AUBURN AUTHORITY

Jason Smith fields live punt return in scrimmage

James Crepea

Montgomery Advertiser

Auburn's Jason Smith is splitting time at wide receiver but appears to be out of the quarterback race.

AUBURN -- Jason Smith got his first crack at playing both wide receiver and returning punts for Auburn during Saturday's scrimmage.

The junior college transfer took one of the three live reps on punt return at Jordan-Hare Stadium and took "a whole lot" of reps at wide receiver, where he's been playing the last two weeks of spring practice after quickly surrendering in the all but officially over quarterback competition.

"We got the ball in his hands a few times," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "(He) did some good things. It's just going to be a matter of him feeling more and more comfortable at (wide receiver) and learning the little things that go with it. … He wants to be good and he wants to be coached."

The former McGill-Toolen star and quarterback at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is vying for spot in the wide receiver rotation behind D'haquille Williams and Ricardo Louis.