Projecting the Auburn secondary depth chart

The summer offseason is in full swing, and Auburn Live is trying to survive it with our Position Week breakdowns. By the time all eight units (QB, RB, OL, TE, WR, DT/Edge, LB, DB) at Auburn have been covered, media days will have passed, training camp will have arrived, and the return of football inside Jordan-Hare Stadium will be just around the corner. We’re rolling out our positional weeks with the eighth group up: the Auburn secondary.

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AUBURN — Among all the position groups on the Auburn football team, the secondary should be the most reliable and prepared entering the 2023 season.

Gone is freshman Cayden Bridges, who has been removed from the team roster and not expected to return to school. Bridges finished with 19 tackles last season, good for 14th on the team and 7th among secondary players. Former Iowa State transfer Craig McDonald entered the transfer portal yet again, having played in two games and recording zero tackles last season. And former high school signee AD Diamond entered the transfer portal after two seasons at Auburn. Diamond contributed zero stats and will continue his playing career at UAB.

That’s it. That’s the only departures from Auburn’s secondary entering this season under the tutelage of returning defensive backs coach and ace recruiter Zac Etheridge, and Wesley McGriff, who returns to the Plains for his third stint as a Tigers’ assistant coach.

New to the program is four-star high school signee Kayin Lee. Auburn stole Lee, the nation’s No. 126 overall player and No. 13 cornerback, from Ohio State late in last year’s recruiting cycle. Joining Lee as true freshmen are cornerbacks Colton Hood, Tyler Scott and Jacorious Hart. Hood and Scott were both On3 Sports Consensus four-star prospects. The three-star Hart, hailing from nearby Loachapoka, Ala., is listed as a cornerback on Auburn’s official team roster, but may also work at receiver to start his career. And from the junior college ranks, Champ Anthony joins the team as a sophomore.

At safety, Terrance Love, Sylvester Smith and CJ Johnson all arrive as true freshmen. Love and Smith are both On3 Sports Consensus four-star prospects, with Smith being a flip from a previous commitment to Tennessee. Johnson is a three-star prospect from the state of Texas.

Because of the amount of depth returning, the new Auburn coaching staff felt comfortable bringing in a deep high school class and shying away from needing transfer players in the secondary this go around.

These five to six newcomers will join one of the more veteran secondary units in college football. Returning are scholarship players Keionte Scott, Nehemiah Pritchett, DJ James and JD Rhym at cornerback, with Jaylin Simpson, Donovan Kaufman, Zion Puckett, Marquise Gilbert, Caleb Wooden and Austin Ausberry at safety.

Scott was fourth on the team in tackles last season with 54, with Puckett finishing seventh with 45, and Puckett finishing eighth with 40 tackles. Simpson and James both finished with 38 tackles, good for ninth and 10th on the team.

Pro Football Focus ranked James as Auburn’s top returning defender and top returning cover man during the 2022 season. Kaufman ranks second, with Scott third in terms of returning defenders. In short, PFF believes Auburn’s best three returning defenders are all in the secondary in James, Kaufman and Scott.

New assistant coach McGriff loves what he’s seen from his veteran group so far.

“I think this is a mature group. One of the things you look at is the questions they ask. You can tell they want to be coached. The thing that you appreciate about an experienced bunch is when you tell them something, they try and execute it that way. The other big thing that stands out is that leadership piece. You can see the veterans talking to some of those younger guys,” McGriff said.

“As coaches, we can make the mistake of talking over guys’ heads a little bit, but they can break it down and say, ‘he’s saying this.’ You see that leadership among those guys. Keionte Scott, you can see him coaching those guys up. Nehemiah Pritchett, he’s putting his arm around Kayin Lee and coaching him up. That speaks to the leadership and the bonding. That’s good to see.”

Auburn Live is continuing its eighth position week of the summer by projecting the depth chart for the cornerback and safeties, including only scholarship players for now.

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Projected starters

Simpson and Puckett at safety, James and Pritchett at cornerback, and Scott and Kaufman at nickel.

Simpson and Puckett are the “knowns” at safety. Simpson projected at safety exiting high school, but has spent most of his four seasons in college at cornerback, but really settled in at safety late last season. Moving back to safety full time, Simpson has “found himself a home,” according to the coaches, with Zac Etheridge adding, “he can be a Sunday player.” He’s an excellent athlete, he’s not afraid of contact, he can jump and run, move his hips, and could really be a playmaker at the safety position. Puckett is the veteran of the group. He knows what to do and when to do it. There could be some defensive situations that call for Kaufman at safety instead of Puckett, but Puckett should be the regular starter alongside Simpson. The combination of Simpson and Puckett should give Ron Roberts, Etheridge and Wesley McGriff confidence that the backend is in good position.

James and Pritchett are the easy choices at cornerback, at least for now. James decided to return instead of enter his name into the NFL Draft, returning as one of the top 15-20 cornerbacks in all of college football. Pritchett enters his fifth season of college football looking for consistency, hoping to build off his 21 career pass breakups. Of those two, Pritchett might be the more vulnerable one to losing snaps to an up-and-comer like Rhym or Lee. But, Pritchett has all the experience, the speed and size to hold onto that starting spot.

“Those two guys are pros and they have to come to work every single day,” Etheridge said this spring.

At nickel, let’s go with Scott starting and Kaufman right there with him. Scott has NFL talent written all over him. The coaches believe he’s an “elite” talent with “dynamic” abilities. After one season in the SEC, Scott should be well prepared for a breakout season. Kaufman just wrapped up his third season in the SEC, the last two at Auburn. Experience is on his side, and whether it’s backing up Scott or playing safety in different formations and situations, he’ll be a huge part of what Auburn does on defense. Seeing a safety combination of Simpson and Kaufman could be a common occurance.

“We defend the second most precious thing in the game,” McGriff said this spring. “The O-line protects the quarterback and we have to defend the goal line. if anything gets behind us on the ground or in the air, that could be the game, could be the season, somebody’s career. To have that chemistry, that bond and be on the same page, it’s dynamic. That’s one of the critical things of why we meet together a lot. We have to be on the same page. It’s critical to the success of any team, specifically the defense.”

Projected backups

Lee, Rhym, Wooden, Gilbert and Ausberry.

Lee and Rhym are the ultra-talented youngsters, with Rhym returning for his sophomore season, and Lee entering his true freshman season. There are high expectations on both, and both will push for significant snaps at the cornerback positions. They are both tough, physical and intelligent, and will be counted on for important snaps throughout the season.

“Kayin Lee is doing a great job,” McGriff said this spring. “He’s in spring ball making plays. We know he’s talented, but off the field, he will not leave the building if he doesn’t understand a coverage. He wants to be great. He has the attitude and demeanor to be great. He will have an impact on this team and this program.”

As for Rhym, “he understands the expectations,” Etheridge said this spring. “I tell him every day, ‘you aren’t a freshman anymore.’ I’m excited to see his growth and potential.”

Wooden, Gilbert and Ausberry would be the first men up at safety. Wooden enters his sophomore season, while Gilbert enters his junior year. Neither produced much last season (10 combined tackles), but expectations have risen entering 2023. With freshmen talent coming in, the pressure is on Wooden and Gilbert to step up or be passed by. Ausberry is an interesting prospect. At 6-foot and 200 pounds, he’s not small. He redshirted last season and now finds himself with little game experience and watching a crop of young players enter the program on his heels. If Ausberry doesn’t break through this fall, it’s reasonable to think he could contemplate transferring.

Projected contributors/redshirt candidates

Hart, Scott and Hood at cornerback, with Love, Smith and Johnson at safety.

All five are true freshmen that will be trying to find their way onto the football field some way, some how. Hart could play receiver, but is listed at cornerback on Auburn’s official roster, for now. Love, Smith and Johnson are safeties, while Hood and Scott are cornerbacks. Hood stands 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, while Scott stands 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds. Both have the size to compete right away. Love has the size at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds to play right away, too, and Johnson possesses ready-to-play size as well at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. But for all those guys, it’ll be about picking up the schemes and becoming a trustworthy player. Auburn has depth returning at cornerback and safety, so true freshmen finding their way onto the field and avoiding a redshirt will be a challenge.

Champ Anthony, Rod Elston, Tony Hunley Jr., Paul Thompson and Mac McClinton are all walk-ons who add emergency-type depth and could play special teams.

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