AUBURN | There’s no telling when or if Auburn will hold any practices before August. This concludes our position-by-position analysis at the football team with an in-depth look at the safety position.
WHO’S GONE: Auburn loses starters Jeremiah Dinson and Daniel Thomas, who combined for 64 career starts.
WHO’S BACK: Juniors Jamien Sherwood and Smoke Monday served as the backup safeties last season. Senior Jordyn Peters can play safety or nickel. Junior Malcolm Askew has an opportunity to earn a spot in the playing rotation.
WHO’S NEW: Sophomore Matthew Hill is expected to move from wide receiver, redshirt freshmen Jaylin Simpson and Zion Puckett both played in four games last fall and true freshman Chris Thompson Jr. enrolled in January.
WHO’S NEXT: Thompson was Auburn’s lone safety signee in the 2020 class.
OUTLOOK: Auburn loses a lot of skill, experience and leadership with the graduation of Dinson and Thomas. Fortunately, Sherwood and Monday have earned a lot of playing time over the past two seasons as their primary backups. They have both played in 26 games with two starts apiece.
Both have already made key plays in their careers including Monday’s pick-6 in the 2019 Iron Bowl, a blocked punt in the 2018 Iron Bowl and assisting on a key late sack in a win over Washington in 2018. Sherwood had 10 tackles in his first start at LSU last fall and also had a half-sack in the 2018 Iron Bowl.
They’re the presumptive starters in 2020, but should receive some competition, especially from Peters, if he works at safety, and potentially Hill, if he sticks at safety. When healthy, Peters is a proven playmaker. He blocked three punts in 2018. Hill has certainly show a lot of athleticism at wide receiver, he just hasn’t been able to get over the hump there and get into the regular playing rotation. Coming out of high school, he was recruited as both a wideout and safety.
Jaylin Simpson and/or Zion Puckett have an excellent opportunity to get into the playing rotation and perhaps follow a similar path to Sherwood and Monday the previous two years. Any of the backup safeties that show they can be reliable 1-on-1 defenders against slot receivers should have an opportunity for a lot of snaps. Puckett could get a look at nickel too.
Askew hasn’t played a lot of snaps in his first three years at Auburn but this is an opportunity for him to get into the playing rotation for the first time. Thompson was a smart and pretty physical high school player and should make a quick adjustment to the college game.
Auburn will not hold its A-Day game after the SEC announced all competitions are canceled for the remainder of the 2019-20 athletic year.
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