Auburn’s A-Day game time, TV info, five players to watch

Saturday’s A-Day between Auburn’s Blue team and White team will give the Tigers fanbase its first look at the 2017 squad. Below is all the information you’ll need to enjoy the game as well as which five players you should keep an eye on.

Kickoff time: 2:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. CST

TV: SEC Network (Adam Amin, Brock Huard & Lauren Sisler)

Local Radio: Auburn -- 93.9 FM; Columbus -- 1460 AM/94.7 FM/102.9 FM; LaGrange -- 1240 AM/96.9 FM (Rod Bramblett, Stan White)

Sirius/XM: Channel 191

Weather: Saturday is expected to be in the mid-60s by game time with a high of 70. There is a 0 percent chance of precipitation, which will be a welcomed sight after a week peppered with rain and inclement weather.

Five Players to Watch

Jarrett Stidham, quarterback: The former Baylor signal caller has been the talk of the spring, as the sophomore is the assumed front runner to start for the Tigers when they open the season against Georgia Southern on Sept. 2.

Stidham envisions himself being able to assume the starting quarterback duties by that time, as he told reporters on March 25.

“Absolutely,” Stidham said. “That’s why I came here. I came here to get a great education from Auburn University and then to be the starting quarterback for the Auburn Tigers.”

Stidham’s showing Saturday won’t make or break his chances of becoming the starter, but a good afternoon in Jordan-Hare will certainly fire up the Auburn faithful.

C.J. Tolbert, running back: Auburn junior running backs Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson seem to be in a class of their own at their position. Having said that, the walk-on junior has gotten plenty of praise from running backs coach Tim Horton, leading to speculation Tolbert could become Auburn’s third-string running back.

“He’s a really gifted ball carrier,” Horton said. “It’s been a very good competition that will continue all the way until the opener.”

Saturday’s scrimmage is the sort of setting where Tolbert can take several carries and show if there is something to that talk.

John Franklin III, wide receiver: Franklin spent one season playing quarterback for the Tigers with mixed results before making the move to wide receiver this spring.

“He could (take some reps at quarterback), but we’re really focusing primarily the rest of the spring just on his development at wide receiver and special teams,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “We feel like he can be an impact player on special teams, too.”

Franklin was inconsistent behind center last season but at times showed the speed and elusiveness that could make this position switch the perfect fix. There’s no sense yet of Franklin’s ceiling is at receiver, but we could get a glimpse at that come game time.

Derrick Brown, defensive lineman: Brown, who was considered the No. 1 recruit in Georgia in the 2016 recruiting class, is one of the Tigers who could see his role grow in 2017. Brown had a so-so debut for Auburn as a freshman, recording 12 total tackles and 1.5 sacks in 13 games last season.

With Montravius Adams leaving for the NFL, Auburn needs to find someone to fill that spot on the defensive line before the season rolls around. At 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Brown has the build and the potential to plug that gap effectively.

Not only will Brown’s play Saturday be worth watching for his sake, it may also reveal how capable an Auburn offensive line that has been shifted around through the spring really is.

Jeremiah Dinson, nickelback: Unlike the other four players on this list, Saturday’s game will be somewhat of a milestone for the sophomore from Miami.

Dinson hasn’t suited up for the Tigers since suffering a dislocated knee, dislocated shoulder and three torn ligaments in his knee after taking a hit from Texas A&M wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones on November 7, 2015. Dinson missed the rest of 2015 and all of 2016 while he recovered from his multiple injuries.

“He’s an outstanding player,” Malzahn said of Dinson last October. “I think give him a few more months, get him to spring and get him back 100 percent.”

Dinson has told reporters this spring he feels stronger than ever before. It’s unclear if he’ll be limited in the scrimmage, but regardless of playing time, his return to the field will be another step in the right direction.

This story was originally published April 8, 2017 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Auburn’s A-Day game time, TV info, five players to watch."