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Gus Malzahn, Auburn Look To ‘Earn It’ In Spring Practice
After a disappointing 2015, head coach Gus Malzahn and the Auburn Tigers look to rebound and "earn it" in spring practice.
March 1, 2016
After a disappointing 2015, head coach Gus Malzahn and the Auburn Tigers look to rebound and “earn it.”
In his opening press conference before the start of spring practice, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn introduced the theme for the 2016 season: “Earn It.”
“It’s as simple as that,” Malzahn said. “Earn your teammates’ respect, earn your coaches’ respect, earn it every day on the field and off the field. The players came up with that and I think it’s very appropriate.”
“We are going to start out and they are going to have equal reps,” Malzahn said. “We’ll chart everything that they do in team setting, 7-on-7 setting, give them all a chance to compete. Competition brings out the best in everyone.”
Along with Johnson and White, JUCO transfer John Franklin III and incoming freshman Woody Barrett, who will join the team for fall practice, are expected to compete for the position.
With a top-10 signing class and the return of some key players, the Tigers will look to improve on a 2015 season where they went 7-6 overall and 2-6 in SEC play. Malzahn knows that the pressure is on.
“Oh, there’s no doubt,” Malzahn responded after being asked if he had a chip on his shoulder after last season. “That’s why I’m excited to get out there. It’s a new year. From a coaching standpoint, especially a head coach’s standpoint, you evaluate the things from last year that you need to improve on, and we know what they are and we are going to go out there and redeem ourselves.”
The redemption tour will begin with a bang, as the Tigers host national runner-up Clemson in Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 3 in both teams’ opener.
