Game-by-game predictions for Auburn’s 2022 season

Auburn once again has an extremely tough schedule, here is a game-by-game prediction for Bryan Harsin’s second season as Auburn’s head coach.

We have nearly made it to the college football regular season and it is time to make our final predictions for the 2022 season.

Our projections for both the offensive and defensive depth charts have been published and now it is time to predict how the season will go.

The Tigers are set to open the season on Sept. 3 against Mercer in Jordan-Hare Stadium and will have five straight home games. This represents a golden opportunity for [autotag]Bryan Harin[/autotag] and the rest of the coaching staff to figure out any lingering questions from fall camp.

The biggest of these is who will be the starting quarterback and while [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] has surged ahead of [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag], an official announcement has not been made yet.

The Tigers will have games against Mercer and San Jose State to see how the offense looks under Finley and the other candidates before their first test in Week 3 when Penn State comes to Jordan Hare.

Here are our game-by-game predictions for how the 2022 season will go for Auburn.

2022 Auburn football preview: Safety

Zion Puckett is the leader of a talented group at safety for Auburn.

Auburn will be without a former leader in [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag] at safety but [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] is ready for his turn to be the leader of the group.

He was Auburn’s No. 2 safety last season and is the undisputed top dog this year. While the second starting spot is up for grabs, the secondary coach [autotag]Zach Etheridge[/autotag] has several interesting options in [autotag]Cayden Bridges[/autotag] and newcomers [autotag]Marquise Gilbert[/autotag] and [autotag]Craig McDonald[/autotag], who both have plenty of experience.

Another key player is [autotag]Donovan Kaufman[/autotag], who will spend time at both nickel and safety and is once again looking to create disruptive plays, something he excelled at doing last season.

Wide Receiver Preview

Tight End Preview

Running Back Preview

Offensive Line Preview

Quarterback Preview

Edge Preview

Defensive Line Preview

Linebacker Preview

Cornerback Preview

2022 Auburn Tigers Football Schedule: Downloadable Wallpaper

College Wire downloadable 2022 Auburn Tigers football schedule. Use as wallpaper for your lock screen on your smartphone.

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2022 Auburn football preview: Defensive Line

Auburn’s defensive line is full of talented players and should be fun to watch.

Despite a massive amount of turnover this offseason, the defensive line group is one of the deepest groups on the roster and has a chance to lead the entire defense.

New position coach [autotag]Jimmy Brumbaugh[/autotag] has a great problem on his hand with too many talented players to start them all.

The group is led by defensive end [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag] and defensive tackle [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag], both are returning starters and will be key contributors for the defense. They are backed up by a group that features several returning contributors and multiple newcomers who have a chance to make an impact right away.

One of those is [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag], who transferred from Oregon and looks like an ideal fit in the middle of the defense. Another noteworthy newcomer is [autotag]Jeffrey M’Ba[/autotag] the No. 1 overall JUCO player from last year’s signing class and could become a great player as he gets more experience.

Wide Receiver Preview

Tight End Preview

Running Back Preview

Offensive Line Preview

Quarterback Preview

Edge Preview

2022 Auburn football preview: Edge

Derick Hall and Eku Leota are a great 1-2 punch at edge but Auburn needs someone to step up behind them.

The edge group is one of the most interesting positions on Auburn’s roster.

[autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] and [autotag]Eku Leota [/autotag] have proven they are productive players in the SEC and are likely headed to the NFL after this season.

The concern is the lack of depth behind them, the Tigers have just three scholarship players behind them. Western Kentucky transfer [autotag]Marcus Bragg[/autotag], redshirt freshman [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], and [autotag]Joko Willis[/autotag], who is transitioning from linebacker.

With Hall and Leota leading the way there is no concern about the production of the group, but if either one of them were to suffer an injury then things could get dicey for Auburn.

Wide Receiver Preview

Tight End Preview

Running Back Preview

Offensive Line Preview

Quarterback Preview

2022 Auburn football preview: Offensive Line

Will this be the year the offensive line puts it all together?

The offensive line has been one of the most criticized units on the roster for the past several seasons. However, with nine upper-classmen competing for spots it is also one of the most experienced units on the team.

Starters [autotag]Nick Brahms[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag], [autotag]Keiondre Jones[/autotag], and [autotag]Austin Troxell[/autotag] all return and veterans [autotag]Alec Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Kilian Zierer[/autotag], [autotag]Brenden Coffey[/autotag], [autotag]Kam Stutts[/autotag], and [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag] are pushing hard.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Will Friend[/autotag] has his work cut out for him trying to find the best starting five to help pave the way for Tank Bigsby and the rest of Auburn’s running backs. While the group flashed at times last season, they need to become more consistent for Auburn’s offense to take a step forward.

Tight End Preview

Wide Receiver Preview

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2022 Auburn football preview: Tight End

This is one of the best position groups on Auburn’s roster.

Auburn’s tight end room is one of the deepest on the roster and has several versatile players.

[autotag]John Samuel Shenker[/autotag] is the unquestioned leader after catching 33 passes for 413 yards last season, both program records, but [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag], [autotag]Tyler Fromm[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag], and even true-freshman [autotag]Micah Riley-Ducker [/autotag] bring something interesting to the position.

With the uncertainty at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, this group could be asked to do a lot but has the talent to do just that. Tight-end coach [autotag]Brad Bedell[/autotag] has done a great job filling this room with players who have skill sets that complement each other.

Wide Receiver Preview 

Running Back Preview