Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in his first season on the Plains.
Up next is veteran safety [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] who is entering his third season as a starter and is one of the leaders of the secondary.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia
Height: 6-0
Weight: 226
Class in 2023: Senior
247Sports Composite Ranking
Four-Star / No. 17 in GA / No. 12 s
Career Stats
| Year | G | Tackles | TFLs | INTs | Sacks | PDs | FFs |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 10 | 48 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 11 | 45 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
PFF Grades
| Year | Defense | Tackling | Run Defense | Pass Rush | Coverage |
| 2019 | 57.6 | 51.7 | 54.8 | 54.3 | 59.3 |
| 2020 | 56.5 | 83.8 | 74.2 | 53.1 | 54.8 |
| 2021 | 66.3 | 80.9 | 64.3 | 54.4 | 63.0 |
| 2022 | 46.7 | 77.9 | 57.2 | 63.0 | 41.4 |
Depth Chart Overview
Puckett is one of the leaders in the secondary and looks set to be a starter at safety alongside [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag]. It will be Puckett’s third straight season as a starter and he is unquestionably one of the leaders of the secondary and someone the coaching staff can lean on to help the newcomers adjust.
He will be backed up by several talented players that deserve to see the field but Puckett’s experience and leadership will the difference as he looks to build on the best season of his career.