We’re taking a look at each position group as Auburn prepares to open spring practice on Feb. 27. The 10th of an 11-part series looks at the safeties.

Just like Auburn’s cornerback room, the safety position welcomes back every piece from last year’s secondary — a unit that helped the Tigers put together a top-25 pass defense despite everything else that went awry for the program in 2022.

Back are starters Zion Puckett and Donovan Kaufman, as well as key rotational pieces Marquise Gilbert, Cayden Bridges and Caleb Wooden. The only real newcomer to the group comes at the top with the addition of Wesley McGriff to coach the secondary alongside Zac Etheridge—and even McGriff is no stranger to Auburn. This marks the veteran coach’s third stint with the program, and he returns to a group that features some familiar faces in the secondary, including Puckett at safety.

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Projected depth chart:

— Safety: Zion Puckett, redshirt senior

Marquise Gilbert, junior

— Safety: Donovan Kaufman, redshirt junior

Cayden Bridges, redshirt sophomore OR

Caleb Wooden, sophomore

Departed: N/A

Due to arrive in the fall: four-star 2023 signee Sylvester Smith, four-star 2023 signee Terrance Love, three-star 2023 signee C.J. Johnson.

Outlook: The back end of Auburn’s defense is in good shape heading into the first spring under first-year head coach Hugh Freeze and new defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. Having Etheridge return to his role in the secondary was a big deal for the Tigers, and adding McGriff back to the staff for his third tour on the Plains brings a well-respected veteran presence to the room — not that Auburn’s safety group was short on that from a personnel aspect.

The Tigers weren’t really at risk of losing their top safeties this offseason (at least in comparison to cornerback, where Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James could have feasibly bolted for the NFL Draft), but it’s still notable that Auburn returns every contributor at safety in 2023. That starts at the top of the depth chart with Puckett and Kaufman, the redshirt senior and the former Vanderbilt transfer, respectively.

Puckett is in his fifth year with the program and is heading into Year 3 as a starter for Auburn’s defense. Last season he started 11 of the team’s 12 games and recorded 45 tackles and a pair of pass breakups. Kaufman, who spent part of his first season at Auburn in 2021 playing nickel, shifted to safety last season and made seven starts alongside Puckett. The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder had 40 tackles, a pair of pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Behind that duo, Auburn returns every supporting piece at safety: former JUCO transfer Marquise Gilbert, and sophomores Cayden Bridges and Caleb Wooden. Gilbert, listed as Puckett’s backup on the depth chart last year, appeared in just four games during his first season on the Plains and had one tackle. Bridges played in every game, with a pair of starts against Missouri and Texas A&M, and he finished with 19 tackles and a pass breakup on the year. Wooden, a true freshman last season, saw the field in five games—including his first career start at Mississippi State—and had nine stops on the season.

Auburn also welcomes back former Iowa State transfer Craig McDonald, who played in just two games last season. The group can also turn to Keionte Scott, the team’s projected starter at nickel who made a few late-season starts at safety in place of Kaufman.

While Auburn doesn’t have any of its three 2023 signees at the position on campus this spring, the unit should be in good hands given its combination of returning experience, production and depth.

Up next: Specialists.

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