Tag: kj britt

KJ Britt injury vs. Panthers: Latest news on Bucs LB

Bucs linebacker KJ Britt is questionable to return to Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers with an ankle injury.

(This post was updated following an injury update on K.J. Britt)

Buccaneers inside linebacker KJ Britt exited Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers with an ankle injury and has been ruled out by the team. Britt was injured on the first play of the Panthers’ first touchdown drive of the game.

K.J. Britt injury update

 

How long will K.J. Britt be out?

He was replaced by reserve linebacker JJ Russell though recent roster addition Vi Jones will get work in Britt’s stead as well.

Bucs LB depth chart

The Bucs have been platooning their inside linebackers, with Britt typically taking early-down snaps. Britt has been exposed this year on passing downs and has seen reduced usage from last season when he took over for Devin White.

The position itself doesn’t have much more depth to support a serious injury, so the Bucs hope that this is minor.

Bucs LB SirVocea Dennis ruled out against Eagles with a shoulder injury

Linebacker SirVocea Dennis left the Bucs’ Week 4 game with a shoulder injury.

This story was updated to add new information.

Buccaneers linebacker SirVocea Dennis suffered a shoulder injury during the Bucs’ Week 4 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles and has been ruled out.

Dennis was shaken up and left the game during the Eagles’ only scoring drive of the first half. The second-year linebacker has been splitting time with LB K.J. Britt at inside linebacker next to veteran Lavonte David.

Dennis is the latest Bucs defender to be injured this season, joining Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Calijah Kancey. Only Vea has been able to return from the injury report, so hopes will be high that Dennis will not miss significant time.

K.J. Britt will be expected to step up and play more meaningful snaps alongside Lavonte David in his absence.

Auburn target Keenan Britt commits to South Carolina

Britt, the brother of former Auburn linebacker KJ Britt, chose South Carolina over Auburn and Oregon over the weekend.

A key member of the 2026 recruiting cycle will not follow the path that his older brother took almost nine years prior.

[autotag]Keenan Britt[/autotag], a four-star EDGE from Oxford High School (Ala.) and the brother of former Auburn linebacker [autotag]KJ Britt[/autotag], announced his commitment to South Carolina on Saturday. He chose Shane Beamer’s program over Auburn and Oregon.

Britt says that there were several factors that went into choosing South Carolina including gameday atmosphere and the coaching staff, but the home-like environment became the ultimate deciding factor.

“The way they talk to me and my parents, it’s big on me and my family,” Britt said of South Carolina in a recent interview with Rivals. “It’s all about the way me and my family feel. It doesn’t matter how far away the school is. I want it to feel like home. That’s what South Carolina is.”

Britt is the No. 24 EDGE from the 2026 class according to ESPN, and ranks as high as No. 11 among Alabama recruits. Auburn remains the top team to ultimately end up with Britt according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, so the race for the Auburn legacy’s signature may not be over.

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Former Tiger included in “rising star coaching” list

Do not be surprised to see Travis Williams’ name linked to future head coaching vacancies.

During the mid-2000s, Auburn linebacker [autotag]Travis Williams[/autotag] was considered to be one of the best at his position.

Now, he is considered to be one of the best assistant coaches in the nation.

Williams was recently included in a list titled “25 assistants deserving strong head coach consideration” from On3 for his success in leading UCF’s defense as well as recruiting efforts.

Following a successful playing career at Auburn, Williams began his coaching career on the Plains, serving as an analyst from 2009-11. He spent time away from Auburn during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, gaining experience in on-the-field roles. He returned to Auburn, re-uniting with coach Gus Malzahn in 2014, where he would serve a variety of roles until 2020, when Malzahn was relieved of his coaching duties.

Williams was not retained on the staff once current head coach Bryan Harsin was hired, which allowed Williams to follow Malzahn to UCF, which is where he resides today.

One of Williams’ strong suits is recruiting. While at Auburn, he was responsible for bringing players such as [autotag]KJ Britt[/autotag], [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag], and [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag], as well as players that are still on Auburn’s roster including [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] and [autotag]Wesley Steiner[/autotag] to the Plains.

During his career on the Plains from 2002-05,  Williams recorded 214 tackles, 22.5 of those were for a loss. His best season came during Auburn’s undefeated season in 2004, Williams made 80 stops with 9.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions.

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Four former Auburn players invited to 2021 NFL Scouting Combine

Four former Auburn Tigers have been invited to the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine which will be held at the college’s Pro Day.

The list of invitees to the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine is out and four Auburn players have made the cut.

Former Tigers K.J. Britt, Anthony Schwartz, Jamien Sherwood and Seth Williams will represent Auburn at the yearly event that, due to COVID-19 issues, will be held quite differently this season. Instead of the traditional workouts being held in Indianapolis, players will work out for NFL teams at their respective college’s Pro Day.

Britt missed the majority of the 2020 season after undergoing surgery for a thumb injury following the Georgia game in Week 2. Expected to be one of the defensive leaders, he recorded 69 total tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks while forcing a fumble in 2019 as a junior.

As a junior in 2020, Schwartz recorded 54 receptions for 636 yards and three touchdowns while Williams once again led the Tigers in receiving yards with 760 on 47 receptions and four touchdowns.

Sherwood made 75 total tackles with three tackles for a loss and one sack while recovering one fumble from the defensive back position.

247Sports names KJ Britt as one of the MVPs of Senior Bowl

Former Auburn linebacker made a huge impression at the 2021 Senior Bowl and earned a MVP nod by 247Sports.

KJ Britt definitely made a great impression during his time in Mobile for the 2021 Senior Bowl.

On Saturday, it was announced that his fellow teammates had named him the best linebacker at the annual game and then, on Sunday, 247Sports named the former Auburn star as one of the MVPs of the game.

From the article:

Britt missed most of last season with a thumb injury, but showed no ill effects in Mobile.

“I like him a lot,” NFL.com analyst Chase Goodbread said. “He’s a leader, he’s an alpha on that Auburn defense. … I think the NFL, with him, they look at a guy who’s great downhill, who’s better downhill than maybe moving laterally, which is of course in high demand at the linebacker position in the NFL. So that’s an issue for him certainly, but Britt’s a guy, from a football character standpoint, they love him.”

As a junior in 2019, Britt recorded 69 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks while also forcing one fumble.

KJ Britt voted best LB at Senior Bowl by teammates

Former Auburn lineback K.J. Britt is making the most of his opportunity at the Senior Bowl and was voted the best linebacker by teammates.

Without the NFL combine the 2021 Senior Bowl is even more important than in years past.

Former Auburn linebacker K.J. Britt is making the most of his opportunity. Britt is the only former Tiger who made the trip to Mobile for the event and was voted his team’s top linebacker by the running backs and offensive linemen he went up against all week.

In his lone full season as a starter on Auburn’s defense in 2019, Britt had 68 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and earned Pro Football Focus’ top run-defense grade of the season in route to Auburn’s first linebacker to be named first team All-SEC since Travis Williams in 2004.

Britt only appeared in two games this year before undergoing thumb surgery that ended his senior campaign. Because of this the Senior Bowl is a great opportunity to show he is back to form and increase his draft stock, which it sounds like he has done.

The 2021 Senior Bowl will be broadcast on NFL Network at 1:30 p.m. CST on Saturday.

All-Auburn Defensive Team during Gus Malzahn era

From Derrick Brown to Deshaun Davis to Carlton Davis, Auburn saw a lot of talent at all three levels of defense during the Gus Malzahn era.

Auburn has a historic reputation for putting out great, hard-nosed defensive players and that didn’t change during the Gus Malzahn era.

Derrick Brown and company were monsters in the trenches for the Tigers during the past eight seasons while Deshaun Davis and others controlled the middle of the field. When a team tried to pass on Auburn, defensive backs such as Carlton Davis and Daniel Thomas were there to shut the air game down.

Yet who was the best of the best during Malzahn’s eight-year span for the Tigers on defense under coordinators Ellis Johnson and Kevin Steele? We name our All-Auburn Defensive Team during the Malzahn era along with a second string for each position.

*We decided upon a 4-3 scheme for this team as Auburn has had so much talent upfront to leave anyone off.

All-Auburn Offensive Team during Gus Malzahn era

LOOK: K.J. Britt sends heartfelt farewell message to Auburn fans

Auburn linebacker K.J. Britt missed most of his senior season due to a thumb injury.

K.J. Britt’s senior season didn’t work out exactly how he had hoped as the linebacker suffered an injury in the Week 2 loss to Georgia that forced him to have surgery and he never saw the field again.

Still, Britt wanted to take time to thank everyone involved with Auburn from the fans, coaches his teammates and beyond for all the support during his four seasons on the Plains.

3 things I, Shea Brennaman, want to see from Auburn in last 4 games

Shea Brennaman doesn’t ask for much but is requesting these three things out of Auburn in the Tigers last for games.

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What a week for a bye week am I right?

We’re more than halfway through this abbreviated college football season. As it stands right now, Auburn sits third in the SEC West behind Alabama and Texas A&M who the Tigers conveniently play back-to-back at the end of their schedule. The Tigers are 4-2 and seemingly turned a corner offensively this past weekend against LSU. Can they hold on to that momentum when this bye week concludes?

With only four games remaining on Auburn’s schedule there are a few things I would like to see to ensure the Tigers finish on a high note.

1. Continuous improvement in third-down and passing defense

Through the first six games of this season, Auburn has allowed opponents an average of 236 yards per game. Sure that’s doable, but three of the four teams remaining on Auburn’s schedule are averaging well over 236 yards per game. Here are Auburn’s future opponents and where they currently stand in passing offense:

  • Mississippi State – ranked 18th overall, averaging 318.6 ypg
  • Tennessee – averaging 188.2 ypg
  • Alabama – ranked 3rd overall, averaging 380 ypg
  • Texas A&M – ranked 40th overall, averaging 252.2 ypg

In the Tigers’ last two games the passing defense shut down two top 20 passing offenses in both LSU and Ole Miss. Auburn only allowed LSU (who averages 338 passing ypg) 315 yards and forced three turnovers. The Tigers allowed Ole Miss (who averages 325.3 ypg) only 161 yards and forced two turnovers.

It would appear that at this point in the season the Tigers are coming along nicely in passing defense, but goodness gracious they have to get off the field on third down against both Alabama and Texas A&M.

The Tigers are ranked 103rd overall in third-down defense and its opponents are 49/94 on third down. Both Alabama and Texas A&M are ranked in the top five on third-down conversions. This next topic may assist the Tigers on defense in a multitude of ways, however.

2. The return of KJ Britt

The All-SEC linebacker had thumb surgery following the Georgia game and has not played since, but is expected to return for both Alabama and Texas A&M. In his first two games this season he recorded 23 tackles. The defense has managed well in his absence, but Britt’s leadership and experience will be impactful when he returns.

3. KEEP RUNNING THE BALL

Auburn is outrushing opponents by an average of 15.6 yards per game. The Tigers have scored 10 rushing touchdowns and average 4.67 yards per rush. This is obviously in huge part to freshman stud Tank Bigsby. In six games Bigsby has rushed for 503 total yards and five touchdowns.

Is it doable for Tank to become Auburn’s next 1,000 yard rusher? Probably, but he’ll have to put in absolute work in Auburn’s remaining games. After Kerryon Johnson’s string of injuries in 2017 I live in fear of the Tigers running their star RB into the ground, so I really want to see other backs in the rotation here.

DJ Williams was limited after the Georgia game and did not play this past weekend against LSU. I would love to see him return soon. Another back who has been missing in action this season is Shaun Shivers. Shivers missed the Georgia, South Carolina, and Arkansas games due to an undisclosed injury but returned to action just in time to deliver a Shivers’ hit to LSU star defensive back Derek Stingley Jr.

I want to see more of both of them in the backfield rotation.

Auburn I know I don’t ask for much, but if you give us these three things the possibilities could be endless. Take the bye week to think about it if you must.