Answering 5 big questions heading into fall: Who plays in the secondary?
As fall camp approaches for Auburn, it will be a pivotal time for Bryan Harsin and the Auburn Tigers. The spring gave Auburn 15 practices to begin implementing new systems, but it was also an opportunity for the coaching staff to learn what needs to be worked on.
In the secondary, Auburn doesn’t have a problem. Moreso, they have too many answers. Simply put, Auburn’s secondary is loaded with talent and not enough playing time to go around.
So, who gets playing time in the secondary and how does defensive coordinator Derek Mason get all his talented defensive backs on the field?
Looking back at the spring depth chart, Auburn had Roger McCreary and Jaylin Simpson at the cornerback spots, Nehemiah Pritchett at nickel and Smoke Monday and Ladarius Tennison at the safety positions.
But going into the fall Auburn has added West Virginia transfer Dreshun Miller and JUCO transfer Ro Torrence at cornerback. Both will compete for immediate playing time. Bydarrius Knighten arrives from Southeast Missouri State with the versatility to play corner, safety or nickel. Donovan Kaufman from Vanderbilt could play nickle or safety.
That’s quite a bit of talent being added to an already solid secondary and obviously, they all can’t be on the field at once.
In a pure guess of how the depth chart will work out, Tennison should move back to nickel. He’ll split playing time with Pritchett at nickel. Pritchett was highly-graded as a cornerback last year and needs to be on the field somehow.
Kaufman and Knighten will split snaps at safety alongside Monday. If Auburn’s playing a pass-heavy team, they could opt to play play both Kaufman and Knighten as Monday has struggled in deep coverage at times. Or they could move Monday in the box even more playing a hybrid 'moneybacker' role similar to what Jamien Sherwood did at times.
At cornerback, McCreary is the solidified No. 1, there’s no questioning that. And while Simpson looked strong in the spring, it feels unlikely that Miller transferred and won’t be a starter. McCreary and Miller could make up one of the strongest one-two cornerback duos in the country. And if Auburn needs to play more, Torrence and Simpson will be there ready to pick up the slack. Auburn has four SEC starting-caliber cornerbacks at the ready.
Overall, Mason has plenty of tools at his disposal. The secondary isn’t a problem for Auburn to solve in the fall. It’s just a decision that Mason has to make to decide how to use all of the toys at his disposal.
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