When offensive coordinator Tony Franklin arrived at Auburn last December, he immediately got to work learning his players’ names.

It was a tall order: Franklin had to familiarize himself with around 50 players on the varsity offense, and he had just two weeks to do it.

It’s safe to say recognizing wideout Terrell Zachery wasn’t high on Franklin’s to-do list. Zachery spent the 2007 regular season on the scout team, thanks to academic woes that rendered him ineligible to play.

Franklin, focused on the first- and second-teamers, didn’t pay Zachery much attention. Of course, there was a reason.

“I didn’t notice him in December, so that means he wasn’t doing a whole lot,” Franklin said Thursday.

“I saw him one day and asked who he was, and that was about it.”

Zachery had to wait three months for his next chance to catch Franklin’s eye.

But last Saturday, in the first full scrimmage of spring practice, he did exactly that.

The sophomore finished the scrimmage with nine catches for 84 yards, both team highs.

With senior Robert Dunn splitting time at multiple positions and sophomore Chris Slaughter sidelined by a sore hamstring, Zachery got most of the scrimmage snaps at the “H” receiver position. He knew the extra work meant a chance to shine.

And he took full advantage.

“It feels good to finally get a chance to show the coaches what you can do,” he said. “It’s been a long wait.”

After the scrimmage, Franklin called him a “pleasant surprise.”

But Zachery wasn’t surprised.

He’d been waiting a long time to show what he could do.

His rise hasn’t been easy. He signed with Auburn in 2006, one of four wideouts in the signing class. A five-year starter at Wadley, he set the state of Alabama’s career receiving yardage record as a senior.

But his playmaking at Wadley — a Class 1A school — didn’t translate to the college level. Zachery struggled to adjust to the speed of the college game. He also had trouble picking up former coordinator Al Borges’ complex playbook.

The academic problems that cost him all of the fall semester in 2007 were the final straw. He spent the entire year on the scout team, unable to dress out for a game, much less play.

December brought a pair of welcome changes. First, he managed to improve his grades and return to academic eligibility. Then, Franklin replaced Borges as AU’s offensive coordinator, bringing with him a simplified, pass-happy new offense — and a clean slate.

It was exactly what Zachery needed.

“He’s starting from scratch,” receivers coach Greg Knox said. “He’s basically a new guy in a new offense. He’s basically starting from the beginning, relearning everything.

“He’s starting to learn a lot more about the game and how to play the game in this offense.”

And as he continues to learn, more and more observers will have to remember his name.

| 737-2561