A-Day 2026: Full recap, highlights from Auburn football's spring game

The first A-Day under new head coach Alex Golesh is complete, and there is plenty to take away.

The Auburn defense appears to be solid as several players, including Anquon Fegans, Jacoby Mathews, Eric Winters , and Jared Smith , made several tackles and turnovers. Alex McPherson looked great kicking the football, with one of his highlights being a 55-yard field goal, which is a positive sign in terms of him being at full strength for the 2026 season.

Offensively, four Auburn quarterbacks completed 29 passes for 361 yards, with Dashawn Spencer and Duke Smith being the most reliable targets by combining to make 12 catches for 177 yards and a score. Tristan Ti'a completed 15-of-20 passes for 179 yards, playing mostly in the second team offense. USF transfer and favored starting quarterback Byrum Brown showed signs of struggle on Saturday by completing just 50% of his passes for 85 yards and two interceptions. Auburn head coach Alex Golesh said that Brown struggled to see the middle of the field and feels that playing a game inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, with fans, will help him grow over the summer.

Get a full rundown of how A-Day unfolded below, complete with highlights.

Photos from A-Day

Check out the best photos from Tiger Walk, as well as action shots, from Saturday's A-Day game.

Key final stats from A-Day

• Byrum Brown: 7-of-14, 85 yards, 2 INT

• Tristan Ti'a: 15-of-20, 179 yards, TD, INT

• Dashawn Spencer: 9 catches, 93 yards

• Duke Smith: 3 catches, 84 yards

• Keshaun Singleton : 3 catches, 58 yards

• Jeremiah Cobb : 4 rushes, 57 yards

• Nykhi Davenport: 10 rushes, 41 yards, TD

• Anquon Fegans, Fred Gaskin: 6 tackles

Alex McPherson looks strong with a 55-yard field goal

McPherson appears to be back to himself. He showed off his leg by kicking a 55-yard field goal in the 4th quarter. He is 2-for-2 today with field goals of 26 and 55 yards.

Tristian Ti'a's big day continues with a score

Oregon State transfer Tristan Ti'a is leading the Auburn quarterbacks today, with the most recent drive being the greatest indicator. He completed three passes on the drive to Desahwn Spencer, with two going for longer than 13 yards. He capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, his first of the day.

Ti'a is up to 179 yards passing on 15-of-20 passes, with 37 rushing yards.

Offense 55, Defense 35

Locklan Hewlett throws an interception on his first drive

The first look at USF transfer Locklan Hewlett ended in disappointment as he threw an interception to Wayne Henry. He ended his first drive 1-of-2 passing for five yards, completing the pass to Xavier Newsom .

Defense 44 Offense 35

Davenport tacks on six more

USF transfer Nykahi Davenport is piecing together quite a day with 39 rushing yards on nine attempts. He capped the Auburn second team's most recent drive by rushing seven yards for a score. He is the first Auburn rusher to score in today's game.

Offense 41 Defense 29

Brown is picked off again

Byrum Brown has yet to find a rhythm as he has thrown another interception, this time to Bryce Deas. The defense continues to close in on the offense's lead.

Offense 32, Defense 29

End of 1st half stats

Here is a look at several key players from the first half of A-Day

• Byrum Brown: 5-of-11, 73 yards, INT

• Tristian Ti'a: 8-of-13, 118 yards, TD, INT

• Keshaun Singleton: 3 catches, 58 yards

• Duke Smith: 2 catches, 47 yards

• Jeremiah Cobb: 4 rushes, 57 yards

• Anquon Fegans: 6 tackles

• Cody Sigler: Sack

• Elijah Melendez: Sack

• Jared Smith: INT TD

• Jacoby Mathews: INT

Long drive ends with Connor Gibbs field goal

Auburn's second-team offense just produced the longest drive of the game to this point by moving 63 yards on 12 plays. The drive included three plays that went 10-or-more yards, with a 17-yard pass from Tristian Ti'a to Deshawn Spencer being the longest of the drive. The drive ended with a 30-yard field goal by Connor Gibbs.

Offense 32, Defense 23 2nd quarter

Keshaun Singleton plays massive role in Auburn's next drive

One of Brown's top targets from USF made a splash in Auburn's next drive by reeling in two catches for 47 yards, setting Auburn up at the 12-yard line. However, Auburn could not end the drive with a score and settled for an Alex McPherson field goal. Brown is now 4-of-8 for 62 yards in four offensive possessions

Offense 23, Defense 21

Jared Smith picks off Byrum Brown, takes it 75 yards to the house

Defensive end Jared Smith was at the right place at the right time when he picked off Byrum Brown. He swatted a pass upward, and caught it, and returned it to the opposite end zone to cap another drive.

Omar Mabson and Jeremiah Cobb gained over 10 yards on the drive, and both have combined to gain 59 rushing yards at this point of the scrimmage.

End of 1st quarter stats

Very quickly, we are through one quarter in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Here are several notable stats from the first quarter:

• Byrum Brown: 2-for-4, 15 yards

• Tristan Ti'a: 4-for-5, 67 yards, INT

• Jeremiah Cobb: 3 carries, 45 yards

• Duke Smith: 2 catches, 47 yards

• Newboy Fegans: 3 tackles

• Jacoby Mathews: INT

Jacoby Mathews picks off Tristan Ti'a

After going a perfect 4-for-4 on his first drive as QB, Tristian Ti'a tossed an interception to safety Jacoby Mathews to cap the drive. Byrum Brown returns to the field looking to score his first touchdown as a Tiger.

Offense 14, Defense 13

Brown's next drive gets off to a rough start

Byrum Brown and the first team Auburn offense fumbled the snap during the drive, with the defense recovering. He went on to run for five yards before being sacked, which forces Auburn to punt again.

After three drives: Offense 14, Defense 6

Tristan Ti'a leads the offense to points in his first drive

Oregon State transfer Tristian Ti'a led his first drive at Jordan-Hare Stadium in the second offensive possession and ended with points. He completed 4-of-4 passes for 67 yards, ending the drive with a touchdown pass to Duke Smith. USF transfer Nykahi Davenport also rushed for 16 yards on three attempts on the drive

After two drives: Offense 13, Defense 0

Byrum Brown's first drive ends in a punt.

Brown's first pass went six yards to North Carolina transfer Jake Johnson , and Jeremiah Cobb gave Auburn a fresh set of downs with a nine-yard rush. The pair connected again on a nine-yard pass, but a false start penalty forced the Tigers to need 15 to convert.

After one drive: Offense 1, Defense 0

On second thought...

Byrum Brown may not go full-contact after all. After warming up in a blue jersey, he entered the field with an orange non-contact jersey.

Byrum Brown is not in a non-contact for A-Day

How free will Byrum Brown be on Saturday? He is wearing a blue jersey, opposed to the orange non-contact jerseys that every other quarterback is wearing for A-Day.

Check out Auburn football 's A-Day hype video before the game

Who loves a good hype video? Check out Auburn football's A-Day hype video to get you in the mood for Saturday.

What's the scoring format for A-Day?

What time does A-Day 2026 start?

A-Day will get underway at 2 p.m. CT live from Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama . The event is free for all fans to attend, with no ticket needed.

A-Day Position Previews

Get to know Auburn football's spring roster ahead of A-Day by checking out Auburn Wire's "Spring Breakdown" features below

This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football recap, highlights from A-Day