AUBURN | The votes from our subscribers and moderators are in as we continue our Top 20 with a hard-hitting leader of Auburn’s defense.
NO. 3 K.J. BRITT
6-0, 236, Senior
Oxford, Ala.
VOTES: Jay G (2), BMatt (3), J Lee (2), Nate (1), Bunker (3)
K.J. Britt didn’t waste one second once his time finally came. After two years of backing up a number of veteran linebackers, Britt stepped in as the starter at Mike linebacker and put together a first-team All-SEC campaign. The junior finished with 69 tackles, 10.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks, one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble. PFF ranked him fourth on the team with a 84.6 defensive grade and first with an 89.8 run defensive grade. PFF did credit him with 11 missed tackles, which is one area he can clean up on from a year ago.
Britt will enter his senior season with 40 games played including 12 starts. He will be the unquestioned leader of the defense on and off the field. He leads by example with his hard work and physical play, and is very vocal on the field making sure the rest of his teammates are lined up correctly before the snap. His leadership will be crucial for a defense that will field at least six new starters in 2020.
WHY NO. 1 (Nate): I ranked K.J. Britt as Auburn’s most valuable player because he captains one of the best defenses in the country — a unit that guarantees the Tigers a base line of success year over year, regardless of the offense’s performance.
Britt is ferocious yet cerebral, a strong hitter in the gaps but still an instinctive and instructive voice in the middle of the defense. With 10.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, Britt was first team All-SEC last season in his first year as a starter, and his run-stop grade by PFF was the best in college football. I think he has the skill set and drive to be the first or second-best at his position in the conference next year — and graduate as one of Auburn’s best modern linebackers.
As for why I have Britt above Bo Nix: It makes plenty of sense that the quarterback position is viewed as deeply important to a team’s season. That’s obvious. Nix’s potential is through the roof and I expect him to lead Auburn to Atlanta before his time is up. But for the 2020 season, I think the defense will still be the stronger and overall more consistent side of the ball for Auburn, thus I view its leader and possible best player as more valuable than a still-developing QB.
