We’re taking a look at each position group as Auburn prepares to open spring practice on March 16. The fourth of a 10-part series looks at the wide receivers.

Auburn returns its top three receivers from a year ago but must replace a pair of seniors and make it through another spring without speedster Anthony Schwartz, the team’s No. 2 receiver in 2019.

With only two of its top pieces available this spring, and with new offensive coordinator Chad Morris tweaking Auburn’s passing attack, it will be an interesting span of practices for the position group and an opportunity for some less-heralded players to carve out roles at the various receiver spots.

Projected depth chart:

Split end/X/9

Seth Williams, junior, 59 catches for 830 yards and eight touchdowns

Zach Farrar, redshirt senior, three receptions for 41 yards and two touchdowns

Flanker/Z/2

Anthony Schwartz*, junior, 41 catches for 440 yards and one touchdown; 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns

*Will not participate in spring while focusing on track

Kobe Hudson, freshman, four-star signee and No. 110 player nationally OR

Jashawn Sheffield, redshirt freshman, appeared in one game with two rushes for 30 yards

Slot/3

Eli Stove, redshirt senior, 37 catches for 321 yards and three touchdowns; 57 rushing yards and one score

Matthew Hill, redshirt sophomore, eight receptions for 46 yards

Ja’Varrius Johnson, redshirt freshman, did not see the field in 2019

Big slot/Y/5

Shedrick Jackson, junior, two catches for 31 yards

Zach Farrar, redshirt senior, three receptions for 41 yards and two touchdowns

Departed:

Sal Cannella, 10 receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns

Will Hastings, 19 receptions for 222 yards and a touchdown

Marquis McClain, one reception for 37 yards; transferred in December.

Due to arrive in the fall:

Ze’Vian Capers, four-star signee and No. 131 player nationally

J.J. Evans, four-star signee and No. 166 player nationally

Elijah Canion, three-star signee

Outlook:

Each of Auburn’s top three receivers from a year ago — Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz and Eli Stove — are back for 2020, though the Tigers will be without Schwartz this spring as he again shifts his focus to running track.

Williams and Stove bring a wealth of experience to the position group, while the rest of Auburn’s available receiving corps this spring consists of a little-used redshirt senior transfer, a pair of third-year players who have not been utilized much in the passing game and a trio of freshmen (including one early enrollee). That means this spring will be one of opportunity for that group, as Williams will maintain his hold on the Tigers’ top receiver role at split end after a breakthrough sophomore campaign and Stove will continue to be a reliable option in a versatile role as a pass-catcher and jet-sweep option.

Who else emerges from the group as the Tigers try to round out their receiver rotation will be a key development to watch for this offseason, especially with Schwartz out of the picture this spring, as Auburn’s passing game was at its best when Schwartz and Williams were on the field together.

Two of the biggest beneficiaries of the spring could be Zach Farrar, the former FCS transfer who only caught three passes last season, and redshirt sophomore Matthew Hill, who has mostly shined on special teams but has a fluid skillset at receiver that makes him an intriguing option either at flanker — where Schwartz typically lines up — or in the slot behind Stove. Farrar now has a full year under his belt at Auburn and should be more comfortable in the Tigers’ system this season. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he’s the type of long, fast receiver who could help Auburn stretch the field in the big slot or line up behind Williams at split end, and Hill’s skillset is similar to that of former receiver Ryan Davis, the program’s all-time leader in receptions.

Meanwhile, junior Shedrick Jackson, who has just four receptions over his first two years but has seen ample playing time due to his willingness and acumen as a blocker, should slide into the starting role vacated by departed senior Sal Cannella — an opportunity that will likely provide the former Hoover product with more targets this spring.

The rest of the room consists of redshirt freshmen Ja’Varrius Johnson and Jashawn Sheffield, neither of whom really factored into the gameplan last season, and early enrollee Kobe Hudson. Johnson redshirted and did not appear in any games while battling injuries, while Sheffield’s only action came late in the season against Samford. Hudson is the top-rated receiver among Auburn’s four signees at the position and the only one to enroll in January, and he should compete for playing time early on. The other signees — Ze’Vian Capers, J.J. Evans and Elijah Canion — are all set to enroll this summer.

As Auburn works through spring with just eight of its expected 12 receivers for 2020 available, versatility and the ability to move seamlessly through the various receiver spots will be key for the group while it acclimates itself to Morris’ offense, which shouldn’t vary too much from Gus Malzahn’s system but will have some tweaks to the passing game.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.