The second spring camp of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn is just around the corner as it’s set to get underway Feb. 27.

The Tigers will then proceed to hold 13 spring practices in preparation of Auburn’s spring game — also known as A-Day — which is set to be played on April 6 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Before spring practices get underway, AL.com will take a position-by-position look at the Tigers’ roster, this time digging into Auburn’s room of defensive linemen.

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Who did the Tigers lose in the defensive line room?

Auburn will be without seven of the defensive linemen it finished the 2023 season with as a handful turn their attention to the NFL, some ran out of eligibility and others elected to transfer.

Nonetheless, the Tigers’ biggest loss comes from Marcus Harris’ decision to forego his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2024 NFL Draft, which he did on Dec. 12.

Though it felt like a surprise at the time, considering the year Harris had, it was bound to happen. In 2023, Harris finished with 40 total tackles and was the team’s leader in tackles for a loss with 11 on the year. Harris also logged seven sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Like Harris, Justin Rogers also declared for the draft, while Lawrence Johnson ran out of eligibility. Together, Rogers and Johnson were two keys pieces to Auburn’s defensive line rotation last fall as they each appeared in all 13 games and recorded a combined 29 tackles. Mosiah Nasili-Kite, who missed much of the season with a torn bicep, is also out of eligibility.

Meanwhile, three young defensive linemen in Enyce Sledge, Stephen Johnson and Wilky Denaud all chose to transfer during the offseason after seeing very limited action in 2023.

Who are the Tigers returning in the defensive line room?

Auburn is set to return five familiar faces to the defensive line room ahead of spring camp as senior Jayson Jones, senior Zykeivous Walker, junior Quientrail Jamison-Travis, sophomore Keldric Faulk and redshirt freshman Darron Reed Jr. are all still on the Tigers’ roster.

Of the five returners, Faulk was the most productive last season after appearing in all 13 games as a true freshman and tallying 35 total tackles. Faulk’s impressive first season came after he was the gem of Auburn’s 2023 recruiting class.

“Since he got here in the spring, I’ve always said that he’s one of those guys that always wants to get better,” Harris said of Faulk. “After practice, he wants to stay extra and see what his weaknesses are and work on those things. Over the season, over the spring, over the fall camp up until now he’s just been consistent – consistently getting better, consistently wanting to do the same thing.”

Meanwhile, both Jones and Walker were neck-and-neck in 2023 as Jones logged 20 total tackles and Walker added 21 total tackles as they each appeared in all 13 games as rotational pieces for the Tigers’ defensive front.

Jamison-Travis and Reed both saw limited action last fall as Jamison-Travis appeared in three games, while Reed made his first appearance in the Music City Bowl.

Who did the Tigers add to the defensive line room?

Last season, Freeze frequently said that he felt the Tigers didn’t have enough depth along the defensive front. In an effort to remedy that, Auburn hit the transfer portal and the recruiting trail hard as the Tigers looked to add talent to the defensive line.

And heading into spring camp, Auburn will have five new faces joining the five returners in the defensive line room as Kansas transfer Gage Keys, Texas transfer Trill Carter, 5-star signee Amaris Williams and 3-star signees TJ Lindsey and Malik Blocton all join the position group.

In Keys, a rising junior, the Tigers are getting a player who played in 12 games in 2023, tallying 21 total tackles along the way. Meanwhile, the addition of Carter means Auburn is getting another experience defensive lineman who appeared in all 13 of Texas’ games last fall and logged nine total tackles. Ironically, the both Keys and Carter started their college careers at Minnesota.

As for the freshman class of defensive linemen, the Tigers have plenty to be excited about.

Williams highlights Auburn’s crop of new defensive linemen as a 5-star prospect who flipped his commitment from Florida to Auburn on early signing day. In his senior season at Clinton High School in Clinton, N.C., Williams tallied 48 total tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks and a forced fumble.

“I mean, to get Amaris — what is he, the No. 37 player in the country? No. 34. The 34th player in the country. That’s pretty big. I think he’s one heck of an athlete,” Freeze said of Williams. “That’s a difference-maker type of kid. When you get the 34th-ranked player in the country, that should bump us up in the rankings, I would think. Those are rewarding.”

Meanwhile, Blocton and Lindsey are two others whose additions shouldn’t be overlooked. And in the case of Blocton, as the younger brother of Marcus Harris, he’s been taught the ropes by a proven source.

“I think between TJ Lindsey and Malik Blocton, (edge rusher) Jamonta Waller and Gage Keys, I think we’re improving ourself there,” Freeze said of the defensive line during his signing day press conference on Dec. 20.