AUBURN — Talking season is over.

Auburn football is starting preseason practices Thursday. In a way, it marks the official beginning of coach Hugh Freeze's second season with the Tigers. It comes on the heels of a busy offseason that's featured Auburn bringing in 18 recruits as part of the nation's No. 10 recruiting class, 16 players from the transfer portal and another two out of junior college.

With 36 new faces on scholarship, there's naturally plenty of questions.

Here are five inquiries for Freeze to answer over the next 30 days as the Tigers gear up to open the 2024 campaign at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium against Alabama A&M on Aug. 31:

ONE SIDE: Final prediction for Auburn football's offensive depth chart before fall camp begins

THE OTHER: Locking in predictions for Auburn football's defensive depth chart ahead of fall camp

Just how good can freshman WR Cam Coleman be?

It's already been established Auburn needs five-star freshman Cam Coleman to live up to his elite ranking in Year 1. Freeze has said often how he doesn't like leaning on true freshman, but Coleman isn't your typical rookie. He stood out during spring practices, which culminated with him catching five passes for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown at A-Day.

Of all the receivers Freeze has signed over his 11-year career as a Division I coach, Coleman has the highest 247Sports Composite rating. Better than AJ Brown, DK Metcalf, Laquon Treadwell and each of those other notable receivers who made names for themselves at Ole Miss.

What's the rotation look like at defensive line?

Freeze has six players he feels comfortable rotating along the interior of the defensive line. Though he hasn't specifically named the members of that group, it's safe to assume he means Philip Blidi, Trill Carter, Bobby Jamison-Travis, Jayson Jones, Gage Keys and Isaiah Raikes. Redshirt freshman DJ Reed is another name worth watching.

Is it an even rotation amongst those players? Maybe playing each of them around 20 snaps per game would be best, assuring fresh legs at all times at defensive tackle and nose tackle. That strategy could change if someone breaks out and becomes too important to take off the field.

Who else will contribute at receiver?

Coleman is already one of Auburn's top receivers. Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith is penciled in there, too, along with Georgia State transfer Robert Lewis. That's three spots claimed. Auburn's best five to six receivers will be the ones seeing notable snaps.

Options to round out the top five to six include returning pieces such as Camden Brown and Caleb Burton III, freshmen like Bryce Cain, Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson or another transfer in Sam Jackson V (Cal). Burton probably has the best shot amongst this crew, given the fact he tallied 226 receiving yards last season.

Does the best version of this defense feature Keionte Scott outside?

With standout cornerbacks DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett having left for the NFL, a door opened open for Keionte Scott to move from nickel to outside cornerback. It's a position tweak he's likely talented enough to handle, and it should serve him well in the draft process in 2025.

But does the best version of Auburn's defense feature him on the outside? Scott has been a playmaker in the slot, collecting 97 tackles over the last two seasons. If he wants to stay on the boundary, he's got to prove he can be just as much of an advantage out there than he is closer to the quarterback. It would also help if Champ Anthony, the assumed starting nickel CB, can have a similar impact to what Scott has done since 2022.

Is the offensive staff truly more aligned?

Everyone and everything is great during the offseason. Almost all players are in the best shapes of their lives, and there's harmony in the practice facility amongst the coaching staff. It's easy to say things are going well when there's so much time before the games begin to matter.

Auburn is no different. Freeze has said multiple times how this offensive staff is much more aligned than it was a year ago. Exits this offseason include offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and running backs coach Cadillac Williams. Longtime Ole Miss assistant Derrick Nix will be taking on both of those roles, and Kent Austin will now coach the quarterbacks. It looks good on paper, but it's time to really show if those moves were upgrades.

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 questions for Hugh Freeze to answer at fall camp