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Who we think will be atop Auburn football’s defensive depth chart come preseason practice

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Who we think will be atop Auburn football’s defensive depth chart come preseason practice

AUBURN — Auburn football had noticeable holes within its defensive front during spring practice, so coach Hugh Freeze and his staff went to work in April to plug them as best as possible.

The Tigers landed three defensive transfers after A-Day in linemen Philip Blidi (Indiana) and Isaiah Raikes (USC) and pass rusher Keyron Crawford (Arkansas State). All three figure to be in the two-deep rotation, and could make a move for a starting role if things go right during preseason practices in August.

With 38 scholarship defenders on the roster and the work appearing to be done in the portal, here’s what we think the defensive depth chart will look like once fall camp begins:

Buck linebacker

  1. Jalen McLeod
  2. Keyron Crawford
  3. Amaris Williams
  4. Jamonta Waller
  5. Joseph Phillips

Jalen McLeod didn’t skip a beat last season after transferring in from Appalachian State, tallying 48 total tackles and 5.5 sacks in 12 games. Freeze often said McLeod had to play too much and wasn’t always fresh, so the addition of Crawford and the talented freshman trio should help with that.

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Defensive tackle

  1. Gage Keys
  2. Philip Blidi
  3. DJ Reed OR Malik Blocton

A Kansas transfer who committed to Auburn in December, Gage Keys has the advantage of partipcating in spring practice over Blidi, who spent the spring period with the Hoosiers. Regardless, expect to see plenty of rotation at both defensive tackle and nose tackle.

Nose tackle

  1. Isaiah Raikes
  2. Trill Carter
  3. Jayson Jones OR Bobby Jamison-Travis

Raikes transferred to USC in January after spending the first four seasons of his career at Texas A&M. The fit with the Trojans was evidently not right, though, as the former four-star recruit in the Class of 2020 entered the portal again in April and landed with the Tigers.

Defensive end

  1. Keldric Faulk
  2. Zykeivous Walker
  3. TJ Lindsey

Keldric Faulk was thrust into a big role as a true freshman in 2023 after Mosiah Nasili-Kite suffered a season-ending injury five games into the campaign. Faulk held up admirably, collecting 35 tackles, a sack and a pass deflection. A big performance is expected of him in Year 2.

Linebacker

  1. Eugene Asante
  2. Demarcus Reddick
  3. DJ Barber

A breakout star last season, Eugene Asante opted to put the NFL Draft on hold for one more year and return to Auburn for his final year of eligibility. He’ll have to have another productive season in 2024, as the depth behind him (Demarcus Riddick and DJ Barber), while talented, is young.

Linebacker

  1. Austin Keys
  2. Dorian Mausi
  3. Robert Woodyard Jr.

Austin Keys missed four games last season with a thumb injury, but he was a valuable contributor for the eight contests he was on the field next to Asante. The third linebacker in the rotation is expected to be Duke transfer Dorian Mausi, who had 61 tackles in 2023.

Cornerback

  1. Kayin Lee
  2. Antonio Kite
  3. JC Hart OR Tyler Scott

Playing behind DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett last season, sophomore cornerback Kayin Lee gained some experience as a true freshman. Similar to Faulk, the expectations and hopes surrounding Lee are fairly lofty for a player who has only been in college for a year.

Cornerback

  1. Keionte Scott
  2. Jay Crawford
  3. A’Mon Lane-Ganus

Keionte Scott held things down at nickel last season, but he’s been moved to the outside for his third year with the Tigers. He played the position during Auburn’s loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl.

Nickel

  1. Champ Anthony
  2. Kensley Louidor-Faustin

With Scott now on the boundary, the door opened for someone else to step up in the slot. That person seems to be Champ Anthony, who began his career with one season in junior college before joining the Tigers ahead of the 2023 campaign. He got on the field in every game last season.

Safety

  1. Jerrin Thompson
  2. Laquan Robinson OR Terrance Love
  3. CJ Johnson

Texas transfer Jerrin Thompson has played a ton of collegiate football, and that experience puts him in position to be at the top of the depth chart. He had a solid performance at A-Day, logging three tackles and an impactful sack that forced the offense to settle for a field goal.

Safety

  1. Caleb Wooden
  2. Sylvester Smith
  3. Kaleb Harris

Caleb Wooden and Sylvester Smith are the most likely candidates to play alongside Thompson, but true freshman Kaleb Harris could be someone who works his way into the rotation with a strong fall camp.

Special teams

K: Alex McPherson

P: Oscar Chapman

LS: Reed Hughes (walk-on)

PR: Keionte Scott

KR: Malcolm Simmons | Bryce Cain

Alex McPherson didn’t kick throughout the spring while he nursed a lingering hamstring injury, but expect him to be the starting kicker. Oscar Chapman will be the starting punter, and walk-on long snapper Reed Hughes will likely be the third starting specialist.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

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