Auburn had no shortage of new faces this spring — from the coaching staff to a dozen transfers, and of course, eight freshmen who enrolled early.

After wrapping up the program’s first spring under Hugh Freeze, it’s evident that at least three of those 2023 signees have already set themselves up for considerable playing time this fall, with cornerback Kayin Lee, Jack linebacker Keldric Faulk and offensive lineman Connor Lew all impressing throughout the Tigers’ 15 spring practices. But that trio only represents a portion of Auburn’s early enrollees, five of which are on defense, with the other three along the offensive line.

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Now that we’ve had time to reflect on the totality of Auburn’s first spring of the Freeze era, here’s a look at how each of those eight freshmen fared in their first sampling of college football:

Kayin Lee, cornerback

Auburn’s numbers at cornerback this spring were fairly thing, with Lee one of just three healthy scholarship corners (along with returning starters Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James) working with defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff. Even if Auburn had more depth there this spring, Lee would have stood out. The former four-star recruit and ex-Ohio State commit flashed throughout the spring and caught the attention of Auburn’s coaching staff.

The 5-foot-11, 184-pounder was described as a “pit bull” at corner, and he capped his spring with a pair of pass breakups on A-Day. He will assuredly be in the rotation at cornerback this season.

“He’s a very feisty corner,” Pritchett said after A-Day. “He’s fast. He’s tough. I mean, he’s willing to learn to play, come in and get extra playbook from the coaches. So, he’s on his way.”

Keldric Faulk, Jack linebacker

While Auburn is thin off the edge and “deficient” in true pass-rushers this spring, Faulk turned heads as a high-upside freshman who could be an impact player this fall. The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder looks the part of an SEC edge rusher, and while he spent much of the spring as second in rotation at Jack behind Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister, Faulk received some first-team reps on A-Day. Auburn loves his potential, and teammates described him as a “monster” off the edge — but the Tigers are trying to temper expectations for their top-rated 2023 signee heading into his first season of college ball.

“I love Keldric,” Freeze said on A-Day. “I love his attitude. I love the way he comes to work…. He doesn’t know anything yet about the college game; he’s raw in some ways, but he’s very, very talented and I love the way he went about his business the whole spring.”

Brenton Williams, Jack linebacker

A three-star signee from just down the road in Opelika, Williams is more of a developmental piece to Auburn’s Jack linebacker room. The 6-foot-3, 248-pounder was steadily the fourth scholarship player in the rotation at the position this spring, behind McAllister, Faulk and redshirt sophomore Dylan Brooks. Just based on the numbers and how many players defensive coordinator Ron Roberts wants to rotate, it’s easy to foresee a redshirt in Williams’ future. Arriving early for spring, however, will only help with his development down the line.

“(Brenton Williams and Keldric Faulk) are two guys who are early enrollee guys, so they need those reps,” Roberts said. “They might have been behind early on, just because of the speed of the game, the expectations, how fast practice is moving. All of those things are all new to them, but we knew we had to give them the same amount of reps as we’re going through it so we can see where they’re at when the games starting to slow down a little bit. It’s starting to slow down; it hasn’t slowed down for them yet.

“I always think it’s hard to evaluate a young guy, or anybody. If they don’t know what they’re doing and comfortable with what they’re doing, it’s really hard for them to play full speed and do what they’re supposed to do. I think we’re still in a growing phase.”

Wilky Denaud, defensive lineman

A former four-star recruit out of Stuart, Fla., Denaud is a potential rotation piece heading into the fall. The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder fits in as a defensive end in Roberts’ system, and he closed out the spring as the fourth option at that position—but that was before the departure of Jeffrey M’ba. That puts Denaud as potentially third in line at end, behind Marcus Harris and Maryland transfer Mosiah Nasili-Kite.

With defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett wanting to rotate eight or nine guys for the three defensive line positions (not including Jack), Denaud is someone to watch as one of those end-of-rotation contributors in Year 1.

“Wilky and Stephen (Johnson), they’re coming in — I mean, they’re freshmen, they’re learning,” defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett said. “They’re learning how to play blocks, learning how to take notes, learning how to balance the college life. I think they’re both going to do well here, it’s just putting that time in and just figuring college out for them right now. ‘Hey, I’ve got class. I’ve got tutoring. I’ve got to make all these meals.’ I think the first couple weeks they were spinning, (but) now I think they’re getting used to the schedule of practice and going to class and tutoring and all of that.

“So, it’s huge to get guys here early to get acclimated. Now, once we get into summer, you’re doing it on a smaller scale, but we’re installing agan (and) now we’re in fall camp, now you’re getting install a third time. So, those guys will be ahead of the game.”

Bradyn Joiner, offensive lineman

As is often the case with offensive linemen, Joiner is more of a project for Auburn in the trenches. The 6-foot-2, 341-pounder repped at both guard spots this spring, typically with the third-team offense during the open positions of practice. The Auburn High product will most likely redshirt this season, but with Auburn in desperate need of an offensive line rebuild this offseason — and a replenishing of scholarship numbers across the line — his long-term prospects are valuable for the program.

“(I’m) certainly excited about Bradyn, Connor (Lew) and Clay (Wedin), and watching them grow and develop,” offensive line coach Jake Thornton said. “They’ve done a great job so far. They’ve been through a lot of experiences in the last six weeks of signing scholarship papers to moving, to starting class, moving into a dorm. So, I’m excited to watch him grow and I certainly think all three of those guys are going to be high-quality players and high-quality people for us at Auburn.”

Stephen Johnson, defensive lineman

At 6-foot-3 and 341 pounds, Johnson is one of the biggest players on either side of the ball for Auburn (only offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright is heavier) and is being groomed as a future contributor at nose tackle. Toward the end of spring, Johnson was working with the third-team defensive line at nose, with a couple of veterans — Jayson Jones and Purdue transfer Lawrence Johnson — still in front of him. Keep an eye on him as a potential contributor toward the end of the rotation this season, depending on how his offseason development on the field and in the Tigers’ strength and conditioning program goes.

“He’s learning,” Garrett said. “Fundamentally, he some work to do, but he’s learning the game and getting better.”

Connor Lew, offensive lineman

It’s not often you get a true freshman who is ready to contribute right away on the offensive line, but Auburn got that in Lew, a 6-foot-3, 278-pound interior lineman who can play center or guard. Lew was a four-star prospect and one of the top centers in the 2023 class, and he’s already in line for some sort of role in Year 1. He spent this spring working behind Avery Jones at center while also seeing reps at guard, where he could compete for a starting job or at the very least considerably playing time this fall.

Lew, who drew one comparison this spring to former Auburn offensive lineman Braden Smith, is sure to see the field this season. It would be a surprise if he wound up redshirting.

“For him to be that young and play as good as he does, it’s really impressive,” center Avery Jones said. “I know he’s going to be a heck of a player, especially in the future. He’s already a really good player right now. He can only go up. He’s a really good guy, great teammate and real coachable. Just a great player overall.”

Clay Wedin, offensive lineman

The 6-foot-5, 306-pounder spent the duration of spring working with the third-team offensive line at right tackle, so barring some serious injury issues for Auburn’s top tier of linemen, Wedin should be a prime redshirt candidate in his first season. Of course, that’s not unusual for offensive linemen, who often take more time to develop into major contributors at this level. Given the much-needed replenishing of numbers across the offensive line, though, Wedin’s value this season will go far beyond what he actually contributes on the field. Auburn needed bodies — and future contributors to develop — along the offensive line, and it believes it got that in the three-star Tampa, Fla., product.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.