AUBURN — Expectations are a funny thing.

How would the average fan look at Auburn football if everything bounced the Tigers' way last season? What if Auburn didn't lay an egg against New Mexico State? What if it played a full 60 minutes and used a little Jordan-Hare magic to complete upsets over Georgia and Alabama?

The record would've been 9-3, and Tigers fans would be puffing out their chests heading into Hugh Freeze's second season as coach.

But that's not what happened.

Auburn finished the regular season at 6-6, and it fell to Maryland in the Music City Bowl to finish with a losing record for the third consecutive year. As a result, expectations for Freeze in Year 2 are a bit more subdued. Fans want a winning record, for sure, but anything beyond seven or eight wins feels like gravy.

Whatever the case, Auburn is going to need help from all over its roster if it wants to meet or exceed expectations in 2024. But, in descending order, here are five specific players that will be most critical for the Tigers:

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5. BUCK Keyron Crawford

Auburn has raw talent at pass rusher, but only one player at the position — Jalen McLeod — has any experience at the Power Four level. There's a trio of four-star freshmen waiting for their respective turns in Joseph Phillips, Jamonta Waller and Amaris Williams, but leaning on rookies at such an important position is never ideal.

That's why Arkansas State transfer Keyron Crawford will be important. He doesn't have to be a No. 1 option off the edge like McLeod, but it would give the Tigers a big boost if he's able to hold his own in the SEC and give McLeod some extra opportunties to rest. Something to note: McLeod, a former Appalachian State standout, and Crawford had similar performances in their last seasons in the Sun Belt. In 2022, McLeod gave the Mountaineers 37 pressures, per Pro Football Focus. In 2023, Crawford posted 39 with the Red Wolves.

4. LT Percy Lewis

With former Tulsa transfer Dillon Wade moving inside to guard, a position he profiles better for at the next level, Auburn was in the market for a left tackle this offseason. It landed one in Mississippi State transfer Percy Lewis, who began 2023 as a rotational piece before locking down the starting job for the campaign's final seven games.

There were 282 tackles in the country who played at least 400 snaps last season. Lewis finished with a pass blocking grade from PFF of 72.2, which ranked No. 98 out of those 282 eligible players. Amongst tackles in the SEC who played 400 or more snaps, Lewis ranked No. 10 out of 26.

3. CB Keionte Scott

Between the transfer of Colton Hood to Colorado and Tyler Scott recently injuring his ACL during summer workouts, depth at cornerback is all of a sudden a question for Auburn. With those concerns apparent, what the Tigers really don't need is the top of their depth chart to struggle.

Keionte Scott has played in the slot for the last two years, complementing the work cornerbacks DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett did on the outside. James and Pritchett are both gone to the NFL, and Scott is getting a chance to move to the boundary. The only returning starter from the secondary, Scott needs to, at minimum, be a serviceable player out wide. He was a real difference-maker at nickel, so he'll have to prove why he shouldn't get moved back there.

2. WR Cam Coleman

The Tigers shouldn't rely on freshman pass rushers. That's already been established. They probably shouldn't rely on freshmen in general, to be frank. The recruiting rankings are nice, but making the jump from high school to college is an adjustment for anyone, and asking a first-year player to make a difference in Year 1 is often a recipe for disappointment.

But five-star receiver Cam Coleman is not your typical freshman. He looks the part already, standing out at practice and hauling in five catches for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown at A-Day in April. Coleman is the highest-rated WR Freeze has ever signed, per the 247Sports Composite. That includes over Laquan Treadwell, DK Metcalf and AJ Brown. He needs to live up to that ranking for the offense to be transformed.

1. QB Payton Thorne

This one is obvious. Payton Thorne wasn't to blame for all of Auburn's offensive woes last season, but he didn't look like the same guy who threw for nearly 6,500 yards and 49 touchdowns over 29 appearances at Michigan State. The Tigers averaged an SEC-worst 162.2 passing yards per game last season, almost 20 yards worst than the next worst school.

Thorne needs help, no doubt. It appears that's been provided to him this offseason with the additions of Coleman and Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and that's not even mentioning other freshmen such as Perry Thompson or speedster Bryce Cain. Rivaldo Fairweather is back, too, and he's got a shot at being the SEC's best tight end.

If the offensive line holds up, and if the coaching staff is truly as aligned as it claims to be, then Thorne should have all the pieces around him to get back to the player he was with the Spartans.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: These players will be critical in determining success