmage. “They’re getting the best of each other and that’s what happens when you get a competition going like that. I think that they’re just doing the best they can and whichever one wins the job we’ll stick with.”

Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee wasn’t worried, either, saying both Young and Miller “are good players.” When the job is finally settled, Lashlee said it will also have implications for the rest of the offensive line.

“How does it work shuffling everything else, from backup guards to centers to left tackle, all those things will play into that (right tackle) position,” he said. “Those guys have really come along and gotten much better. Whoever wins that job will also alter how we go in with our top six, seven, eight linemen going into the game.”

Four spots on the line seemed set heading into the season, with Greg Robinson at left tackle, Alex Kozan at left guard, Chad Slade at right guard and Dismukes at center.

Kozan, specifically, has impressed Dismukes.

“He’s taking a big step in the film room,” he said. “Really just focusing on technique each and every day and just going out there every day and getting better. That’s the big thing he’s done. Still same guy he was in the spring. He’s just kind of set himself apart in the fall. I think that’s what he wanted to do and that’s what’s happening.”

Lashlee felt the same about Tunde Fariyike, noting the gains he has made snapping the ball after struggling during the spring. Though he’ll likely serve as Dismukes’ backup this season, Lashlee said Fariyike’s versatility makes him a valuable asset.

“He’s a guy that could maybe get in the mix at other spots on the line too in a reserve role,” Lashlee said. “I do think we’ve got three or four guys that can snap the football behind Reese, (who) certainly is kind of the leader and anchor of that unit. We got to be very cautious with him and he’s very important to us, but if something were to happen, we feel like we’ve got several options, with Tunde being one of them.”

Dismukes said he does his best to assist his teammates — linemen or otherwise — any way he can.

“My main goal is for us to win football games,” he said. “Whatever guy needs help out there, whether a receiver needs help or quarterback needs help, I just try to help them. I think everybody can be replaced.”

BY RYAN BLACK | rblack@ledger-enquirer.com

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AUBURN, Ala. — Reporters were permitted to approximately 20 minutes of practice on Tuesday, the first time the team donned full pads during practice. It also marked Day 5 of Auburn’s fall camp. Here are some thoughts and observations from the media’s short viewing window.

This wide-angle photo of strength and condition coach Ryan Russell working the team through stretching drills was about as interesting as it got at Auburn’s practice on Tuesday. (Photo by Todd Van Emst)

• This was the least-interesting practice reporters have had a chance to see thus far. And that’s being generous. Due to rain, most of the Tigers’ drills were forced to take place inside, and the ones on display likely wouldn’t enrapture the fan base. But we’ll forge on nonetheless.
• Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson finally lifted the curtain on what’s been ailing Demetruce McNeal on Monday: The senior safety had an infection that required a minor surgery. Johnson figured McNeal would be out for “several more days,” and his prediction was right. Safety No. 16 at least seemed to be moving around well on Tuesday, bobbing his head and twirling a football on his fingertips. He also had some fun with right tackle Avery Young during stretching drills. After Young finished one of his steps, McNeal jogged by and tapped him on the helmet with a football. “You know I got you, dog,” Young told him.
• The quarterbacks didn’t throw any passes while media members were present. Jonathan Wallace was a holder on field goals, with the rest of the quarterbacks off to the side running with ropes tied to them. Jeremy Johnson paired up with Tucker Tuberville and Kiehl Frazier did the same with Nick Marshall.
• The first-team offensive line stayed the same, with Greg Robinson at left tackle, Alex Kozan at left guard, Reese Dismukes at center, Chad Slade at right guard and the aforementioned Young at right tackle. There was a change on the second-team line, however, as Will Adams replaced Jordan Diamond at right guard. The rest of Auburn’s second-team offensive line: Shon Coleman at left tackle, Devonte Danzey at left guard, Tunde Fariyike at center and Patrick Miller at right tackle.
• The only contact that took place during the viewing portion was courtesy of the defensive backs. Coach Melvin Smith had his unit working on jamming drills.
• The punt returner group was identical to Monday, consisting of wide receivers Quan Bray, Trovon Reed and Marcus Davis and Tony Stevens as well as cornerback Chris Davis. The punt returns were also the only unit adversely affected by practicing indoors, as many of Steven Clark’s kicks reach the roof of the facility. (Unfortunately, I didn’t keep a running tally, though I saw at least five bounce off the ceiling.) Wide receiver Sammie Coates was a new face among the kick returners on Tuesday. He joined a trio of running backs in Tre Mason, Corey Grant, Johnathan Ford, wide receiver Ricardo Louis and cornerback Jonathan Jones.

BY RYAN BLACK | rblack@ledger-enquirer.com

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AUBURN, Ala. — Reporters were permitted to see about 20 minutes of practice on Monday, which marked Day 4 of Auburn’s fall camp. Here are some thoughts and observations from the media’s short viewing window.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn gives his players directions before it begins one of its fall practices. (File by Todd Van Emst)

• Safety Demetruce McNeal continues to be the headliner during the media’s short stay at practice. For the fourth time in as many days of fall camp, the senior did not participate in drills while reporters were in attendance. Including the final five sessions of the spring, it marks the ninth consecutive time the College Park, Ga., native missed an Auburn practice. As he did Saturday, McNeal had a helmet on. However, with the team practicing in “shells” (helmets and pads), the safety was sans shoulder pads. In his post-practice meeting with media member’s on Sunday, Gus Malzahn said McNeal was “getting better.” But apparently not good enough to be cleared to practice just yet.
• Avery Young was with the first-team offensive line, working at right tackle. Young and Patrick Miller have seemingly been going back-and-forth at the position (in the first-team lineup) during the first few days of fall camp.
• The defense was working on its “dime” package, which included two of the hybrid safety/linebacker “star” position players on the field at the same time in Justin Garrett and Robenson Therezie. Other members of the first-team defense (in that particular formation) had Dee Ford and Kenneth Carter manning the two ends and Angelo Blackson and Gabe Wright inside. The linebackers were Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy and the secondary consisted of cornerbacks Chris Davis and Jonathon Mincy and Jermaine Whitehead and Josh Holsey at safety.
• Malzahn stayed around the quarterbacks for a few minutes, but then drifted over to watch the defense running through its various formations. The quarterbacks once again practiced their footwork today as well as executing proper handoffs. Jonathan Wallace and Nick Marshall worked with Cameron Artis-Payne, Tre Mason and Corey Grant, while Kiehl Frazier and Jeremy Johnson were paired with Johnathan Ford, Peyton Barber and Patrick Lymon.
• Punt returners were mostly the same as it was during the portions of practice reporters saw Friday and Saturday. Wide receivers Quan Bray, Trovon Reed and Marcus Davis were back, as well as cornerback Chris Davis. There was one new member, however, as another receiver — true freshman Tony Stevens — joined the fray. Kick returners mostly stayed to form, too. Mason, Grant, Ford, cornerback Jonathan Jones and wide receiver Ricardo Louis were seen fielding kicks, with one new addition in Therezie.
• Right guard Chad Slade got an earful from offensive line coach J.B. Grimes during one drill. As the line was practicing its footwork once the ball is snapped, Slade didn’t have his feet in the proper position — and Grimes let him know it. “Check your splits!” said Grimes, before moving the junior’s feet where they needed to be. “I’m trying to help you!”
• The media once again walked out as the team finished up its stretching drills with strength and conditioning coach Ryan Russell. If there’s one thing I’ve come to appreciate while Russell leads drills, it’s that he has an incredible amount of energy. It’s no wonder the team has touted his offseason workout program at every opportunity.

BY RYAN BLACK | rblack@ledger-enquirer.com

@wareagleextra

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn offensive lineman Chad Slade met with media members on Tuesday at the Auburn Athletic Complex.

The following is a roundup of some of the junior right guard’s quotes:

On summer practice:
“I feel like the team is coming together real well. Everybody is getting good with each other, everybody is getting good with the plays. The freshmen coming in are getting good and acclimated with the plays.”

Auburn right guard Chad Slade (62) spoke with reporters on Tuesday and discussed everything from taking on a leadership role to the exercises he has done this summer. Photo By Todd Van Emst

On taking on a leadership role on the line along with center Reese Dismukes:
“We know that we’re the leaders. We know that we’re the older guys of the group, so we have to take on the responsibility of the O-line this year. It’s a role that we’ve taken on for two years now. So we’re getting better and doing pretty good so far with it.”

On what he’s seen out  of the left guard position (Alex Kozan, Devonte Danzey, Jordan Diamond, etc.):
“They’re getting with it. They come in here and do extra stuff, and watch film, and if they need help, they’ll come to me or even Reese can help. He has to know everything with every position. … They’re working hard and there’s going to be a good competition between them”.

On Avery Young:
“Yeah, Avery’s healthy. He’s back to 100 percent. That’s what he told me. He’s feeling good, so I believe he’ll be good for the season.”

On the difference at practice on the offensive line given the experience of having four starters back:
“I can tell it’s a big difference already, because we know what to do from past years. Me and Reese and Greg (Robinson) were around when Coach (Gus) Malzahn was here the first time, and we feel like we still remember everything about it. So having that experience on the O-line playing then, it’s a big help, because whenever they feel like they don’t know what to do, we know what to do, so we can just help them out.”

On true freshman offensive lineman Deon Mix:
“He’s still in the learning process. He comes up to me every day, asking me, ‘Can you stay with me to watch a little extra film? Can you stay with me to go over the playbook some more?’ And I’m glad to do that with him, but he’s going to get a lot better during (fall) camp. I told him, ‘Don’t worry about having to rush and try to learn things. You’re going to learn things during camp. You’re going to learn things from (offensive line) Coach (J.B.) Grimes. You’re going to learn things from me and Reese, so just don’t worry about trying to pressure yourself into learning stuff. Just get good at getting acclimated with the plays.’ Because, we’re going to need him as much as we need anybody else. So he’s looking pretty good so far.”

On whether Mix is more of a guard or a tackle:
“Yeah, he’s more of a guard. We haven’t put him out at tackle during ‘captain’s practices’ yet. We’ve just put him at guard to let him learn one position. Like when I was here my first time, and everybody threw me in the fire, I went from tackle to guard to left guard to right guard to right tackle. But we just want him to learn one spot, and that’s the guard position.”

On whether any QBs have stood out yet in “captain’s practices”:
“I really haven’t seen the quarterbacks, but I believe when I see them do 7-on-7, Nick Marshall and Jeremy Johnson, they stand out to me, just like Kiehl (Frazier) and Jonathan (Wallace) do. It seems like you can see Nick throw a pass and be like, ‘Whoa, that’s amazing,’ but you can see Kiehl and Jonathan do the same thing. So all of the quarterbacks stick out to me. It’s going to be a good battle.”

On the things Coach Grimes has asked the offensive linemen to work on during the summer:
“He wants us to do sparring hands and stuff like that to get good with our hands. That’s pretty much like us coming in here and getting extra workouts as a team. Even before ‘captain’s practices,’ we came in here as an O-line and did some plays, did some extra stuff with coaches down there. Sometimes we might come in here and push a sled or do ‘the crawler,’ something to get your hands and get low. Just working on drills to get lower and get your hands low.”

On what exercises he does to simulate sparring:
“They’ll throw the ball to us and you’ll have somebody on the outside throw the ball at each arm and just try to make sure (you) know to ‘wipe his hands on’ or ‘wipe his hands off’ or something like that, in case there’s like a defensive lineman coming, so he can (know) to jab his hands.”

On whether Grimes wants the linemen to be leaner:
“He’s not really looking for us to be lean. He just wants us to move. When I played in this offense the first time, I was 305. Now I’m 310, 315. He just wants you to be able to move with your weight. This offseason, we’ve been running a lot, conditioning with weight. So as long as you’re able to move with your weight and get around with your weight, I think he’s pretty lenient about it.”

BY AARON BRENNER | abrenner@ledger-enquirer.com

@WarEagleExtra

AUBURN, Ala. – The winds of change have blown across the Plains since the day of head coach Gus Malzahn’s hiring.

With a new day comes new faces, new contributors who might have been patiently waiting their turn or old standbys reinventing themselves as this coaching staff pinpoints who they’ll rely upon to officially relegate the misery of 3-9 to ancient history.

Take a look at five Auburn Tigers who have been consistently lauded for their efforts this spring. Coincidentally, they’re all entering their junior season:

WR JAYLON DENSON

Old dog: One of those guys who gets into games (25 in two years) but rarely gets named (one catch, 12 yards.)

New tricks: The tallest of the current crop of receivers at 6-foot-3, Denson looks like one of those multi-tool players who could catch the ball some and be a force as a downfield lead blocker.

Don’t take our word for it: “I think Jaylon Denson’s been extremely consistent for us … he’s not only making plays with the ball, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do when he’s not getting the ball.”
- Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee

Fall forecast: Watch out when the incoming freshmen arrive. Good thing for Denson and his understaffed mates, they’re getting overloaded with practice reps

C REESE DISMUKES

Old dog: Although he played well last year, the argument can be made the 2011 all-SEC freshman teamer lit the fuse for Auburn’s implosion by getting suspended for public intoxication the week before the 2012 opener.

New tricks: Ask pretty much anybody who the offensive leaders are, and Dismukes’ name keeps coming up. In his one interview this spring, he seemed contrite with a chip on his shoulder.

Don’t take our word for it: “I’ve seen him grow up. He’s not that same Reese. He’s a good person now. He’s got his mind right. He’s mentally, physically tough. He’s one of the leaders out there.”
- OL Chad Slade

“Reese has been solid … We say it’s a new day – everything in the past, I don’t care. From what I know right now, that’s a guy I can trust.”
- Lashlee

Fall forecast: His starting spot is unquestionable. We’ll see if he truly takes command when times are tough.

RB COREY GRANT

Old dog: Nobody thought much of the fourth-stringer last year, mopping up just nine carries – all in b