AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze is sick of talking about last season.

Just before the Tigers took the field for their first practice of fall camp in preparation for 2024, Freeze was asked what were the issues he identified that hampered Auburn from running its RPO-based offense in 2023. He was also asked why he thinks this season will be different, specifically with quarterback Payton Thorne returning as the starter.

"I don't want to talk about last year anymore, truthfully," Freeze said Thursday at the Woltosz Football Performance Center. "Again, I want it to be on my shoulders. It was my fault. I'm not a blame guy.  This spring, I think we put more tools in (Thorne's) toolbox and made a commitment to fix the issues that come up in the RPO — which, there are really three main issues that can happen, if you know RPO offense.

"You better have answers for those, and you better not have the same answer every single time. If you sat down and talked with him right now, he knows very clearly what my three answers are, and hopefully, he'll start learning, situationally, which one of those he should go to. I think that's why he feels more comfortable coming out of spring practice."

Reporters were able to watch seven periods of practice Thursday, which amounted to about 90 minutes. Here are a few our biggest takeaways:

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

• Former Penn State receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who led the Nittany Lions with 673 yards on 53 receptions last season, is already working with the presumed first-team offense. It won't be a shock in any sense of Lambert-Smith sees starting reps this fall, but the fact that he's already seeing those snaps is impressive due to the fact that he transferred to Auburn in April and missed spring practice.

• Staying on the topic of receivers, the Freeze Four − freshmen Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain − were all on campus practicing together for the first time. Thursday served as Thompson's first official practice, but he certainly looks the part. Coleman still does as well. Freeze was asked earlier in the day what it takes for freshman WRs to standout, and he cited two things: Pairing physical talent with a mental fortitude strong enough to brush off mistakes that'll naturally happen in Year 1.

• Cal transfer Sam Jackson V, who got first-team reps at receiver throughout the spring, was once again seeing some meaningful reps. It'll be a rotation at WR, but Jackson seems to be a constant. He should have some built-in chemistry with quarterback Payton Thorne, as the two were teammates in high school and have remained good friends.

• One of the most important camp battles during the preseason will be for the third spot at cornerback. Keionte Scott and Kayin Lee are the starters, but it's to be determined who the first CB off the bench is when the starting two need a break. Alabama transfer Antonio Kite, who went through spring practice with the Tigers, seemed to be getting the most opportunties at CB3 on Thursday. Expect redshirt freshman JC Hart and true freshman Jay Crawford to compete with him.

• Auburn will rotate at many positions this year, including at safety. Texas transfer Jerrin Thompson seems to have a starting spot locked up, with junior Caleb Wooden and redshirt freshman Sylvester Smith fighting to play next to him. Each of them got some opportunity with what appeared to be the first-team defense.

• There was an interesting defensive look briefly deployed while the offense and defense were lined up against one another going at half speed − keep in mind the players aren't wearing pads yet. The formation featured two buck linebackers on the field in Jalen McLeod and Arkansas State transfer Keyron Crawford. If the Tigers were to ever really want to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback, those two on the field together with Keldric Faulk on the inside would be a scary look for opponents.

• Kicker Alex McPherson was in attendance for practice, but he's still not able to participate as he deals with a gastrointestinal issue. It's unclear whether or not he'll be ready for the season opener Aug. 31, but here is Freeze's latest update: "(He's) getting better, thankfully. Not cleared to participate just yet, but he's with us here. Was in our meetings last night and was in the 120(-player roster), so we're hopeful that he'll be back with us soon. But seems to be making some progression."

• The only other injury to note − aside from Tyler Scott, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury during summer workouts − is a minor hamstring issue redshirt freshman offensive tackle Tyler Johnson is dealing with. Johnson wasn't a full participant Thursday and he won't be Friday, Freeze said, but the plan is for him to return after that. He was spotted at practice Thursday working one-on-one with a coach away from the team. He was wearing pads.

First-team offense

Keep in mind for both the offensive and defensive teams listed, there was rotation at multiple spots. The units may also change slightly due to different formations. For example, a two-TE set featured Rivaldo Fairweather and Brandon Frazier on the field together.

The bottom line: It's early in the process, so this doesn't necessarily reflect what the final depth chart will look like.

QB: Payton Thorne

RB: Jarquez Hunter

WR: Cam Coleman, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Robert Lewis

TE: Rivaldo Fairweather

OL (left to right): Percy Lewis, Dillon Wade, Connor Lew, Jeremiah Wright, Izavion Miller

First-team defense

DL: Gage Keys, Jayson Jones, Keldric Faulk

BUCK: Jalen McLeod

LB: Eugene Asante, Austin Keys

CB: Keionte Scott, Kayin Lee

Nickel: Champ Anthony

S: Jerrin Thompson, Caleb Wooden, Sylvester Smith (rotating)

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: Observations from first practice of fall camp