Depth chart analysis: Flanker
This is the sixth of a 24-part series that will run up to SEC Media Days detailing Auburn's depth chart heading into the 2014 season. This comes well after the Tigers concluded their 15 spring practices and includes insight from nearly every position coach on the staff.
AUBURN -- The top new addition to Auburn's offense comes at the flanker position, where junior college transfer D'haquille Williams has all but assumed the top role.
Williams, rated the top junior college player in the country last year, came in with much hype and backed it up on the field during spring practice and on A-Day.
Auburn was very reliant on Sammie Coates last season to be the constant downfield threat but the addition of Williams helps keep opposing defenses honest and will give Nick Marshall another potent target.
If Gus Malzahn is going to ask Marshall to pass as much as has been intimated, then Williams will be a big part of the end game.
Ricardo Louis can lineup anywhere on the field but flanker appears to be his most common position.
The Two-Deep
D'haquille Williams (6-foot-2, 216 pounds, junior)
Ricardo Louis (6-foot-2, 212 pounds, junior)
Gus Malzahn's take
"I think he's got the ability to move around and play all the positions. At times, we moved him around, and he's picked things up quick. He's a guy that really wants the ball and can do something with it once he catches it."
POSITION ANALYSIS: QB | RB | HB | TE | SE
Starter
D'haquille Williams has a chance to make an immediate and dramatic impact on the Auburn offense.
Just as Marshall's arrival last year helped radically alter the offense's abilities, so too can Williams. He's another tall target for Marshall to aim for and for opposing defenses to worry about.
Coates was by far the top receiver for the Tigers a year ago but there could be far more balance if Williams is able to fulfill his promise, and it won't necessarily mean a drop for Coates. It anything, having a complimentary counterpart will only help both of them.
"He brings a different edge to the room," wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig said of Williams. "He brings a mental toughness to the room. He brings the edge out there, when he hits that practice field it's all about work. He loves to compete. If the ball is in the air, it belongs to him. I think he calls everybody in that room to bring their game to another level and he's been a pleasant addition to the room."
Williams' five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown, which was reviewed on purpose, on A-Day gave fans an idea of what's in store for the fall.
"He's one of the receivers, you put it into where his sight and he'll come down with the catch for you," Marshall said.
Backup
Ricardo Louis is capable of playing just about anywhere on the field.
He opened A-Day at flanker and then moved to a slot role on the next play and had a pair of carries.
It was very similar to his 28 catches for 325 yards and two touchdowns last season.
The hero of the Georgia game will forever be remembered for the Prayer at Jordan-Hare, it's now about adding to his legacy on the Plains.
"I even have an autograph of Ricardo on Sports Illustrated in my office, I'm proud of it," Craig said. "He needs to understand that his legacy at Auburn is etched in stone; now what will do beyond that point is on him, but we're going to recognize what he did. We're proud of what he did; I'm grateful for it, I think the Auburn family is grateful for it, he put us in a position to win an SEC Championship and play for a national championship."
Next Wave
Tony Stevens (6-foot-4, 198 pounds, sophomore) was unable to live up to all the expectations last season due to a hamstring injury. A healthy second season could see his production go up considerably.
Summer Arrivals
Myron Burton Jr. (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) is the only new wide out this summer and where he'll end up is not known yet, though the depth at flanker could lead to him being at the position.
Quotable
"(Williams) is a playmaker, there is no doubt. He can get open. He is a big, long, rangy guy that wants the football. He makes a pretty good target for a quarterback." - Gus Malzahn