Braden Smith (above) may start at either right tackle or right guard this year.

Auburn, Ala.--The 2017 Auburn football team will hit the practice field on Monday afternoon for its first preseason workout for Gus Malzahn’s fifth season as head coach of the Tigers.

With plenty of experience returning on offense and defense, along with serious competition for playing time at numerous spots, expectations are for improvement over last year’s performance.

The 2016 Tigers got off to a disappointing 1-2 start with home losses to eventual national champion Clemson (19-13) and Texas A&M (29-6). Auburn then reeled off six consecutive wins to break into the Top 10, but injuries took a toll and the Tigers limped to the finish line with losses to Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma in three of their final four contests.

“You can tell our guys are very hungry,” Malzahn told Inside the Auburn Tigers/AUTigers when asked about this year’s squad when compared to the 2016 team. “They sense we were in great position,” he said. “We just didn’t get it done, but they are using that right now and in my experience that is a good thing for the next year.”

Auburn is scheduled for its first full pads practice on Saturday. Sometime around mid-August the head coach and his new offensive coordinator, Chip Lindsey, are expected to announce what could be their biggest decision of the season.

Sean White, a starter at quarterback the past two seasons who has been plagued by injuries, is healthy again. However, he faces a major challenge from transfer Jarrett Stidham, the former five-star recruit for Baylor, who played well in spring training. Stidham will be a redshirt sophomore this fall while White is a redshirt junior.

The Tigers return three starters on the offensive front, but the lineup is far from settled with position coach Herb Hand bringing in a pair of graduate transfers to the mix (center Casey Dunn and guard Wilson Bell). Both have significant starting experience as do three returning seniors--center/tackle Austin Golson, tackle Darius James and 2016 second team All-American, tackle/guard Braden Smith.

The Tigers look set in the backfield with All-SEC running back Kamryn Pettway back along with fullback Chandler Cox leading the way. There looks like there will be plenty of competition at the receiver spots, including tight end, this preseason as Lindsey tweaks the offense to include more passing.

Tre Williams will be a senior for the 2017 Auburn football Tigers.

Defensively, the Tigers return all three starters at linebacker with senior Tre Williams plus juniors DeShaun Davis and Darrell Williams primed for strong seasons. Up front the leaders will likely be junior tackle Dontavius Russell and sophomore end Marlon Davidson.

Carlton Davis, a junior cornerback, and senior safety Tray Matthews look to be the leaders in the secondary.

On special teams the star is two-time Lou Groza Award finalist Daniel Carlson, a second team All-American last season. The Tigers must replace their starting punter for the past two years, Kevin Phillips. Carlson can handle that assignment, but the plan is to let Ian Shannon take over the punting duties.

The Tigers will open their season with a 6:30 p.m. CDT home contest vs. Georgia Southern on Sept. 2nd. SEC play begins on Sept. 23rd with AU’s first-ever football road trip to Missouri.

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