After losing four seniors in this position over the offseason, Auburn football’s linebacker corps will look completely different in 2025.

The Tigers signed three freshmen and brought in two FBS transfers, adding to the team’s young group of linebackers already on the roster.

“I think they are young but very, very talented,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said during the spring football period.

Here’s a look at Auburn’s linebackers going into fall camp this week:

Players

*Demarcus Riddick — Sophomore

Robert Woodyard Jr. — Junior

*Caleb Wheatland — Senior, Maryland transfer

Xavier Atkins — Sophomore, LSU transfer

Bryce Deas — Freshman

JJ Faulk — Freshman

Elijah Melendez — Freshman

Antonio Melendez — Sophomore

Cole Grandberry — Sophomore

William Grier McDuffie — Redshirt freshman

*Indicates projected starter

What to know

Riddick’s 27 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, a pass deflection and a forced fumble last season have coaches excited about his sophomore year.

“Demarcus Riddick is going to be special,” Freeze said. “Landing [Caleb Wheatland] in the portal will bring some maturity in the room and will bring up the young guys.”

Wheatland spent three seasons at Maryland, tallying 100 total tackles and seven and half sacks during that time. In 2024, he made 42 tackles and four sacks with the highest coverage grade on the team among players with 100 or more coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

However, Woodyard has also spent three seasons with the Tigers, playing in 10 games moving up from the scout team in 2024. He finished last season with 17 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss.

LSU transfer Atkins came to Auburn after spending only one season in Baton Rouge, where he played 31 snaps across five games and recorded three total tackles.

Atkins will be one of many young linebackers fighting for playing time at Auburn in 2025, joining freshmen Melendez, Faulk and Deas.

Melendez and Deas saw significant playing time with Auburn’s second and third teams during the spring. JJ Faulk is the younger brother of starting edge Keldric Faulk and was named the ASWA Class 2A defensive player of the year as a high school senior.

“I like Elijah Melendez. He’s a strong guy, fast guy,” Woodyard said back in April. “He’s been putting on film lately. I feel like he’s going to be a very big factor for us moving forward.”

Despite the lack of experience this group has heading into fall camp, Auburn coaches believe the current depth will stay competitive against SEC opponents.

“It takes a little time to build it, and we’ve been doing that. Certainly, I wish we would have won more games a few times, but the future is very bright in my eyes,” Freeze said during SEC media days.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].