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 transfer linebacker [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag]. One of two linebackers that Auburn plucked from an SEC West rival, Keys is in a battle to be the starting middle linebacker.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Collins, Mississippi
Height: 6-2
Weight: 245
Previous School: Ole Miss
Class in 2023: Junior
247Sports Composite Ranking
three-Star / No. 21 in Mississippi / No. 32 LB
Career Stats
| Year | G | Tackles | TFLs | Sacks | FFs | PDs |
| 2020 (Ole Miss) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 (Ole Miss) | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 (Ole Miss) | 13 | 39 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 |
PFF Grades
| Year | Defense | Tackling | Run Defense | Pass Rush | Coverage |
| 2020 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2021 | 85.5 | 83.4 | 84.1 | 65.1 | 74.5 |
| 2022 | 63.7 | 58.6 | 64.3 | 56.2 | 63.6 |
Depth Chart Overview
Keys split time with [autotag]Wesley Steiner[/autotag] as the starting middle linebacker during spring practice but Keys was getting more time at the end. He has plenty of experience after spending the past three seasons at Ole Miss and became an important rotational player last season.
Auburn has several options at middle linebacker with Keys, Steiner and [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] but both Steiner and Riley have struggled to establish themself in past season and Keys has a chance to become an immediate starter.