Ten to Remember: No. 5

Spring ball is little more than a month away. With so many players returning from last year’s team, the faces and names will largely remain the same. Here is a look at the 10 under-the-radar players fans should know/remember going into spring practice.

No. 10
LB Jessel Curry

No. 9
RB Dontae Aycock

No. 8
DE Craig Sanders

No. 7
QBs Tyrik Rollison and Clint Moseley

No. 6
TE Philip Lutzenkirchen

No. 5
DE Nosa Eguae

Were it not for an unfortunate injury just days before the start of the season, Eguae’s name would be one already familiar with Auburn fans. He had done enough as a true freshman to impress the coaches enough to put him in the rotation.

That injury, though, sidelined him for several weeks – enough to convince the coaches just to give him a redshirt.

Size isn’t an issue for Eguae at defensive end. He was listed last year at 6-foot-2, 244 pounds, but seemed to be bigger than that when he spoke with reporters in December. His frame seems big enough that he could potentially be a ‘tweener ala former Auburn lineman Sen’Derrick Marks.

For now, Eguae will pursue the starting strong-side defensive end spot, where he could start opposite Antoine Carter. If Eguae wins the position, it would show that he’s ready to be a factor at the collegiate level. That’s because two-year starter Michael Goggans is Eguae’s biggest competition entering the spring.

Even if Eguae doesn’t win the job, he will still probably be a primary player in the rotation. His spring will be important simply to confirm to coaches that he is as good as they thought he was after four weeks of practice.

If he does, look for Eguae to be a big part of the Auburn defense in 2010.