Auburn Football: Newcomers to Watch in 2022
August 28, 2022
Cameron Caldwell
There has been a lot of shake-up on the Auburn football roster, and there are 3 newcomers to watch out for on this football team in 2022.
Fortunately, Auburn starts out with two lesser opponents, in Mercer and San Jose State. This will allow the newer pieces on the roster to mesh well during real game experience. One scheduling advantage Auburn has is that it opens with five straight home games, and using the first two weeks as a runway to get started right would be very beneficial.
There are three newcomers that may not be receiving the lion’s share of publicity this offseason, but I believe they will have a profound impact on this season.
Cayden Bridges
The first player to look out for is Cayden Bridges. The true freshman from Magee, Mississippi was also a standout baseball player, but chose to play safety for the Tigers. Reports from camp state that he has stood out and has a real chance of earning one of the starting safety spots. Although reports have have been positive about his play in fall camp, I don’t think enough has been made about how huge it could be to have a freshman being able to grow into the position.
The last couple of years saw Auburn trot out Smoke Monday at that free safety spot, and with that came a ton of ups and downs. Yes, he was always due for a big hit, and even had a career-defining moment such as his pick-6 against Alabama in 2019. Along with this, though, came the numerous ill-advised targeting penalties and blown coverages. Yes, it was nice to have a swaggy thumper in the back end, but it would mean so much more to what Jeff Schmedding wants to do if there is a more steady and consistent presence back there.
Yes, Bridges is a true freshman, but according to reports out of camp, this young man is talented and very hungry to contribute early in 2022. Auburn brought in a few different pieces in the back end, and to have a guy like Cayden to be back there early and learn on the job.
Craig McDonald
The transfer from Iowa State is technically listed as a Redshirt Sophomore, but that little experience he does have will be a huge addition to this secondary.
Even though Bridges has already been listed here, and plays the same position, I believe McDonald will also be a guy who makes a big impact for Jeff Schmedding. Reports from camp are that Craig has been fast, physical, and has caught on better than expected. The Minneapolis, MN native had 41 tackles and 2 interceptions with the Cyclones a season ago. This coaching staff believes and trusts in experience, and McDonald will hope to use that in his first season in the SEC.
It might not be exciting that 2 of the 3 players listed here are safeties, but there is a reason for that. Bryan Harsin wanted to beef up the back end of his defense, and he brought in a potential diamond in the rough freshman along with a transfer from the Big 12.
Koy Moore
Moore has been talked about a little bit during fall camp, and different writers and sites have had features on the Louisiana product. Even though he has done things like interviewing with the “War Rapport“, Koy Moore has not been talked about almost at all on a larger, more national scale. This is not surprising, considering he didn’t do a whole lot at LSU, and was considered just another wide receiver recruit in the vastness of the transfer portal.
Auburn has options at wide receiver, but they do not have a ton of proven options, which works in Moore’s favor. He fits in the mold of other Auburn receivers, which is smaller in stature and very shifty. Moore has put out highlights of his practice reps at LSU, and they do look impressive. I will not go as far as to say Koy will be a starter at any receiver position this year, but he will have a role in this offense. Like I said, he doesn’t have a particular skillset that separates him from the rest of the group, but he has the type of natural ability that will not be able to keep him off the field for long stretches of time.
This staff was able to bring in a number of transfers on both sides of the ball this offseason, and many of them will be able to carve out roles on this football team. There may not be a ton of local or national buzz about the three players listed here, but make no bones about it. You will hear the names of these men called during Saturdays this fall.
