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Determined Dinson off to career-best start

AUBURN | In some respects it’s a distant memory. In others it’s right at the forefront of what drives Jeremiah Dinson every day.

Four years ago, Dinson suffered two major injuries as a promising true freshman cornerback at Texas A&M. He’ll return to Kyle Field for a third time Saturday afternoon as Auburn’s starting safety with 27 starts under his belt

“It’s just a chip I play with, to be completely honest with you, man,” Dinson said. “I remember at one point, a lot of people didn’t know if I was going to come back. A lot of people doubted me, whether I was going to attack rehab and things like that, and you know, I just play with a chip on my shoulder every week.

“I just try to be the best on the field, and like I said before, I don’t really care about the individual things; I’m just a guy who just gives relentless effort, just runs to the ball and tries to make plays.”

Dinson (20) leads Auburn in tackles this season.
Dinson (20) leads Auburn in tackles this season. (Robin Conn/AuburnSports.com)

That chip has helped Dinson lead the Tigers with 27 tackles through the first three games, which ranks second in the SEC. He’s added a sack and the team’s only interception. He’s also taken on a key leadership role as a senior.

"Jeremiah is really one of our team leaders if not our team leader,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “Just everything he’s gone through, his teammates have unbelievable respect for him. His coaching staff does too. That was a tough play with his shoulder and knee. Then to return there again, I know it’s got to be special for him. He’s one of our best football players.”

Malzahn has designated Dinson as one of the team’s captains for this season.

“It means a lot to me,” Dinson said. “It means a lot of guys, they just look up to me. They look up to my work ethic and things like that. I’ve been dreaming about being a team leader since I was in high school, no matter what college I went to, and I’m just blessed.”

Dinson suffered a dislocated shoulder and torn ligaments in his knee from a questionable block by Aggies’ receiver Ricky Seals-Jones in 2015, ending his season. He redshirted in 2016 as he recovered from the injuries and returned to start at nickel in 2017 and then safety in 2018.

But it wasn’t until this past summer that Dinson finally began feeling like he was all the way back.

“I feel way better. I feel way better. I’ve got my quickness back. I feel like I’ve got my feet back,” said Dinson at the start of preseason practice. “You know, that injury I had, you know, it just took a long time to kind of get everything back so I feel way better.”

Auburn is undefeated in three games at Kyle Field and the 8th-ranked Tigers are hoping to continue that streak against No. 17 Texas A&M. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

Auburn comes into the game 3-0 while TAMU is 2-1 with its only loss at No. 1 Clemson.

“Just this momentum to have and carry it on into SEC play next week against Texas A&M. It’s good, man, just to have this momentum. It’s awesome,” Dinson said.

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