Stephen Davis Jr.

Stephen Davis Jr. at The Opening in Oregon last summer. (Wesley Sinor/wsinor@al.com)

(WES SINOR)

Auburn made an early move in fall camp to help bolster its backfield depth.

Following the dismissal of starting running back Jovon Robinson on Wednesday, freshman Stephen Davis Jr. -- who is listed as a defensive back on the team's official roster -- was seen working with the running backs during the 20-minute viewing window of Thursday's practice. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn confirmed afterward that Davis, who arrived at Auburn late last month, is seeing time at running back this fall.

"Well, he's a big, athletic guy," Malzahn said. "We've seen him for two days, but he was a very good football player really on both sides of the football coming out of high school. He's still figuring out what's going on, but he's a big guy that can run. After we get in pads a little bit, we'll have a little more information as far as he goes.

Davis, the son of former Auburn running back great Stephen Davis, was a three-star athlete out of Dutch Fork High in Irmo, South Carolina, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Prior to his senior season at Dutch Fork, Davis moved from defensive back to running back but tore his ACL and MCL during the third game of the year, missing the rest of the season as a result. Before injuring his knee, he had a 202-yard, seven-touchdown performance for Dutch Fork early in the season.

Although he is seeing time at running back, the 6-foot-3, 206-pound Davis could also get a look on the other side of the ball, according to Malzahn.

"I think the defense would take him at safety," Malzahn said. "I know we were talking about safety, but decided to put him at running back first. We'll give him a chance to do that and we'll see how it goes."

Davis' addition to the backfield provides Auburn with some more depth, though the team is still lacking in experience following the dismissal of Robinson. Aside from sophomore Kerryon Johnson, who had 52 rushing attempts last season and is expected to be the team's No. 1 running back now, the Tigers have five other players in the fold who have combined for zero rushing attempts at the college level: Davis, sophomores Kamryn Pettway and Chandler Cox, and freshmen Malik Miller and Kam Martin.

Davis is at a bit of a disadvantage after being a late arrival this summer, so he'll have some catching up to do before he can be a factor in the backfield. Through two days, though, Johnson has seen the potential in the Auburn legacy.

"He's a big guy, he's a tall guy, obviously he's going to put on weight through the natural process and I think he'll really be able to help us," Johnson said. "Obviously with him getting here later that normal, it's just a matter of how much he can soak in. There are a lot of details and small things that he hasn't repped as much as the rest of us. I think he'll definitely have a role."