Tuberville Sending A Message To Players

AUBURN — Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said he wanted to send his players a message about hard work in practice.

“Even our older players can find out very quickly how important it is to be consistent,” Tuberville said Tuesday.

“You can’t rest on experience. You can’t rest on, ‘Hey, I’ve been here.’ You better play and you better perform.”

With that message in mind, the Tigers’ depth chart speaks volumes. The depth chart, which was released Tuesday, featured a major surprise in the starting lineup.

Senior wide receiver Robert Dunn, who entered the preseason as the starter at the H receiver position, has been demoted to fourth string. Dunn, Auburn’s starting slot receiver last season, has played in 32 games in his career, with 26 catches.

“He’s in the doghouse,” Tuberville said. “What else can I say? On offense, he hasn’t performed up to his abilities.”

Dunn’s fall out of favor created an opportunity for several young receivers. Sophomore Terrell Zachery is listed as the starter; true freshman Darvin Adams is the second-teamer.

Zachery is familiar with Tuberville’s doghouse: He was academically ineligible last season, but played well in the spring and has been solid in the preseason.

Tuberville said Dunn hasn’t been suspended, and he’s still listed as the Tigers’ top punt returner.

“He is on the depth chart and he’s going to be involved in all special teams,” Tuberville said.

DE Gray to redshirt: Raven Gray’s Auburn debut will have to wait.

Tuberville said Tuesday that the junior-college transfer would redshirt this season. Gray won’t play in any games and will likely spend the rest of the year on the scout team.

He’ll be a redshirt junior next season, with two years of eligibility.

Gray signed with Auburn in December out of Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi. The Enterprise native injured his right knee at Copiah-Lincoln and underwent offseason surgery.

He didn’t practice in the spring and was still slowed when preseason practice began. Sunday, Tuberville said a redshirt season was a possibility.
Tuesday, that decision became official.

“He’s not ready to go,” Tuberville said. “He can’t run well enough. We talked to the doctors and they just felt like we needed to give him a few more months to get healthy, and it would be a much better scenario for him.”

Sophomore offensive lineman Chaz Ramsey could also be headed for a redshirt season. Ramsey started 10 games last season at left guard but hasn’t practiced since undergoing back surgery during spring practice.

Quarterback situation still undetermined: Nothing has changed for Auburn’s quarterbacks. Sophomore Kodi Burns and junior Chris Todd were listed as co-starters on Tuesday’s depth chart, and both players said they didn’t know who would start Saturday.

“I guess we’ll find out when everybody else finds out,” Todd said.

Coaches have said both will play, though it’s not yet clear who will take the first snap.

“I know we’re both going to end up playing,” Burns said. “I’ll just worry about me doing well for the team.”

Most of their teammates claim not to care when or how the quarterback situation works out. But tailback Brad Lester joked that he’d like to see it settled soon, one way or another. Lester said he gets questions about the quarterbacks everywhere — even during a recent phone call to his bank.

“They said, ‘Is this the Brad Lester from Auburn? Who’s the starting quarterback?’ ” Lester said with a laugh. “I just wanted to check my balance.”

Junior tailback Ben Tate said Sunday that “everybody can pretty much see” that one quarterback was ahead of the other, though he didn’t name names. Lester doesn’t think so.

“Honestly, I think both of them could go out and start,” he said. “Both of them are good quarterbacks. We trust both of them.”

Injury report: Wideout Montez Billings (hamstring) didn’t practice Tuesday and is unlikely to play Saturday, according to Tuberville.

Tuberville said tailback Tristan Davis (hamstring) practiced, but the senior’s status isn’t clear. Two teammates said Davis was still slowed by the injury, and reporters weren’t allowed to speak to Davis. Injured players are usually off-limits to the media.

Freshman defensive end Jomarcus Savage (shoulder) practiced Tuesday. Savage is one of several freshmen who could play Saturday, though he wasn’t listed on the depth chart Tuesday.

Offensive lineman Bart Eddins, listed as the second-team right guard, practiced Tuesday. Eddins had missed time with a shoulder injury.

Defensive end A.J. Greene (hamstring) didn’t practice Tuesday and isn’t likely to play.