Tigers extend offer to FCS All-American linebacker

Auburn extended an offer to James Madison linebacker and All-American Diamonté Tucker-Dorsey.

On Wednesday, the Auburn coaching staff extended an offer to FCS All-American linebacker Diamonté Tucker-Dorsey. He entered the transfer portal just a day prior to the Tigers offering him.

Other schools that have offered Tucker-Dorsey are Texas, Ole Miss, Florida State, and UCF. It is too early to gauge what program would be the frontrunner at this time. There will likely be more programs from across the country that come into the fold. The native of Norfolk, Virginia could be an instant impact player for whatever school he chooses in the near future. He will have one year of eligibility remaining, meaning that he is a graduate transfer.

In five seasons with the Dukes, he recorded 204 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. The majority of those stats came this past season as he started in 14 games for the program. In 2021, he tallied 116 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and nine tackles for loss. Head coach Curt Cignetti used the defensive prowess of Tucker-Dorsey along with the rest of the team to go 12-2. The Dukes fell just short by a score of 20-14 in the FCS semifinals against the well-known North Dakota State Bison.

As far as the Tigers are concerned, they could certainly use a talent like Tucker-Dorsey on their defense. Defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding is in his first season as being the play-caller for the defense. He would love to add an All-CAA linebacker. The Tigers have already landed four transfers on the defensive side of the ball — Jayson Jones, DJ James, Craig McDonald, and Eugene Asante. They don’t appear to be finished either as they have shown interest in several transfers. Some transfers to keep an eye on are Morris Joseph (Memphis), Taylor Lewis (College of the Canyons), and Tucker-Dorsey of course.

The Auburn faithful as well as the coaching staff would love to add a veteran linebacker of his caliber. He is well-equipped and could make an immediate contribution to the team. The linebacker room currently consists of Cam Riley, Owen Pappoe, Eugene Asante, and Wesley Steiner. Although it may seem far-fetched for Tucker-Dorsey to have an immediate impact, he wouldn’t be recruited if the coaching staff didn’t think that he could make an immediate contribution to the team. We will have to wait and see what he decides to do, but Auburn fans are hoping that he heads to the Plains for his final year of eligibility.