Marcus Davis doesn’t take lightly what it means to play wide receiver at Auburn.

The Tigers’ new wide receivers coach has been there, done that. Before he took over the room as part of Hugh Freeze’s inaugural staff at Auburn, Davis was on the other side of the equation as a wide receiver on the Plains from 2013-16.

So, when Davis had the opportunity to go out and add a wide receiver to Auburn’s roster not long after being hired at his alma mater, he already knew the type of person and player he had in mind.

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“This place means a lot to me, so it had to be the right fit and the right person,” Davis said.

Davis wasted little time in approaching one of his former players for the opportunity to join him on the Plains. Nick Mardner played wide receiver for Davis at Hawaii in 2021 before transferring to Cincinnati last season. Mardner entered the portal again in early December, this time as a grad transfer.

Davis was hired at Auburn on Dec. 27, and within a week and a half, Mardner was on campus for a visit.

“He wanted a challenge for himself,” Davis said. “…I think he checked all those boxes (of what I was looking for), and that’s what was more of the conversation than anything: him being the right fit and him wanting this challenge.”

In transferring to Auburn as part of the Tigers’ impressive haul during the first transfer portal window, Mardner reunites with the position coach under whom he had his most productive season. Mardner comes to Auburn with 81 career receptions for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns, with the majority of that production coming during Davis’ lone season as an assistant at Hawaii, which was also his first as a full-time on-field coach.

During their 2021 campaign together, Mardner finished with career highs in receptions (46), receiving yards (913) and touchdowns (five). He had three 100-yard performances, and he was also 10th among all qualifying FBS receivers in yards per reception that season, averaging 19.8 yards per catch.

“What I think he brings is the combination of size and speed,” Davis said. “He’s every bit of 6-5, and he can run.”

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Mardner’s experience will be welcome at Auburn, which doesn’t return another wide receiver on the roster whose career production compares to Mardner’s best season at Hawaii. Ja’Varrius Johnson is the closest in that regard, with 45 receptions for 767 yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons. Mardner, who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds on Auburn’s official roster, will also be the tallest and rangiest receiver in the room for the Tigers this season, with the type of frame that the program hasn’t seen at the position in years.

With spring practices just around the corner, Davis and Mardner will soon be reunited on the field — and the veteran wide receiver will have his first opportunity to show he’s up for the challenge of playing at Auburn and in the SEC.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Davis said. “…That’s something he definitely can bring to the room — and we’ve got other guys in the room that can do some things, as well, that probably didn’t have the opportunity. The biggest thing for me is getting everybody together, getting them on the same page — because competition is going to bring the best out in everybody.”

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