AUBURN — It may feel like the season ended not too long ago, but spring practice is just around the corner.

Auburn football will open the spring period with a practice Feb. 27.

The Tigers will have 14 sessions after that, culminating in the second A-Day of the coach Hugh Freeze era April 6. Spring practice gives coaches the opportunity to evaluate some of the additions made this offseason, as well as letting them get eyes on the players who are returning in 2024.

Of the 18 scholarship freshmen the Tigers brought in as part of the Class of 2024, 14 are early enrollees and will be on campus for spring practice. Four-star receivers Perry Thompson and Malcolm Simmons, four-star offensive lineman DeAndre Carter and four-star cornerback A'Mon Lane-Ganus will join the team ahead of fall camp later in the year.

With football soon returning, here are five players with the most to prove over the next few weeks:

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QB Payton Thorne

After an up-and-down season that featured moments of promise — the Arkansas win — and times of puzzling ineptitude — the Music City Bowl against Maryland — Auburn did not bring in a transfer quarterback to battle with Payton Thorne throughout the spring.

Thorne still has competition — Holden Geriner enters his third season, redshirt freshman Hank Brown impressed in small doses against the Terrapins and four-star freshman Walker White finished the recruiting cycle as the No. 8 QB in the Class of 2024 — but Thorne remains the favorite due to his experience.

With only one year of eligibility left, Thorne must take control of the job.

DL Gage Keys

A transfer from Kansas who committed to the Tigers in December, defensive lineman Gage Keys is going to have to be a contributor in Year 1 at Auburn. The Tigers lost a handful of key players along the DL this offseason — namely Marcus Harris — and replacing that production won't be easy; Harris had a career-best 40 tackles and seven sacks in 2023.

Keys logged 301 snaps with the Jayhawks last season, totaling 21 tackles (13 solo). Those numbers will grow if Keys can prove he's worthy of being a starter.

RB Jeremiah Cobb

Sophomore running back Jeremiah Cobb is talented — he flashed for 69 rushing yards against LSU as a freshman — but he was No. 4 on the depth chart in terms of offensive snaps. Cobb logged 90 in his first season at Auburn, per Pro Football Focus. That was behind RBs Jarquez Hunter (506), Damari Alston (170) and Brian Battie (124).

Cobb, a former four-star recruit in the Class of 2023 out of Montgomery Catholic, can begin to put himself in a position to get more opportunity with a strong spring.

DB Antonio Kite

After spending two seasons at Alabama, defensive back Antonio Kite hopped in the portal and transferred to Auburn in January. He only appeared as a DB in four games for the Crimson Tide, with three of those opportunities being against nonconference competition; Kentucky is the only SEC school he's played beyond a special teams role.

With DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett off to the NFL, there's a chance for Kite to prove he's more than a special teamer and work himself into the rotation as an outside CB.

WR Cam Coleman

Auburn better hope five-star freshman Cam Coleman lives up to the hype.

Tabbed as the No. 3 overall player and the No. 2 receiver in the Class of 2024, Coleman is the highest rated offensive recruit to ever sign with the Tigers. His addition comes at a good time, as Auburn's collection of talent at WR isn't robust. Earning playing time as a freshman is hard, but that's why a successful spring practice is so important for someone like Coleman.

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 spring practice: Why these Tigers have most to prove