Auburn had five defensive backs on the field for the majority of its snaps last season and, to do so in 2020, the Tigers will be turning to four new starters.
Gone are senior safeties Jeremiah Dinson and Daniel Thomas and cornerbacks Davis and Noah Igbinoghene. Those four combined to make 247 tackles, 12 tackles, four interceptions and break up 15 passes.
The Tigers still have experienced players on their roster and will turn to a group of juniors to emerge as the core of the secondary in 2020 and there is confidence in the unit as a whole.
At safety, Smoke Monday and Jamien Sherwood are poised to step in as starters and to have just as much success as Dinson and Thomas did a season ago.
“To be completely honest with you, they’re going to be better,” Dinson said in December. “Those guys have so much potential to be better than me and Daniel. I see it now, to be honest with you. Long guys, they can do both — play the run and play the pass. Man, the sky’s the limit for them.”
Both of the juniors have been immediate contributors, with both playing in all 26 games since their arrival on campus and have made some key plays.
Monday recorded the game-ending sack of Washington quarterback Jake Browning that ultimately sealed an Auburn win in 2018 and had a 29-yard interception return for a score in Auburn’s win over Alabama last season.
Sherwood was graded as the best freshman safety in the country in 2018, per Pro Football Focus, and has already emerged as one of the leaders of the defense.
The question about safety isn’t about the starters, it’s about who will rotate in alongside Monday and Sherwood and, thanks to defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, we have a better picture of how that battle is going.
In a recent Zoom press conference, he announced that senior Jordyn Peters had moved to safety from nickel and, he along with freshmen Chris Thompson Jr., are the two rotating behind the starters.
Peters has been a star on special teams, blocking three punts in 2018 before a foot injury limited his impact a season ago. Peters is another player with plenty of experience (37 appearances) but has minimal starter experience.
Thompson will have a chance to follow a similar path to Sherwood and Monday by enrolling early and immediately factoring into the rotation. He was a four-star recruit and top 200 player nationally and top 20 at his position, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Thompson is a hard hitter who will be capable of providing run support and protecting the middle of the field.
Auburn may be replacing both starting corners but there was never any doubt about who was going to get one of the jobs.
Roger McCreary may have been the teams No. 3 corner but he played just as much as the starters and is the clear frontrunner as the teams new No. 1 corner. The junior finished last season with 36 tackles, one interception and a team-leading 12 pass break ups and has his teammates and coaches expecting big things of him.
“I’d say he’s a top-3 corner in the SEC, honestly,” junior wide receiver Anthony Schwartz said. “Seeing him now, he’s more confident in his craft. I think he’s going to be able to lock down that side of the field.”
“Roger McCreary has really taken the next step,” Gus Malzahn said. “You can just tell his confidence level is at a different level. He’s had an excellent camp so far. He’s one of our leaders.”
The question about corner is who will line up across from him on the other boundary, with Marco Domio, Nehemiah Pritchett, Matthew Hill, Devan Barrett and Jaylin Simpson all in the mix.
Hill, a converted wide receiver, has enjoyed a smooth transition to defense so far and it trying to follow in Igbinoghene’s footsteps as a former wide out turned dominant corner.
Domino, a JUCO transfer, has experience and is a strong contender to emerge as the team’s second corner. Pritchett played in seven games as a freshman in 2019, totaling four tackles. Reed, a four-star safety signee is listed at corner.
Auburn’s lone returning starter is Christian Tutt, who totaled 32 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups and two interceptions from the nickel spot last year. According to Steele, Zion Puckett and Ladarious Tennison are backing up Tutt at nickel.
Puckett totaled four tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup in four appearances as a freshman last season. Tennison was a coveted four-star athlete out of Rockledge, Florida, who is another early enrollee who could see early playing time.
“He can play Star, corner, he’s an excellent returner,” Malzahn said about Tennison.
With the way Steele handles his defensive rotations most of these players will play and the backups may play just as much as the starters as McCreary did a season ago.