by
04/16 at 11:44 PM

Spring practice didn’t answer the biggest question surrounding the Auburn football team.

AU’s quarterback picture isn’t any clearer now than it was when spring practice began. Sophomore Kodi Burns and junior Chris Todd remain even atop the depth chart at quarterback, and they’ll stay that way heading into preseason practice in August.

But the Tigers’ post-spring depth chart, which was released Wednesday, answers a few other questions.

At wide receiver, AU needed some new faces to step up. Judging by the depth chart, several have done just that.

Senior James Swinton, a little-used reserve for three seasons under Al Borges, is listed as the starter at one receiver position, ahead of sophomore Chris Slaughter. Swinton has three career catches, one in each of the past three seasons.

Sophomore Tim Hawthorne, who missed most of the spring with a broken arm and has four career catches, is the starter at one slot receiver spot. Hawthorne is listed ahead of sophomore Mario Fannin, who missed most of spring practice with a dislocated shoulder.

Fannin came to Auburn as a running back, but isn’t listed on the depth chart at the position; he’s expected to see some time in the backfield but play mostly as a slot receiver.

With Fannin at receiver, the tailback depth chart is down to three: Senior Brad Lester leads junior Ben Tate, with senior Tristan Davis the third-teamer.

All five of last season’s starting offensive linemen return this year. But one, right guard Chaz Ramsey, isn’t currently listed as a starter.

Ramsey, who missed most of the spring with a back injury, is officially a third-teamer behind Byron Isom and Bart Eddins. But he’ll be in the mix during preseason practice, if he can stay healthy.

On defense, the Tigers needed someone to step up at defensive tackle from a crowd of career backups. Junior Jake Ricks finished the spring atop the depth chart despite missing the final six practices with a broken hand.

Opelika’s Zach Clayton is listed as the second-teamer, behind Ricks.

Two spots on defense are undecided: At weakside linebacker, seniors Chris Evans and Merrill Johnson are listed as co-starters, as are juniors Aairon Savage and Walt McFadden at cornerback.

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Auburn Football
Post-spring depth chart
Offense
Running Back
1 Brad Lester (5-11, 198, Sr.)

44 Ben Tate (5-11, 215, Jr.)

9 Tristan Davis (5-10, 217, Sr.)

Quarterback
18 Kodi Burns (6-1, 205, So.) --OR--

12 Chris Todd (6-4, 212, Jr.)

19 Neil Caudle (6-3, 200, So.)

15 DeRon Furr (6-3, 218, Fr.)

Wide Receiver
16 James Swinton (6-0, 178, Sr.)

23 Chris Slaughter (6-3, 179, So.) --OR--

21 Charles Olatunji (6-2, 197, Sr.)

Wide Receiver
13 Tim Hawthorne (6-3, 209, RFr.)

27 Mario Fannin (5-11, 217, So..)

Left Tackle
73 Lee Ziemba (6-8, 288, So.)

79 Jared Cooper (6-4, 297, RFr.)

75 Andrew McCain (6-6, 300, Jr.)

Left Guard
71 Tyronne Green (6-2, 307, Sr.)

58 Kyle Coulahan (6-4, 309, RFr.)

Center
68 Jason Bosley (6-4, 281, Sr.)

50 Ryan Pugh (6-4, 284, So.)

66 Mike Berry (6-3, 313, So.)

Right Guard
57 Byron Isom (6-3, 291, So.)

53 Bart Eddins (6-4, 292, So.)

76 Chaz Ramsey (6-4, 290, So.)

Right Tackle
50 Ryan Pugh (6-4, 284, So.)

66 Mike Berry (6-3, 313, So.)

Tight End
5 Tommy Trott (6-5, 251, Jr.)

83 Gabe McKenzie (6-4, 253, Jr.)

35 Brent Slusher (6-3, 231, So.)

Wide Receiver
3 Robert Dunn (6-0, 178, Sr.)

14 Terrell Zachery (6-1, 208, So.)

Wide Receiver
80 Rodgeriqus Smith (6-0, 196, Sr.)

84 Montez Billings (6-2, 188, Jr.)

81 Quindarius Carr (6-1, 175, RFr.)

Defense
Defensive End
52 Antonio Coleman (6-2, 250, Jr.)

45 Antoine Carter (6-4, 253, So.)

Defensive Tackle
91 Jake Ricks (6-4, 302, Jr.)

98 Zach Clayton (6-3, 286, So.)

65 Luke Farmer (5-11, 239, RFr.)

Defensive Tackle
94 Sen’Derrick Marks (6-1, 288, Jr.)

93 Mike Blanc (6-4, 287, So.)

41 Darrell Roseman (6-4, 270, Sr.)

Defensive End
49 Michael Goggans (6-3, 254, So.)

90 A.J. Greene (6-5, 269, RFr.)

42 Raven Gray (6-5, 253, Jr.)

Linebacker
46 Craig Stevens (6-2, 218, So.)

56 Courtney Harden (6-0, 237, Sr.)

40 Bo Harris (6-2, 244, So.)

Linebacker
10 Tray Blackmon (6-0, 220, Jr.)

17 Josh Bynes (6-2, 234, So.)

31 Adam Herring (6-1, 224, RFr.)

Linebacker
59 Chris Evans (6-0, 221, Sr.) --OR--

55 Merrill Johnson (6-0, 204, Sr.)

56 Courtney Harden (6-0, 237, Sr.)

Strong Safety
4 Zac Etheridge (5-11, 206, So.)

11 Mike Slade (6-2, 189, RFr.)

Free Safety
26 Mike McNeil (6-2, 201, So.)

17 Jonathan Vickers (6-2, 216, Sr.)

Left Cornerback
8 Jerraud Powers (5-9, 188, Jr.)

25 Ryan Williams (5-11, 204, So.)

Right Cornerback
2 Aairon Savage (5-11, 190, Jr.) --OR--

6 Walter McFadden (6-0, 180, Jr.)

Special Teams
Placekicker
18 Wes Byrum (6-1, 220, So.)

37 Morgan Hull (6-2, 187, So.)

Punter
21 Ryan Shoemaker (6-0, 192, So.)

7 Clinton Durst (6-2, 184, RFr.)

23 Patrick Tatum (6-2, 213, So.)

Deep Snapper
60 Robert Shiver (6-3, 220, Sr.)

61 Josh Harris (6-1, 222, RFr.)

63 Rick Cherry (6-2, 233, So.)

Holder
82 Clayton Crofoot (6-3, 175, Jr.)

86 John Cubelic (6-0, 201, So.)

Punt Returner
3 Robert Dunn (6-0, 178, Sr.)

23 Chris Slaughter (6-3, 179, So.)

Kickoff Returner
9 Tristan Davis (5-10, 217, Sr.) &

1 Brad Lester (5-11, 198, Sr.)

6 Walter McFadden (6-0, 180, Jr.) &

16 James Swinton (6-0, 178, Sr.) --OR--

44 Ben Tate (5-11, 215, Jr.)