Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, and his group of defensive coaches inherited a secondary unit mixed with experience and youth.

Nehemiah Pritchett (cornerback), Zion Puckett (strong safety), DJ James (cornerback), Jaylin Simpson (free safety), and Keionte Scott (cornerback) make a formidable starting unit in the Tigers’ defensive backfield. Donovan Kaufman and J.D. Rhym are talented players that will also look upon to make plays for the secondary.

Confidence in the starters was a consistent theme during spring camp through the rain-shortened A-Day scrimmage. On the flip side, the confidence may also need to transition into good health for a unit that may not be where they’d like to be depth-wise, as illustrated by defensive coordinator Ron Roberts.

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“I’m going to be honest with you; we don’t have a lot of depth in the secondary; that’s probably the biggest one right now. I think we have linebackers, I think we can get into three deep right now,” Roberts told reporters during the third week of spring football. “Maybe not, but there’s probably five. There’s probably five of them that I think are going to get there.”

James was a second-team All-SEC corner last season. He had one interception that he ran for a touchdown in the win against Western Kentucky and tied with Pritchett for the team lead with eight pass breakups. Pritchett and James are the likely starters at the right and left corners.

Freshmen Austin Ausberry (redshirt), Kayin Lee, Colton Hood, and Tyler Scott will be in the mix for reps to spell James and Pritchett.

Puckett and Simpson appear to be the safety duo when the Tigers open the season against UMass in September at Jordan-Hare. Simpson finished the season strong with two interceptions, breaking up three passes, and had 17 tackles over the last four games of the 2022 season. Etheridge expressed excitement about the potential for Simpson to improve.

“You can see that as the season went on, he got better and better, and now I think he found himself that home that he can come out every day and control the defense,” Etheridge said. He can be a Sunday player if he holds onto everything that goes in football off the field. Just seeing his range, his athleticism, his ability to play man-to-man in the slot, the things that he can do, he can tackle well. So, his upside at that position is through the roof if he embraces it and studies the game as he should.”

Cayden Bridges and Caleb Wooden are safeties looking for opportunities to contribute to Roberts’ defense. Auburn has 79 scholarship athletes on the team, which leaves room for the Tigers to sign six players before the season starts. Don’t be shocked to see the Tigers try to find another defensive back in the portal. Either way, Roberts has high hopes for the Tiger defense headed into the fall.

“We’re at Auburn, and I expect us to start No. 1, maybe top-20 defense in the country,” Roberts said. “We’re at Auburn, and there’s certain expectations you’re going put on the helmet. That’s what it should be like, and you should expect to perform at that level.”

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.