Gus Malzahn enters SEC Media Days this week with a pivotal season on the horizon.

Auburn showed promise last season, with a resurgent defense and a breakout running back in Kamryn Pettway, but the passing game struggled -- starting with a baffling three-man quarterback rotation in the season opener before Sean White took over full-time -- and the offense stagnated late in the year due to a range of injuries, resulting in an 8-5 record following a loss in the Sugar Bowl. The offseason brought some changes, with new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey introduced to the fold, as well as a potential new starting quarterback in junior college transfer Jarrett Stidham.

The Tigers enter SEC Media Days with considerable buzz, largely due to the buzz surrounding Stidham and the revamped offense, and many believe Auburn to be a trendy pick to challenge Alabama for the SEC West crown. This year, Malzahn has elected to bring a trio of seniors -- offensive lineman Braden Smith, safety Tray Matthews and kicker Daniel Carlson -- to The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover for Auburn's turn through the media gauntlet on Thursday.

The group will field plenty of questions, but here are AL.com's five most pressing questions for Malzahn.

1. Have you established a timeline in the offseason for when you would like to name a starter in the fall?

Stidham is the unquestioned favorite to be named the starter after his impressive spring (he earned offensive MVP honors on A-Day), but Malzahn and Lindsey have kept the quarterback race open through the summer and intend to give White a chance to compete for the starting job yet again. After the most prolonged competition in Malzahn's coaching career -- which included the ill-fated, three-man carousel in the opener -- odds are Malzahn and Lindsey would prefer to avoid a similar situation this fall and get a starting quarterback in place sooner rather than later.

2. With an emphasis on expanding the passing game this season, could this offense feasibly produce two 1,000-yard running backs like it nearly did last season -- and likely would have if not for injuries?

The introduction of Lindsey as Auburn's new offensive coordinator has brought a new emphasis to the passing game, which has been Auburn's Achilles heel each of the last two years on that side of the ball. Lindsey intends to expand the passing game and integrate more run-pass options (RPOs) into the system without completely overhauling it, meaning the Tigers hope to maintain their identity as a run-first offense. Last season, Pettway rushed for 1,224 yards last season despite missing three games and not getting a carry in the season opener against Clemson, while Kerryon Johnson added 895 yards while missing one game due to an ankle injury that slowed him for much of the second half of the season. With both back, and healthy, Auburn has a chance to produce two 1,000-yard running backs for the first time since 1979.

3. Who do you anticipate will step in and fill the pass-rushing production void left behind by Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams?

Auburn lost its two most effective pass-rushers from last season when Lawson and Adams, who combined for 22 sacks and 39 hurries, were selected in the NFL Draft. Those are two big holes to fill for a defense that experienced a renaissance during coordinator Kevin Steele's first season. Auburn has its share of options to replace the two, including Buck defensive ends Jeff Holland, Paul James III and Markaviest Bryant, as well as the likes of Marlon Davidson, Nick Coe and Derrick Brown, among others.

4. Where will Austin Golson and Casey Dunn factor into the offensive line?

Auburn has plenty of experience along the offensive line -- third-most in the nation, according to Phil Steele -- but who will make up the starting five, and where they will line up, has yet to be settled. The biggest piece to that puzzle lies in the middle, where the Tigers have Austin Golson and Casey Dunn in the mix for the starting center job. Golson has started at center for most of the last two seasons, but has experience at both guard and tackle, while Dunn was a two-time FCS All-American center at Jacksonville State before arriving at Auburn this summer. While Golson is a solid center and made the Rimington Trophy preseason watch list, it's possible that Auburn's best option is to play him at left guard and have Dunn take over at center. Offensive line coach Herb Hand will want to identify the best five-man unit during fall camp, but finding out where Golson repped most during summer player workouts should be telling of Auburn's plans this season.

5. What's the plan for the starting punter job?

Following Kevin Phillips' graduation, Auburn's starting punter job was Ian Shannon's to lose. The redshirt sophomore failed to secure the job in the spring, however, and he missed the spring game due to a death in the family, resulting in kicker Daniel Carlson handling punting duties on A-Day. While Auburn doesn't plan to use Carlson in a dual role, the punting job remains open heading into fall camp, with all options on the table. That includes Shannon and freshman Anders Carlson, the younger brother of Daniel, a three-star kicker who was told to work on his punting before he arrived on campus this summer, though Auburn would prefer to redshirt him like it did with his brother in 2013. The Tigers also brought in a walk-on punter, Aidan Marshall, who was rated as the No. 31 punter in the 2017 class by Chris Sailer Kicking, which is an official partner of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.