Tag: dylan brooks

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold shares thoughts on adding Dylan Brooks

Leipold is excited that Brooks chose Kansas for his “fresh start.”

Auburn has added plenty of talent from the transfer portal since [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has been on campus. However, they lost several talented players as well.

One of those players is [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], a four-star product of the 2021 recruiting cycle. Brooks was highly touted coming into Auburn but managed to play just 10 games in an Auburn uniform before announcing that he would enter the transfer portal following Auburn’s spring practice period.

He ultimately landed at Kansas, and his new head coach is excited to welcome him to the program.

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold gave his defensive ends an “incomplete grade” after spring practice, and the addition of Brooks will greatly improve the unit’s stock. Leipold is thrilled to welcome Brooks to his program.

“He’s a humble young man,” Leipold said at a recent speaking engagement in Topeka. “I think for the right reasons, he’s one of those guys that just wanted a fresh start. He’s from a smaller community, his parents are outstanding people. And he wants to be challenged and he’s looking for that.”

The Jayhawks look to replace Lonnie Phelps, who recorded 57 tackles at defensive end last season. Brooks could be the perfect replacement and is willing to work towards earning a starting position, and Leipold is excited about what he can add to the defense.

“What (Brooks) really gives us, after losing Lonnie (Phelps) we were looking at things in the defensive end position, he brings nice length and pass rush ability,” Leipold said. “We’re excited about it.”

Brooks played in 10 games last season, totaling 140 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. He had six total tackles, with one hurry, a sack, and a fumble recovery.

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Who are Auburn’s top defensive players according to Pro Football Focus?

Expect Auburn’s secondary to be filled with plenty of experience in 2023.

Looking ahead to what Auburn’s defense could look like in 2023, it is clear that the Tigers will be heavily experienced in the secondary.

Auburn’s front seven needed the most attention following the departures of [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag], and [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag] to the NFL. Auburn also lost [autotag]Jeffrey M’Ba[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], two players that were expected to fill those roles, to the transfer portal.

Auburn added players such as Elijah McAllister, Jalen McLeod, and Justin Rogers to play key roles in the front seven, but Auburn’s secondary will be filled with homegrown talent.

Players such as D.J. James, Nehemiah Pritchett, and Keionte Scott return to Auburn’s secondary. They should take a step forward and capitalize on last season’s performances in 2023.

Auburn fans can expect the aforementioned names to have solid seasons based on Pro Football Focus data.

From solid pass rushers to those who give opposing receivers fits, here’s a look at Auburn’s top defensive players ahead of the 2023 season based on last season’s PFF grade.

Former Auburn edge rusher Dylan Brooks is headed to the Big 12

He will have three seasons of elgibity for the Jayhawks.

Another former Auburn Tiger has found his next school. [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Kansas Jayhawks Monday on Twitter.

Brooks came to Auburn as a top 100 recruit and was the highest-ranked member in the 2021 recruiting class. However, he never made the impact expected, he redshirted his freshman season and appeared in nine games last season as a reserve at edge.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder made six tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, recovered a fumble and defended one pass in those nine games.

He will have three seasons of eligibility for the Jayhawks, who went 6-7 last season under Lance Leipold and made a bowl game for the first time since 2008.

Brooks entered the transfer portal on April 29 after he was expected to be in the rotation at jack linebacker this season. When he entered the portal Auburn had just three jack linebackers on the roster, none of whom were on the Plains last season.

They have filled that hole by adding four players this offseason in transfers Elijah McAllister (Vanderbilt) and Jalen McLeod (App State) and true freshmen Keldric Faulk and Brenton Williams.

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Auburn becomes favorite to sign Appalachian State LB Jalen McLeod

Jalen McLeod would be a valuable addition to the EDGE position should he commit.

Appalachian State outside linebacker transfer [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] supposedly enjoyed his recent visit to Auburn last weekend. So much so, that he is projected to sign with the Tigers according to a Crystal Ball projection by Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover.

McLeod has been a big part of the Mountaineers’ defense since joining the program in 2020. In 2022 he recorded 40 tackles, six sacks, and one fumble recovery, all career highs.

Pro Football Focus listed McLeod as third-team All-Sun Belt last season and the Sun Belt Conference named him as an honorable mention for the same thing.

The Washington, D.C. native was listed as a three-star recruit with a 0.8336 composite rating according to 247Sports. McLeod was the No. 1640 ranked player and the No. 13 ranked player in Washington, D.C. in the class of 2020.

Auburn is looking for more depth at the jack linebacker spot and McLeod, being listed as 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, would be a good option to beef up the position. James Madison transfer [autotag]Issac Ukwu[/autotag] also visited campus last weekend. Following the departure of [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag] to the transfer portal, the position could use depth.

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Landen King to join the transfer portal once again

King enters his name on the final day of the spring transfer portal window.

Wide receiver and tight end [autotag]Landen King[/autotag] will be entering the transfer portal for the second time since November. King broke the news via his personal Twitter account on Sunday.

In 2021, King’s first season with the program, King caught five passes for 59 yards and one touchdown. In 2022, King caught one pass for 24 yards in Auburn’s loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Humble, Texas native was a three-star recruit with a 0.8748 composite according to 247Sports. King was the No. 592 ranked player nationally, the No. 29 ranked tight end and the No. 88 ranked player in the state of Texas in the class of 2021.

With King’s departure from the program, 15 of the 18 signees from Auburn’s 2021 recruiting class are no longer with the program. This includes each of the top 10 signees.

King joins edge rusher [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Colby Smith [/autotag] as the third member of the team to enter the portal this weekend and the ninth to do so since the portal reopened earlier this month.

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Jack linebacker Dylan Brooks has reportedly entered the transfer portal

Auburn’s top player from the 2021 recruiting class is moving on.

Auburn has lost yet another defender to the transfer portal. This time it’s jack linebacker [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag] who entered the portal on Saturday according to Matt Olson of The Athletic.

Brooks was Auburn’s highest-rated signee in the 2021 recruiting class and was expected to be part of the rotation at jack linebacker this season.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder redshirted as a freshman and appeared in nine games last season as a backup to Derick Hall and Eku Leota. He made six tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, recovered a fumble, and defended one pass last season.

With Hall and Leota heading to the NFL Auburn’s depth from last season has been erased. Joko Willis is also in the transfer portal and Marcus Bragg was out of eligibility after the season.

RELATED: Live updates of Auburn Tigers in the portal

The Tigers have added three players this offseason to play jack in Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister and true freshmen Keldric Faulk and Brenton Williams.

Auburn is in pursuit of multiple pass rushers from the portal and one of the top targets is [autotag]Isaac Ukwu[/autotag]. The former James Madison defender is on a visit to Auburn this weekend and would bring some needed experience to a room that is in desperate need of it.

The seventh-year player racked up 83 tackles, 27.0 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery over the past two seasons.

Brooks is the eighth Auburn player to enter the portal during the spring window and the seventh defensive player, joining safety Craig McDonald, linebackers Powell Gordon, Desmond Tisdol, and Kameron Brown, defensive linemen Jeffrey M’ba and Tobechi Okoli, and wide receiver Tar’Varish Dawson.

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The Athletic breaks down Auburn Football’s biggest question ahead of spring practice

Auburn kicks off its spring practice period at the end of the month. Which position group has the most to prove?

The on-field portion of the [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] era finally begins on Monday, Feb. 27 when Auburn takes to the practice field for spring practice.

Alongside the usual questions that come with having a new man in charge, there are several other questions that Auburn hopes to answer by the end of spring, or at least be closer to finding solutions.

Most seem to point towards the quarterback position, as Freeze has mentioned publically that he welcomes the opportunity to evaluate the position himself. Also, in that same quote, he mentions the struggle up front, which may have led to issues with [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag]’s decision-making in 2022.

It seems that Auburn can improve QB play by developing a stronger offensive line, which leads to The Athletic‘s most important question surrounding Auburn ahead of spring practice.

In a piece titled “SEC football: Biggest spring practice question facing each program(sub. required)“, Seth Emerson of The Athletic points toward both lines as Auburn’s biggest question mark. He is interested to see how Auburn’s new additions fill their need.

Hugh Freeze inherits a team that lost 10 offensive or defensive linemen with starting experience, including defensive lineman [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag]. The Tigers reached into the portal for three offensive and four defensive linemen and have several returning players with at least some experience.

The Tigers added several players that could start game one on the offensive line, such as [autotag]Avery Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag]. Auburn also received defensive line help in the form of [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] and [autotag]Mosiah Nasili-Kite[/autotag], which will provide a boost to [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], Auburn’s most experienced returning defensive lineman.

Auburn’s spring practice period will conclude on Saturday, April 8, as the Tigers take the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the annual A-Day game.

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Where are they now?: The curious case of Auburn’s 2021 signing class

The nation’s No. 18 signing class from 2021 is only halfway standing after the news of Landen King, A.D. Diamond, and Tar’varish Dawson’s intent to transfer.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] was dealt a great hand to open his tenure on the Plains.

Just one week before the official announcement of the Harsin hire, Auburn signed the nation’s No. 18 recruiting class according to 247Sports, a class that consisted of 18 high school players, six of whom were rated as four-star prospects.

However, just two years after faxing their National Letter of Intent to the university, half of those signees that were expected to be the future of the program now appear on another program’s roster. The number has grown now that tight end [autotag]Landen King[/autotag] has announced his intent to enter the transfer portal. One day later, wide receiver [autotag]Tar’varish Dawson[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]A.D. Diamond[/autotag] also announced that they were looking to test the transfer waters once the season concluded, moving the number of departures from seven players to ten in just two days.

Why is that? No one can for sure say at this time, but it is definitely a concern. Not only are the departures concerning, but the lack of production from this class is worrisome.

The headliner from this class is running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], who has been given an opportunity to complement Tank Bigsby in the running game. Outside of Hunter, defensive players such as [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], [autotag]Cayden Bridges[/autotag], [autotag]Marquis Robinson[/autotag], and [autotag]Joko Willis[/autotag] have combined to play just 236 of Auburn’s 513 defensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus. Between those four players, Bridges is receiving the bulk of those snaps with 173.

With the recent news of King, Dawson, and Diamond’s departure, Auburn Wire is here to break down Auburn’s 2021 signing class, and who is still a part of it.

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Who is still here? Who has gone on to play for another program? All of that information is below:

2022 Auburn football preview: Edge

Derick Hall and Eku Leota are a great 1-2 punch at edge but Auburn needs someone to step up behind them.

The edge group is one of the most interesting positions on Auburn’s roster.

[autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag] and [autotag]Eku Leota [/autotag] have proven they are productive players in the SEC and are likely headed to the NFL after this season.

The concern is the lack of depth behind them, the Tigers have just three scholarship players behind them. Western Kentucky transfer [autotag]Marcus Bragg[/autotag], redshirt freshman [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], and [autotag]Joko Willis[/autotag], who is transitioning from linebacker.

With Hall and Leota leading the way there is no concern about the production of the group, but if either one of them were to suffer an injury then things could get dicey for Auburn.

Wide Receiver Preview

Tight End Preview

Running Back Preview

Offensive Line Preview

Quarterback Preview

Auburn Tiger Snapshot Profile: No. 39 Dylan Brooks

Get to know Auburn edge rusher Dylan Brooks.

Going into the 2022 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 Bryan Harsin this season.

Up next is edge rusher [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag]. Brooks is entering his redshirt freshman season with a chance to make a big impact. He is one of just four scholarship players at the edge position and is set to have a role after not seeing the field last season.

Dylan Brooks’ Preseason Profile