Malzahn Stagg Coaching Award

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, left, accepts the Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award from Arthur Ogden, chair of sports management for the United Sports Academy, Friday, May 30, 2014, in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

(JULIE BENNETT)

AUBURN, Alabama -- With SEC spring meetings in the books and the summer months on the way, Auburn's coaching staff can now look forward to summer supervision, a provision made possible by a new NCAA rule.

Under the new NCAA rule, teams can have eight hours per week, two of which can be devoted to film study, of supervised offseason workouts, a spot in the summer that had been occupied by voluntary workouts with the strength coaches only.

Auburn's on-field coaching staff can now be present for those eight hours per week during an eight-week period. In the past, the coaching staff was allowed no summer contact with players.

The Tigers are still building a summer schedule around the new rule.

"We've kind of started working on that," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said last week. "We don't have everything completely lined out, but we're getting closer. Strategically, we'll try to do the best we can for our players."

Assuming that the Tigers begin training camp in early August as normal, there are roughly nine weeks left before the start of practices.

The eight hours per week do not involve practices. During the six hours the Tigers do not do film study -- if Auburn chooses to use its full two-hour allotment -- the instruction will be conditiioning and strength work.

In other words, the new summer contact is similar to the mat drills and testing the coaches put players through in February.

"We do have a new rule that allows the coaches about six hours, I think, total, or some portion of the workouts we can physically be out there instructing them, but it's more along the conditioning and agility work instead of no footballs, so we won't be able to work on our scheme or anything," defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson said during spring practice.

Auburn's players will still be able to work on scheme and football-related activity during player-led practices, a tradition at many schools, including Auburn.

Malzahn has already said the team's incoming enrollees will work out separately from the full team until strength and conditioning coach Ryan Russell feels they're ready to handle full-team work, but they'll be able to work on-field with teammates in those player-led practices, or captain's practices.