Threat 'has a knack for pass rush'

AUBURN | After a year at linebacker, Tre’ Threat may have found a home at Auburn’s Buck position.

Buck is a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker position that Carl Lawson thrived in last season and requires a player with the athleticism to rush the passer and strength and power to set the edge on running plays.

It’s a position that brings Threat back to his roots at Spanish Fort (Ala.) High.

“Tre’ was an outside linebacker in high school,” defensive line coach Rodney Garner said. “He played on the line of scrimmage, he did not play in the box. He has some comfort being at the end of the line of scrimmage.”

Garner praised Threat for his work during spring practice but was disappointed in his performance in Auburn’s first scrimmage.

“That’s the thing I told him, going forward we have to take practice to game-type situations and that’s what a scrimmage is,” Garner said. “Can we process everything and be able to go out there and perform in a game situation and perform at a championship level. I don’t know whether the stress or the bigness of it got to him or if he felt stressed out or wigged out. He had bad eyes, eyes in the backfield. He had cluttered vision.”

Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele didn’t see Threat’s performance in the first scrimmage as a lack of effort or ability. He saw a player that wasn’t living up to his own high expectations.

“He’s a perfectionist. He’s hard on himself. He’s as hard on himself as any coach would ever be,” Steele explained. “That does make it hard when you’re growing, because he’s so hard on himself. And I think he was a little bit hard on himself each play. You got to go learn to play the next play.”

Threat showed in Auburn’s second scrimmage last Saturday what he had learned and that he was ready to take a step forward in his development.

“He came back this scrimmage and really had a good scrimmage. So he’s on track,” Steele said. “He’s got something about him. He brings something to the table. He’s a good energy guy, he plays hard, he can set an edge, he’s powerful and he has a knack for pass rush.”

Threat, who is listed as 6-foot-1 and 243 pounds on Auburn’s spring roster, will play in the A-Day this Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. The game will be carried on the SEC Network.