Year 2 of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn officially gets underway on Saturday night at 6:30 from Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, where the Tigers are set to meet with the Alabama A&M Bulldogs.

While Freeze and the Tigers enter the 2024 season with far fewer questions than they did this time last fall, there are still plenty of unknowns.

Freeze said it himself: There’s still a ways to go before he and Auburn’s staff know exactly what they have in this year’s team.

“I think most of you think that those of us who have done this awhile know what to expect from our team and that’s so far from the truth — at least for me,” Freeze said Monday. “I think you really are two to three games in before you really are like, ‘All right, this is who we really are and what we can do.’”

That said, here are three storylines to watch as the Tigers kick off their season and get closer to finding out who they really are:

What will the left side of the offensive line look like?

While Freeze might’ve said it could take upwards of three games to really solidify the Tigers’ offensive line rotation, Auburn’s first game out will still be telling for the big guys up front.

As of late, most of the questions have centered around the left side of the offensive line, with the biggest question circling around the left tackle spot.

Heading into the fall, Mississippi State transfer Percy Lewis sounded as the likely No. 1 guy at left tackle. However, as camp continued to unfold, we saw Auburn’s coaches toy around with that side of the offensive line some more, which dusted off some more questions to be answered.

Redshirt freshman Tyler Johnson has taken big strides throughout the offseason and has put himself in position to nip at the heels of a starting role at left tackle.

“I can’t speak more about his growth over the last year,” offensive line coach Jake Thornton said of Johnson earlier this fall. “He just needed a year in the weight room to get it all figured out. And he’s got his weight up there. He’s strong at the point of contact, really good body quickness. We’re going to count on him at some point.”

Meanwhile, junior Dillon Wade was the Tigers’ starting left tackle last season and could get reps there again in 2024, despite Auburn’s staff thinking the former Tulsa transfer is better suited playing inside at guard.

Guys like redshirt freshman Bradyn Joiner and Akron transfer Ronan Chambers have also come up in conversation as Auburn’s staff continues to work to find the best rotation along the offensive front.

“I think it’ll be a few games in before we kind of settle into exactly what it looks like,” Freeze said on Monday. “The most likelihood is you’re going to see D Wade play a little of both and rotate around him at that tackle position and kind of see who plays the best.”

Will one of Auburn’s interior defensive linemen begin breakout?

While Auburn’s room of interior defensive linemen has been largely retooled thanks to the transfer portal and the Tigers’ 2024 signing class, Freeze said earlier this month that he and the defensive staff were still looking for “that guy.”

“Marcus Harris was pretty dominant (last year). Do we have that guy? I don’t know,” Freeze said.

In 2023, Harris recorded 40 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss and seven sacks as a returning starter on the inside of Auburn’s defensive line. He then went on to be drafted by the Houston Texans in April.

And though it doesn’t sound as though Auburn has found a defensive lineman to fill that Marcus Harris-sized void in the interior of the defensive line, Freeze says the Tigers have “have six to seven bodies that fit the prototype of what you need in there.”

Through the transfer portal, the Tigers added Indiana transfer Philip Blidi, Texas transfer Trill Carter, Kansas transfer Gage Keys and Isaiah Raikes, who technically transferred in from USC but has only ever played real snaps at Texas A&M.

Meanwhile, Malik Blocton, the younger brother of Harris, was also added into the mix this offseason, joining returners in Jayson Jones and Quientrail Jamison-Travis.

Heading into the first game of the season, Auburn defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams says he won’t be using a “depth chart” to start the season as much as he’ll be using a “rep chart.”

“Ultimately, it’s going to be a rep chart,” King-Williams in the preseason. “If we get to the game and you’re a two but you’re out there and you’re hot, well guess what, your butt is staying in the game. And so that’s what it’s going to be about, all of the guys have been working their butts off.”

That said, it’ll be interesting to see which of those guys get hot, stay hot and start separating themselves as “that guy” along the inside of Auburn’s defensive line.

How will Auburn’s young receivers and defensive backs fare when the lights come on?

Auburn is green in two key areas this year: wide receiver and defensive back.

Sure, the Tigers have experience sprinkled in the mix, but for the most part, you’re looking at young, young guys who are about to get thrown into the fire a bit.

And for that reason, Freeze said early in the preseason that he expected Auburn’s young receivers and young defensive backs to be key factors in the story of the 2024 season.

“If you had asked me what the key to this season will be, I really think it will be: How well do our young DBs and young receivers play?,” Freeze said on the opening day of fall camp.

As camp progressed, we saw and heard about flashes of potential coming from just about every player that falls under that “young DB” or “young receiver” umbrella.

But we also heard about the growing pains.

On Aug. 16, Freeze was asked about Auburn’s young defensive backs and he described them as “inconsistent, but hopeful.”

Meanwhile, during Monday’s press conference, Freeze admitted the younger receivers committed a few too many missed assignments than what he was comfortable with.

Fortunately for Auburn, during Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference, Freeze said those young receivers had cleaned things up some during Tuesday’s practice.

“I expect them to be ready. That’s the expectation and I think they have to embrace that,” Freeze said of the young receivers heading into the season-opener.

When the lights flip on at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night, it’ll become really real for those younger players. And as Freeze pointed out in early August, it’ll be critical that the Tigers be able to rely on those greener defensive backs and receivers.