Jaylin Simpson – Page 8 – Syndication Server

Fourteen Tigers named to Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list

Auburn has plenty of talented veterans on its roster.

Auburn has struggled to produce draft picks over the past few NFL drafts but that could be changing soon. The Reese’s Senior Bowl revealed its annual watch list on Wednesday and the Tigers are well represented with 14 players making the list.

The group includes six offensive players and eight defensive players. The offensive group consists of quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], left tackle [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and wide receivers [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag].

Auburn’s secondary is full of players to monitor with cornerbacks [autotag] DJ James[/autotag], [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] making the list. They are joined by defensive linemen [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] and [autotag]Elijah Mcallister[/autotag] as well as linebackers [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag].

The 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl will be played on Feb. 3, 2024, and will be shown on the NFL Network.[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]

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Auburn’s secondary is back, and stronger than ever

Auburn’s secondary has a chip on its shoulder heading into the 2023 season.

Everywhere you look, it seems that each position group has been upgraded thanks to the transfer portal. However, there is one group that will return most of its experienced players.

The defensive backfield at Auburn will have the most “homegrown” players heading into the 2023 season as players such as [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag], [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], and [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] return. In fact, four of those five previously named players are among the Auburn defense’s top returning players.

Although this unit is the most experienced, they are still learning new things ahead of the season. Auburn’s secondary welcomes the new strategies and ideas set forth by defensive coordinator [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag] and secondary coach [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] to go along with the familiar style of safeties coach [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag].

When it comes to McGriff and Etheridge, defensive back Keionte Scott compares their relationship to one of the NBA’s best duos of all time, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

“Chemistry, They’ve got chemistry already,” Scott said. “You’ve got an old-school coach with more old-school tradition and you’ve got a new-school coach. Being able to merge those together — it’s crazy to see it sometimes.”

The unit appears to be meshing well with the new style, but what does that mean for expectations? Scott says that the transition has been easy, as the expectations for Auburn are considered to be low.

“Everyone knows we have one of the top groups in the country. Just being able to go to practice knowing that we’re not nowhere, we’re not anybody, we’re not ranked in the country, we’re not anything… Offensive coordinators around the country are going to know,” Scott said. “We just want to live in that. We want to let everyone know that there’s not going to be a person you can pick on in our DB group.”

Auburn’s projected rotation in the defensive backfield combined to make 248 stops last season and accounted for four interceptions.

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Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 36 Jaylin Simpson

The veteran is making the move to safety.

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 defensive back [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag]. After starting his career at corner, the coaching staff moved him to safety last season and he showed the potential to be a difference-maker for the Tigers.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Brunswick, Georgia

Height: 6-1

Weight: 178

Class in 2023: Senior

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four-Star / No. 34 in Georgia / No. 33 CB

Career Stats

Year	G	Tackles	TFLs	PDs	INTs
2019	4	2	.5	0	0
2020	7	14	1	3	0
2021	9	27	1	4	1
2022	12	37	0	7	2

PFF Grades

Year	Defense	Tackling	Run Defense	Pass Rush	Coverage
2019	65.1	27.5	68.7	–	60.0
2020	58.6	32.2	51.4	47.7	60.9
2021	65.6	68.2	48.3	57.5	69.1
2022	71.0	73.9	76.6	59.8	68.8

Depth Chart Overview

Simpson spent the first four years of his Auburn career playing cornerback but his future is at safety after a late positional change last season. He flashed his ability last season but with a full year of preparation under safeties coach [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] the sky is the limit for him.

He and [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] have the two starting jobs locked down ahead of several talented but unproven players.

Jaylin Simpson’s Photo Gallery

Report: Auburn safety no longer on roster

The Tigers will be down a man in the defensive backfield ahead of fall camp.

Auburn will be without one of its key defensive backs heading into fall camp.

Brian Stultz of Auburn Rivals reported Thursday afternoon that safety [autotag]Cayden Bridges[/autotag] is no longer listed on Auburn’s roster. The report was confirmed by Matt Cohen of AL.com. At the time of this post, there is no reason given for the departure.

Bridges played in 12 games over his two-year career, with all 12 games coming in the 2022 season. As a redshirt freshman, He recorded 19 tackles with a pass deflection. His most notable play was his fumble recovery in the endzone of Auburn’s 17-14 overtime win over Missouri.

According to Pro Football Focus, Bridges missed just three tackles and allowed two touchdowns in 386 snaps. His final grade of 63.9 was the 10th-highest among returning defensive players.

Cohen also pointed out that there are only two players from the 2021 signing class remaining on the roster: [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Garner Langlo[/autotag]. [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] will look to anchor the safety position this season.

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Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 20 Cayden Bridges

Get to know the sophomore safety.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Up next is safety [autotag]Cayden Bridges[/autotag]. The sophomore appeared in every game last season and is looking to take a step forward.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Magee, Mississippi

Height: 6-2

Weight: 221

Class in 2023: Sophomore

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three-Star / No. 32 in Mississippi / No. 151 S

Career Stats

Year	G	Tackles	TFLs	INTs	PDs	FRs
2021	3	0	0	0	0	0
2022	12	19	0	0	1	1

PFF Grades

Year	Defense	Tackling	Run Defense	Pass Rush	Coverage
2022	63.9	63.1	63.3	59.5	63.4

Depth Chart Overview

Bridges is looking to create a bigger role for himself after appearing in every game last season. That experience could be the separator between him and the rest of Auburn’s young safeties who have plenty of talent but lack those key reps.

He and [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] are likely the second-team safeties behind the duo of [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag].

Cayden Bridges’ Photo Gallery

Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 14 Marquise Gilbert

The safety is entering his second season on the Plains.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Up next is veteran safety [autotag]Marquise Gilbert[/autotag]. He is entering his second season on the Plains and is looking to make a bigger imapct after playing just a handful fo snaps last season.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Dayton Beach, Florida

Height: 6-2

Weight: 186

Previous School: Hutchinson CC (2020-21), Bethune-Cookman (2019)

Class in 2023: Junior

247Sports Composite JUCO Ranking

Three-Star / No. 2 in Florida / No. 1 S

Career Stats

Year	G	Tackles	TFLs	Sacks	PDs	INTs
2019 (B-CU)	3	3	0	0	0	0
2020 (HCC)	7	12	1.5	0	5	2
2021 (HCC)	10	25	1.0	0	2	0
2022	3	1	0	0	0	0

PFF Grades

Year	Defense	Tackling	Run Defense	Pass Rush	Coverage
2022	59.5	26.4	55.2	–	61.2

Depth Chart Overview

Gilbert played sparingly in his first season but looked improved in spring practice and is looking to become a key reserve in the secondary this season.

He is behind [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] at safety but is in contention to be the next man up with [autotag]Cayden Bridges[/autotag]. Those four are Auburn’s most proven options at safety and lead a group that is talented but inexperienced behind them.

Marquise Gilbert’s Photo Gallery

Pro Football Focus releases preseason ELO rankings. Where is Auburn?

Pro Football Focus becomes the latest outlet to reveal its preseason rankings.

As the summer continues, more and more publications are beginning to reveal their preseason rankings. Pro Football Focus is the latest to do so ($), using its unique formulas to compile rankings.

Pro Football Focus uses a metric called “ELO”, which meshes grades for each team’s offensive, defensive, and special teams output. Auburn’s grades place them at No. 40 to begin the season.

To prove just how deep and talented the SEC is, Auburn has 12 teams within the conference ahead of them despite their No. 40 ranking. Auburn only ranks ahead of Vanderbilt in the ELO rankings, who comes in at No. 84.

The Tigers have a lot of questions to answer ahead of the 2023 season, as most units on both sides of the football enter the program as transfers. Looking at Auburn’s top returning players, seven of the top ten highest-graded offensive players are transfers while four of the top ten highest-graded defensive players are transfers.

When it comes to top units that will feature the most “homegrown” players this season for Auburn, look at running back and defensive back. Running backs [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] return to the gridiron this season, while the defensive backfield welcomes back [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag], and [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag].

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Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 10 Zion Puckett

He is a leader in the secondary who will be counted on to help all the new pieces come together.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

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.

Zion Puckett’s Photo Gallery

Best photos from Auburn’s 31-20 win over Ole Miss last season

It was a great game the last time Auburn faced Ole Miss, here are the top photos from their showdown.

Things were much simpler on the Plains the last time Auburn and Ole Miss faced off.

[autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] was in his first season as head coach and the program was riding high after a 5-2 start and beating the LSU Tigers in Death Valley.

It was a top 20 showdown at night in Jordan-Hare Stadium and the game did not disappoint. No. 18 Auburn took a 28-17 halftime lead and was able to hold on for the 31-20 win over the No. 10 Rebels.

Bo Nix did it all for Auburn in the win, completing 22 of his 30 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown. He added two more touchdowns on the ground to go along with [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag]’s 140 rushing yards and one touchdown.

[autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] sealed the game with a fourth-quarter interception of Matt Corral in the endzone.

While things have not gone as planned since then, let’s relive the moment with some of the best photos of the game.

The full Auburn depth chart for Week 5

Last week, there were no changes — this week, there are plenty.

We have some changes this week, folks.

There has been some considerable shuffling around the depth chart for this week, with the biggest difference coming at the quarterback position — [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] is set to start his second week in a row, but [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] has now been listed as a co-backup with freshman [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] since he is practicing this week.

In other news, [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag] has (again) reclaimed the WRZ position with an “or”, [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag] takes over at center and [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] is listed as an “or” with Jaylin Simpson.

With all that in mind, here’s what Auburn’s depth chart will look like heading into the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry: