AUBURN | Tyrone Truesdell has been Auburn’s starting defensive tackle the last two seasons. When he opted to return for a second senior season, it was reasonable to expect him to anchor the d-line in 2021.

Jeremiah Wright had other ideas.

The sophomore got a lot of work with the first-team at noseguard in Saturday’s scrimmage and is making a strong push for a starting position.

“Jeremiah is a talented dude. He loves ball,” defensive coordinator Derek Mason said. “I think for him, he feels natural on the defensive side of the ball. What I have seen is great pad level and strong at the point of attack.

“Him and Truesdell have been going at it and that’s what you want to see. Him coming over to the defensive side of the ball has made the interior position a little more competitive in terms of what we’re doing.”

Wright, who checks in at 6-foot-5 and 338 pounds on the spring roster, switched from offensive line to the defense last fall and wound up playing in six games. His most extensive action came against Northwestern in the Citrus Bowl where he tallied three tackles and a tackle-for-loss.

His size might project as a space-eating run stopper, but it’s a different part of Wright’s game that has Mason excited about his future and his potential as a starter.

“His ability to transition from run to pass is something we’re looking forward to,” Mason said. “Again, you like the ability to stop the run, but you also want somebody that can go from run to pass, and fast. It’s not always going to be run; it’s not always going to be pass, so to have somebody who has the ability to hold up against the run, take on the double-team, to jet the A-gap and be quick as a three-technique, but also transition from run to pass is something that I think Jeremiah brings to the table.”

A strong offseason and a new coaching staff has energized the second-year player from Selma, Ala., and got him off to a great start during AU’s first two weeks of spring drills.

“He’s getting better every time he hits the grass,” said Mason. “Coach (Nick) Eason loves his temperament; he’s a work, hard work guy. So, right now, that’s where he sits. He’s going to stay in that mode until we get through these 15 practices, and then we’ll get a chance to evaluate where he is. But right now, I love where he’s going.”

Auburn practiced Monday and will continue workouts this week on Wednesday and Thursday.