AUBURN | The votes from our subscribers and moderators are in as we continue our Top 20 with a defensive lineman ready to take another big step forward.
NO. 7 TYRONE TRUESDELL
6-2, 310, Senior
Augusta, Ga.
VOTES: Jay G (7), BMatt (7), J Lee (9), Nate (7), Bunker (7)
Tyrone Truesdell has been on a steady rise since he arrived at Auburn in 2017 and goes into his senior year as one of the Tigers’ top defensive players. He earned a scattering of reps as a freshman, became part of the playing rotation as a sophomore and started nine games as a junior last fall. With Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson and Nick Coe all moving on to the NFL, it’s left to Truesdell to be the leader of a deep but inexperienced defensive line.
Truesdell thrived playing besides Brown last season tallying 31 tackles, 5.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks. He’ll have to be better in 2020 with defenses focusing more on him, but there’s no reason to expect he won’t take another step forward in 2020 just like he has the previous three years.
WHY NO. 7 (BMatt): I’ve seen so many player progress under Rodney Garner and I think Truesdell is the next one that’s going to take a big step forward this season. I don’t see Truesdell as a big-time playmaker on the defensive like like Brown or Davidson, but he’ll make a lot of the plays that need to be made and allow other playmakers like linebacker K.J. Britt to clean up plays behind him.
Truesdell didn’t have a missed tackle in 2019 according to PFF, which is a good example of the type of reliable player he has been and should be again this fall. What would be best for him, and Auburn, is if another returning or incoming defensive tackle steps up as a playmaker besides Truesdell, allowing him to continue to do a lot of the dirty work while becoming even more of a danger himself. Returning defensive tackles like Daquan Newkirk or Coynis Miller could certainly fill that role as could an incoming player such as Dre Butler or Jay Hardy.
