AUBURN | Gus Malzahn is back in his element. He’s coaching the offense and this fall he’ll be calling the plays.

But even with his eyes squarely on his side of the ball during spring practice, Malzahn couldn’t help but notice a player on the opposite side — cornerback Roger McCreary.

“Yeah, Roger's another one of those freshmen that looks completely different,” Malzahn said. “You can tell he's more confident. He's off to a really good start. I've been with the offense mainly the whole time, but when a guy on defense flashes and stands out, that means he's doing a really good job. And I've noticed that two different practices this week.”

McCreary, a Mobile, Ala., native, was originally committed to South Alabama until a strong senior season piqued the interest of Auburn. He received an offer in December and committed to the Tigers a couple of weeks before Signing Day.

He was used sparingly as a true freshman last fall, playing in eight games and finishing with five tackles and a pass breakup. But he’s poised to have a much bigger role in 2019.

And it’s not just Malzahn’s eye he’s caught this spring.

“Roger McCreary has definitely been doing good things,” senior cornerback Javaris Davis said. “I feel like he has grown a lot and his confidence is going up. He just has to continue to build it and continue to work his craft.”

Auburn, which held the fifth of 15 spring practices Monday afternoon, will return to the practice fields Wednesday. The A-Day game will be April 13 at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.