We’re taking a look at each position group as Auburn prepares to open spring practice on Feb. 27. The final installment of an 11-part series looks at the specialists.

As Auburn ushers in a new era with first-year head coach Hugh Freeze overseeing the program, the Tigers’ special teams unit is also preparing for the dawn of a new age.

After nine consecutive seasons of having a Carlson brother handle place-kicking duties, the nearly decade-long kicking dynasty on the Plains has finally ended. Anders Carlson is off to the NFL Draft, as the surefooted Alex McPherson is set to fully take over as Auburn’s kicker this year after getting his feet wet late last season.

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It will surely take some getting used to, for those who follow Auburn at least, not seeing a Carlson square up on kicks for the Tigers. Daniel Carlson handled the job from 2014-17 and became the SEC’s all-time leading scorer before handing over the reins to his younger brother, Anders Carlson, who spent much of the last five seasons as Auburn’s kicker.

That’s the biggest change for Auburn’s personnel on special teams, so let’s take a closer look at the rest of the unit this spring.

Projected depth chart:

Kicker

Alex McPherson, redshirt freshman

Evan McGuire, redshirt sophomore

Punter

Oscar Chapman, senior

Alex McPherson, redshirt freshman

Long snapper

Jacob Quattlebaum, redshirt senior

Kyle Vaccarella, redshirt sophomore OR

Reed Hughes, junior

Holder

Oscar Chapman, senior

Kick returner

Brian Battie, senior AND

Jarquez Hunter, junior

Damari Alston, sophomore AND

Keionte Scott, junior

Punt returner

Keionte Scott, junior

Ja’Varrius Johnson, redshirt senior

Departed: Anders Carlson, kicker (NFL Draft); Dazalin Worsham, punt return (transfer to UAB).

Due to arrive in the fall: N/A.

Outlook: Auburn has been fortunate to have relative consistency at kicker for close to a decade thanks to the Carlson brothers, even with some of Anders’ struggles on longer attempts in recent years. So, with their time up on the Plains, where does Auburn turn? Simple: Another kicker with an accomplished older brother — Alex McPherson, the younger brother of Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro kicker Evan McPherson.

The younger McPherson was the nation’s No. 1 kicker coming out of high school in 2022, and he soft-launched his Auburn career last season after Anders Carlson experienced a late-season injury. McPherson handled kicking duties for Auburn’s final three games while connecting on six of his seven field-goal attempts, including a 51-yarder against Western Kentucky, and all nine of his point-after tries. The 5-foot-9, 150-pounder is more compact than the lengthier Carlson brothers, but his kicking style and build reminded Anders Carlson of Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (one of the top kickers in NFL history). If McPherson can live up to the promise that he arrived on campus with, Auburn’s place-kicking will be on sure footing for the next several years.

Spring position previews: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | JACK | LB | CB | S

While Auburn will sort of break in a new kicker this offseason, the Tigers maintained continuity at punter, where Oscar Chapman returns for a fourth season. The Australian punter is coming off another strong season, averaging 43.7 yards per punt a year after averaging 44.1 yards per attempt. He helped Auburn finish ninth nationally in net punting (42.3 yards). Chapman, who also served as Auburn’s holder last season, will also return his battery mate on punts, with long snapper Jacob Quattlebaum back for another season.

More intrigue rests with Auburn’s return game. Keionte Scott is back and should handle punt return duties after emerging as Auburn’s top option there last season, when he averaged 9.57 yards per return and ranked 17th among FBS players. On kick returns, the Tigers also bring back their top option in running back Jarquez Hunter, who averaged 21.57 yards on 14 attempts. Whether Hunter remains the No. 1 choice as he takes on a more prominent role in the backfield remains to be seen, but Auburn certainly has another proven weapon to deploy on kick returns this season: USF transfer running back Brian Battie. The 5-foot-8, 165-pounder was a consensus All-American as a return specialist in 2021, when he averaged 32.5 yards per return and led the nation with three kickoff returns for touchdowns. Battie averages 24.2 yards per return over the last three seasons, and he should enter spring as the favorite to take over the primary duties for Auburn this season.

Up next: The start of spring practice on Monday.

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