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AUBURN | The AuburnSports.com roster is growing.

Rob Pate, a four-year starter and All-SEC safety, has been added as a columnist and football analyst. A popular player for his aggressive, hard-nosed playing style, Pate will bring similar qualities to the frequent content he'll produce here for the largest and most active Auburn site.

"I am thrilled to be joining Justin and Jay at AuburnSports.com and providing honest and forthright content and analysis for the most passionate alumni and fan base in college athletics," Pate said.

"After two years of doing our 'Eyes on Auburn' radio show, I am very excited to be launching our podcast on the site to be a voice exclusively dedicated to Auburn athletics. I will be writing pre- and post-game analysis for the site as well as timely columns on current events. And I also look forward to a larger role related to the banter and dialogue that takes place within the Bunker. I have always respected Jay and Justin and the AuburnSports.com brand and I'm grateful for the forum and vision the site provides to speak out about a program, community and university I adore. Buckle up, Bunker!"

Pate and managing editor Justin Hokanson began collaborating in 2011 to create the "Eyes on Auburn" radio program, which provided the only statewide programming devoted exclusively to Auburn athletics.

The show will resume here, in podcast form, as a twice-weekly examination of Auburn athletics and recruiting. It will launch in August.

Years of radio work and blogging at his personal site (http://eyesonauburn.blogspot.com/) helped Pate forge a reputation for honest and insightful commentary. His abilities provide an ideal complement to AuburnSports.com's push to have the most in-depth Auburn analysis anywhere.

With a stable of full-time writers that now includes Pate, Hokanson and publisher Jay G. Tate, AuburnSports.com is the clear epicenter of thoughtful, honest and detailed analysis of the hows and whys behind Auburn athletics.

Facts are everywhere. Sharp analysis isn't.

Pate is able to make sense of the strategies and subtleties that often make the difference on Saturdays. His easy-to-read style makes even the most complicated development accessible to the most casual football fan.

Pate, 34, signed with Auburn in 1997 out of Erwin High School after being named All-State as a junior and senior. He started as a freshman for defensive coordinator Bill Oliver during the Tigers' run to the 1997 Southeastern Conference championship game and through his final game in the 2001 Capital One Bowl.

Pate now is an optometrist in Birmingham.

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