AUBURN — The dust has settled on phase one of the offseason.

Auburn football endured some serious change since the end of the regular season, from the roster — the Tigers added nine players from the portal and saw 14 transfer out — to the staff as coach Hugh Freeze had to replace half of his on-field assistants, including both coordinators.

The portal will open again in April, but Auburn's roster is seemingly locked in place for the next couple of months. With spring practice approaching — the Tigers will begin Feb. 27, with A-Day capping the spring period April 6 — here's a list, in ascending order, of the top five position groups Freeze can lean on in 2024:

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5. Cornerback

Losing DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett to the NFL will be tough to handle, but the Tigers appear capable of surviving the loss of that consistent duo on the outside. Sophomore Kayin Lee and senior Keionte Scott will likely be the two starting boundary CBs, and they've each got experience.

Lee played 87.2% of his 336 defensive snaps on the outside during his true freshman season in 2023, per Pro Football Focus, and Scott has nearly 1,100 defensive reps in his two-year Auburn career. The majority of Scott's tenure on the Plains has him playing in the nickel, but he said in December the plan is for him to head back out on the boundary.

That leaves slot corner empty, and former junior-college standout Champ Anthony seems most likely to assume that role. Behind that trio, guys such as Alabama transfer Antonio Kite and redshirt sophomore JD Rhym figure to provide depth.

4. Offensive line

Perhaps the most surprising appearance in the top five, Auburn's offensive line has had notable turnover since Freeze was hired in November 2022. Only three players OL coach Jake Thornton inherited remain on the roster − EJ Harris, Tate Johnson and Jeremiah Wright − and the Tigers made four additions this offseason.

One of those additions figures to start at left tackle in Mississippi State transfer Percy Lewis. That would allow Dillon Wade, who is listed at 6-foot-3, to kick inside to guard next to center Connor Lew. Izavion Miller returns for his second season starting at right tackle, which means the other guard spot opposite Wade is the only starting position to fill.

And there's no shortage of options between Johnson, Wright and Jaden Muskrat, among others.

3. Tight end

Auburn made one change at tight end during this offseason, substituting Tyler Fromm for Maryland transfer Rico Walker. Walker, a former four-star recruit in the Class of 2023, has three years of eligibility left and will likely be more of a piece for the future.

The reason TE will be an advantage for the Tigers in 2024 is because of the person top of the depth chart: Rivaldo Fairweather. Fairweather turned in one of the best receiving seasons ever for an Auburn TE in 2023, hauling in 38 passes for 394 yards and six touchdowns.

Those numbers rank No. 1, No. 2 and No. 2 for a TE in a single season, respectively.

2. Linebacker

There isn't a player on Auburn's roster who took as big of a leap from 2022 to 2023 as linebacker Eugene Asante.

Asante went from a player on the scout team to one of the most impactful defensive pieces for the Tigers, racking up 86 total tackles, five sacks, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery. Year 2 as a starter should produce even better results, and he's teamed back up with Austin Keys in the middle.

Duke transfer Dorian Mausi will likely work his way into the two-deep rotation, and the Tigers could use a freshman stepping up like DJ Barber or Demarcus Riddick to round out the position.

1. Running back

Jarquez Hunter finished 2023 as the SEC's No. 6 rusher. The five players ahead of him have either transferred out of the conference or are attempting to make the jump to the NFL.

Returning alongside Hunter is Auburn's entire collection of scholarship RBs: sophomore Jeremiah Cobb, redshirt sophomore Damari Alston, redshirt junior Sean Jackson and senior Brian Battie. That group of five combined for 1,723 rushing yards last season, with 909 of that coming from Hunter.

Including the production on the ground Auburn got from quarterbacks Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford, the Tigers had the No. 4 rushing attack in the SEC last season at 189 yards per game. Only Tennessee (204.9), LSU (204.5) and Georgia (191.2) were better.

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's best positions of strength ahead of spring practice