AUBURN | It’s one of the biggest concerns on the defensive side of the ball.
Auburn’s defensive line must replace one key starter and three key backups from last season. In addition, three young defensive linemen transferred out in December.
The Tigers made some big additions too, bringing in two transfers in Trill Carter from Texas and Gage Keys from Kansas, and enrolling all three of their 2024 defensive line signees.
Here’s a look at a potential depth chart for 2024…
DE: So. Keldric Faulk, TFr. Amaris Williams -OR- TFr. T.J. Lindsey
NG: Sr. Jayson Jones -OR- Sr. Trill Carter, Jr. Quientrail Jamison-Travis
DT: Jr. Zykeivous Walker -OR- Jr. Gage Keys, RFr. Darron Reed, TFr. Malik Blocton
Breaking it down by position…
DEFENSIVE END
Faulk was AU’s top signee in the 2023 class and ended the season as the starting defensive end. Williams and Lindsey are two of the highest-rated signees in the ’24 class and should be able to help out right away, especially with a full offseason in Auburn. With a sophomore and two true freshmen, however, defensive end will be one of the least experienced positions on the team.
NOSEGUARD
Jones has played in 25 career games since transferring from Oregon and Carter has played in 46 career games at Texas and Minnesota giving AU plenty of experience at the position. Jamison-Travis played in just three games last season after transferring from junior college. He could be poised to make a bigger contribution with a strong offseason. Any of the three could slide over to defensive tackle to add depth or even start.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
This position is pretty wide open this spring and could probably use the addition of another transfer with starting experience. Walker played in 13 games as a backup last season while Keys has 19 games of experience at Kansas and Minnesota. This could be a very important offseason for Reed, who has the potential to push for a starting position. Blocton is a talented and hard-working early enrollee in the mold of his brother Marcus Harris, who has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. Harris totaled 97 tackles, 23.5 tackles-for-loss and 11 sacks as AU’s starting defensive tackle over the last three seasons.
MORE SPRING PREVIEWS
