What we learned about each position on Auburn’s defense, special teams this spring
The Hugh Freeze era is in full swing, as Auburn wrapped up its first spring under its new head coach with Saturday’s A-Day game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
It was the culmination of 15 practices over six weeks, as Freeze and his staff worked to install their offensive/defensive schemes and instill their culture on the program Freeze took over at the end of November. Auburn is still a work in progress, of course; Freeze has a full-on rebuild on his hands after the Tigers posted back-to-back losing seasons under Bryan Harsin, and spring practice was just the first step in the process.
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Freeze and his staff learned a lot about their personnel over the last six weeks. Likewise, players learned a lot about the systems they’ll be running come fall and what to expect under this new regime. We also learned a fair deal about Auburn as it steps into this new era (and will learn more in the months ahead leading up to the season opener against UMass on Sept. 2).
On Tuesday, we took a look at what we learned about each position on the offensive side of the ball this spring. Now, let’s examine the other side and go over what we learned about each position on Auburn’s defense and its specialists.
Defensive end
What we learned: Marcus Harris is the leader of the defensive line, taking the helm after the departures of Colby Wooden and Derick Hall, and Auburn knows what it’s getting with him. Auburn also moved Jeffrey M’ba to defensive end full time after he played a few different roles during his first season on the Plains. M’ba has settled in and found his identity at end, and now his goal for the upcoming season is, simply, to “destroy people.”
Defensive tackle
What we learned: Auburn has a massive tandem to plug the inside of the line at tackle and nose in Roberts’ defensive front with Jayson Jones (6-foot-6, 339 pounds) and Kentucky transfer Justin Rogers (6-foot-3, 340 pounds) getting the most first-team reps together this spring. Rogers started out the spring at nose, but defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett wanted to get him comfortable playing the other tackle spot, and he seemed to settle into that role over the final month or so of practices. Those two aside — and taking a big-picture look at the defensive line overall — Garrett wants to go eight-deep for the three defensive line spots (not including the JACK linebacker, which we’ll get to next).
JACK linebacker
What we learned: Freeze believes Auburn is still “deficient in true pass-rushers” and wants to find more help on that front in the post-spring transfer portal, but after losing Derick Hall, Eku Leota and even Marcus Bragg from last year’s roster, the Tigers leaned on a pair of newcomers this spring: Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister and four-star freshman Keldric Faulk. McAllister brings a veteran presence to the group, along with SEC experience, while Faulk looks the part — he’s listed at 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds — and should be a factor as a true freshman off the edge. Still, Auburn needs more help at the position. Even if it can find some on the transfer market, don’t be surprised if someone like redshirt freshman Powell Gordon gets some work off the edge to add depth to a room that also includes Dylan Brooks and freshman Brenton Williams.
Inside linebacker
What we learned: Even after losing four-year starter, team captain and leading tackler Owen Pappoe to the NFL, Auburn’s inside linebacker group was a pleasant surprise this spring. Along with returning veteran contributors Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner, the Tigers got an infusion of SEC talent and experience with Ole Miss transfer Austin Keys and LSU transfer DeMario Tolan, plus the continued development of redshirt freshman Robert Woodyard Jr. The Tigers want to go three-deep at linebacker this season, with a more evenly distributed snap-count than last season’s top-heavy rotation that leaned heavily on Pappoe, Riley and Steiner.
Cornerback
What we learned: Auburn should have one of the better starting cornerback duos in the country, with Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James back for another season from a secondary that ranked top-25 against the pass last season. Depth behind them was a concern this spring, though freshman early enrollee Kayin Lee made some noise and will be counted on immediately this season. More reinforcements will arrive this offseason in the form of incoming freshmen Colton Hood and Tyler Scott, plus the return of a healthy J.D. Rhym
STAR
What we learned: Auburn has a “1A and 1B” at STAR, with Keionte Scott and Donovan Kaufman both returning this season. The position will have a bit more importance in Ron Roberts’ defensive scheme, with it not only serving as a nickel/slot defensive back, but a player who will be asked to blitz more often and drop into the box as another linebacker.
Safety
What we learned: Auburn has experience at safety with both Zion Puckett and Jaylin Simpson back, while Marquise Gilbert and Cayden Bridges also return, but the Tigers feel like they need more depth on the back end. Even with a pair of freshmen (Sylvester Smith and Terrance Love) arriving this summer, Auburn will seek some more experienced depth in the post-spring transfer portal window to really bolster the secondary.
Special teams
What we learned: We didn’t get to see too much in terms of special teams this spring, but the kicker and punter jobs are locked in with Alex McPherson taking over full time following the end of the Carlson kicking dynasty and Oscar Chapman back for his senior season at punter. After helping Auburn finish top-10 in net punting last season, Chapman wowed Freeze at times this spring, including during the special teams period before the official start of A-Day. As for the return game, we got limited glimpses of it during practices, but USF transfer Brian Battie should be a lock to be the Tigers’ top kick returner, considering he was a consensus All-American in that role with the Bulls in 2021.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.