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 linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] who is entering his second season on the Plains after spending the first three seasons of his career at North Carolina.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Height: 6-1
Weight: 222
Previous School: North Carolina (2019-21)
Class in 2023: Junior
247Sports Composite Ranking
Four-Star / No. 9 in Virginia / No. 20 LB
Career Stats
| Year | G | Tackles | TFLs | Sacks | PDs | FFs |
| 2019 (UNC) | 13 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 (UNC) | 12 | 27 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 (UNC) | 12 | 23 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PFF Grades
| Year | Defense | Tackling | Run Defense | Pass Rush | Coverage |
| 2019 | 69.8 | 74.3 | 81.7 | 53.8 | 59.5 |
| 2020 | 73.0 | 52.7 | 83.0 | 55.4 | 62.3 |
| 2021 | 41.2 | 64.5 | 46.5 | 65.3 | 37.4 |
| 2022 | 65.0 | 74.3 | 61.2 | – | 61.3 |
Depth Chart Overview
Asante is coming off a disappointing first season on the Plains where he appeared in just four games after transferring in from North Carolina. He is now a member of a talented but crowded linebacker room that also features [autotag]Lary Nixon III[/autotag] and [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] at the Will spot.
Nixon and Riley are competing for the starting job with Riley being a returning veteran and Nixon bringing plenty of experience and production from his time at North Texas. These three will give Auburn plenty of depth and flexibility at the position, Asante has flashed as a good coverage linebacker while Riley has looked strong as a pass rusher.