Auburn’s secondary is receiving a big boost heading into the new year.

Cornerback D.J. James announced Saturday he will return to Auburn for one more season, bolstering the Tigers’ secondary for first-year coach Hugh Freeze and new defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. The 2022 season was James’ first on the Plains after he transferred from Oregon.

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The 6-foot-1, 174-pound Mobile native was one of the SEC’s top corners this past season. He posted 38 total tackles this past season, including 25 solo stops and one behind the line of scrimmage. He had one interception, which he returned for a touchdown against Western Kentucky in the season’s penultimate game, and he tied fellow cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett for the team lead in passes broken up. Both starting corners finished the year with eight pass breakups.

James earned second-team All-SEC honors from the AP and the league’s coaches.

James, a former standout at Spanish Fort, started his college career at Oregon after signing with the Ducks as a three-star prospect in the 2019 class. He spent three seasons in Eugene, Ore., totaling 70 tackles, two interceptions and six pass breakups for the Ducks.

James’ return for the 2023 season provides a boost for Auburn’s secondary, which is also set to return key contributors Jaylin Simpson, Keionte Scott and Donovan Kaufman, among others. Pritchett, a senior in 2022, has yet to announce his plans for the future. He received a Senior Bowl invitation in November but still has a year of eligibility remaining.

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