08/31 at 10:36 PM

Daren Bates received a text message from his mother Tuesday morning, reminding him of how much of a “blessing” it was that he’d be starting Saturday’s season opener against Arkansas State.

Typically, that’s not the type of message delivered to a player who started all 13 games as a true freshman the previous season. Bates, though, has been on a non-traditional path ever since the Outback Bowl.

Shortly after the season, Bates went under the knife for surgery on his torn rotator cuff, which inevitably ruled out contact until the summer. Soon thereafter, Bates learned he had been moved from safety to linebacker, a decision designed to give the Tigers more speed across the field on defense.

Neither prevented him from maintaining his spot in the starting lineup.

“I knew there was going to be competition out there,” he said. “I knew there was going to be competition all over. People want to play. When I stepped back, I knew I had to keep it up and keep my job alive.”

Bates beat out the likes of Jonathan Evans, Eltoro Freeman and the four highly recruited freshmen Auburn signed in its 2010 class. Coach Gene Chizik called Bates’ adaptation to his new position a “pretty smooth transition,” which was aided by the extra time Bates was able to study and learn while he couldn’t hit during the spring.

“We know he’s a very physical football player,” Chizik said, “so that’s kind of suited for him.”
Bates, in physical appearance, still looks like a safety, though he’s bulked up to 203 pounds, about 8 pounds heavier than when he enrolled last season. As long as he keeps hitting big and flying to the ball, Chizik and defensive coordinator Ted Roof won’t have any qualms starting an undersized linebacker.

“I’ve got to stay inside, stay as a linebacker, be in the box, stop the run,” he said. “That’s the first thing that’s different from safety. It was pass-first, now I’ve got to be a run-stopper.”

Shoemaker wins punter battle
Ryan Shoemaker summed up his thoughts about winning the punter competition with blunt honesty.

“It’s awesome,” Shoemaker said. “I can’t wait to get back out there.”

The most prolonged battle during fall camp came to an end Tuesday when Shoemaker, a senior, got the nod over Steven Clark, a true freshman. It’s not clear how short of a leash Shoemaker will have during the season.

“We wanted to have all our guys in place,” Chizik said. “He’s got experience.”

After punting regularly as a redshirt freshman in 2007, Shoemaker hasn’t punted in a regular-season game since 2008, when he filled in for an under-the-weather Clinton Durst.

He had a night to forget and has been awaiting for redemption ever since.

“I’m not going to let anything drop off when it comes to working hard or anything like that,” he said. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do. I really want to try to be the best in the country just like everyone else does.”

More depth chart buzz
Auburn’s newly released depth chart featured as much experience on both the offensive and defensive first-teams as any in the SEC.

The second-teams, meanwhile, are the latest examples of Auburn’s youth movement.

Thirteen of Auburn’s 27 true scholarship freshmen are featured somewhere on the Tigers’ depth chart, the bulk of which serving as immediate backups to Auburn’s eight senior starters on defense.

Tack on junior-college transfers Cameron Newton, Auburn’s starting quarterback, and Brandon Mosley, who will back up Lee Ziemba at left tackle, and that’s half of Auburn’s 2010 signing class.

Chizik promised that even more of the freshmen would have roles on special teams.

“I think it was kind of what everybody expected,” Chizik said. “It was a camp where those young guys got opportunities. Sometimes you get young guys in and they don’t get a lot of opportunities, but this was a camp of opportunity for all of our young guys.”

Safety Ikeem Means, center Blake Burgess, wide receiver Jay Wisner and guard Jorrell Bostrom all made the two-deep as walk-ons.

“Every one of those guys are guys that we have identified before they got here as guys that could upgrade our football program,” Chizik said. “I don’t think there’s any question that all four of those guys could do the things we asked them to do and really earned that spot.”

Reed update
Freshman wide receiver Trovon Reed (knee) practiced Tuesday, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said.

Asked if he expected Reed to play Saturday, Malzahn paused, smiled and simply said “yes.”

| 737-2561