AUBURN | C.J. Uzomah left for the NFL five years ago. Auburn may have finally found a suitable replacement this fall.

Arizona State graduate transfer Jay Jay Wilson has been a standout during fall camp and goes into the game one as a co-starter along with Spencer Nigh at tight end/H-back on the Tigers’ depth chart, which was released Tuesday.

“He just gives us a skill set that we haven’t had around here in a while,” tight ends coach Larry Porter said. “That’s actually a plus for us offensively, because it allows us to stay in one personnel grouping and run our whole offense. Obviously with him, up till today, he’s only had one drop in all of fall camp, no matter what the drill has been. So that shows that he has great hands, which is very valuable.

“Then he has the luxury to practice against Marlon Davidson, Nick Coe, T.D. and Big Kat every day has grown him in the run game. So that’s a plus, as well. So as we continue to put together the pieces of the puzzle, he’s going to be a big factor in what try to do from a game plan perspective.”

Wilson, who played both H-back and linebacker for the Sun Devils, has the athleticism to be a major threat as a receiver along with the toughness to provide key blocks at the point of attack. He could even be used as a running back or Wildcat quarterback.

“He's a guy, I'm most pleased with how he's come in and become one of the guys,” said offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who was an assistant at Arizona State from 2014-15. “And when you transfer in somewhere and you're a senior, and you're going to be there one year, it's one of those deals where you've gotta believe in your guys. And your guys have to believe in you. And I think our players want to see him succeed. And that's half the battle when you're coming in. Is your own guys wanting you to succeed in helping you and our guys have done a great job of that.

“From an athletic standpoint, really good athlete, really good hands, physical in the box. He's what you want.”

And it was Dillingham, who was hired by Auburn in December, that played a vital role in landing Wilson.

“I knew him and he trusted me,” Dillingham said. “Like I said, my relationships with my players is something I pride myself on. I think it's twofold. When you have those relationships at the end of the day, I think those guys can trust you whether it's now or whether it's in 10 years. And that was just an example of that relationship coming back to to help. It was positive.”

No. 16 Auburn opens the season Saturday night against No. 11 Oregon Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.