Playmaker in the slot

AUBURN | Auburn’s already brought in a couple of transfers at the outside receiver positions and is looking for at least one more.

t’s quite the opposite in the slot where Ja’Varrius Johnson has it locked down.

“We all know ‘Var is going to go crazy,” said Camden Brown of Johnson’s fit in the new offense.

Johnson, 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, led the Tigers with 26 receptions for 493 yards and three touchdowns last season. He’s totaled 45 receptions for 767 yards and five touchdowns over the past two seasons and had a 57-yard touchdown run against Mississippi State in 2021.

There should be more receiving opportunities under first-year offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, especially with the recent transfer of former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne.

“I think Var has done a really good job of playing with speed,” said Montgomery. “He’s a guy that, again, as we get him into the system a little bit more, I think he’s really jumped and done some nice things.”

As a senior, Johnson is also stepping up in a leadership role, which is especially important considering all the turnover AU’s had at the receiver position with five players transferring out and two transferring in so far.

“It is good to have a guy like ’Var in that room, a guy that has got experience and has been out there and has been productive to a point,” said first-year receivers coach Marcus Davis. “It is good to have that and it is good to see him and his work ethic because he naturally has influence and it rubs off.”