An early-morning deluge forced a change in Auburn’s Tuesday-morning practice plans.

The Tigers were set to hold their second spring practice at 7 a.m. Tuesday. The session went through, but not entirely as planned.

Steady rain starting around 7 a.m. forced head coach Tommy Tuberville to move the practice to AU’s indoor practice facility. The facility, which opened in 1999, isn’t quite big enough for the full team to practice together.

It’s even smaller at the moment: Half the building is being used as a makeshift locker room and training room. Auburn’s usual locker room and training room are being remodeled and will be unavailable for spring practice.

So the offense and defense split up, with the offense practicing first and the defense following.

It wasn’t exactly what Tuberville wanted. But because the team was in its second no-pads workout of the spring — AU’s first full-pads practice is scheduled for Thursday — the loss of the practice fields wasn’t much of a problem.

“If we were in full pads, we wouldn’t have come in,” he said. “I wouldn’t have wasted it on one of those. Since we’re in shorts, we’ll just continue on.”

Tuberville also used the opportunity to call for a new indoor practice facility.

“We’ve got to start action on a full-size indoor (facility),” Tuberville said. “We’ve just missed too much time that’s available to us by not having something.

“Hopefully in the future we’ll have something in the mix in terms of a full indoor. That’s our next project.”

Linebacker Craig Stevens isn’t so sure. Stevens initially told reporters he supported the building of a new practice facility.

But then he was asked how many times in his three-year career — including Tuesday — Auburn has been forced to use the indoor facility for a full practice.

“Like, once,” he said with a laugh.

RB Fannin likes new role
Sometime last December, Auburn running backs coach Eddie Gran had a chat with sophomore Mario Fannin.

At the time, Fannin, then a redshirt freshman, was the Tigers’ No. 3 tailback. But new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin loved his potential in the spread offense — at wide receiver.

So Gran called Fannin into his office and explained the new plan: Fannin would fill a hybrid role, practicing in the backfield and as a slot receiver.

The move meant Fannin wouldn’t have a chance to compete for the top tailback job this spring. But he’d get the ball: Franklin estimates he’ll try to give Fannin 10-12 touches per game.

Fannin played in that role in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, finishing with three carries, five catches and a rushing touchdown. He’s looking forward to being an even bigger part of AU’s passing game.

“Coaches trust me in that aspect of the game, and that’s something that I’m happy about,” he said. “They felt like I could do it; I just told them, ‘Whatever I could do to help.’”

With two of AU’s 15 spring practices in the books, Fannin is enjoying the experiment.

“I’m still learning as I go,” he said. “It’s a learning process but I like it.“

Grad assistant lands coaching job
Graduate assistant coach Travaris Robinson, a former AU safety, has accepted an assistant coaching position at Western Kentucky. Robinson will coach the Hilltoppers’ defensive backs.

Robinson, who played at Auburn from 1999-2002, was an All-SEC selection in ’02. He returned to campus in 2006 after three years in the
NFL and worked as a student assistant coach. He was hired as a graduate assistant in ’07.

He assisted Rhoads in Tuesday morning’s practice and left for WKU’s Bowling Green, Ky., campus Tuesday night.
Western Kentucky begins spring practice March 26.

“Hopefully, I’ll go up there and do a great job,” Robinson said. “One day, hopefully, I’ll come back to Auburn.”

Former graduate assistant Joe Hollis left last week for a job at Georgia Southern.

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