Auburn football is in a rough patch currently, but there is little doubt that better days are ahead.
Proof of that can be seen in ESPN’s Freshman All-America team, which includes Auburn defensive lineman [autotag]Malik Blocton[/autotag]. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill says that Blocton’s successful debut season is a great sign for future Auburn defenses.
One player the Tigers won’t have to worry about is Blocton. He was a highly productive three-star at Pike Road High School (Alabama) who registered 118 tackles and 14 sacks as a senior in high school, then enrolled early with the Tigers. Blocton has great size at 6-foot-3, 291 pounds and notched 16 tackles (including four for loss) along with 1.5 sacks. His technique and play recognition exceeded the typical freshman. Perhaps that’s to be expected considering his brother, Marcus Harris, was a standout defensive lineman at Auburn before continuing onto the NFL. Blocton seems to be on a similar trajectory.
Blocton’s freshman campaign saw him notch 15 tackles with 1.5 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Blocton saw action in all 12 games this season for Auburn making two starts. He logged seven pressures and missed just three tackles.
Blocton is the third Auburn freshman to earn national recognition for their debut efforts. Freshmen defensive backs Jay Crawford and Kaleb Harris were named to the All-Freshman team by Pro Football Focus.
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