AUBURN | K.J. Britt and Owen Pappoe return as the starters. Zakoby McClain is back as the third option.
Auburn has a lot of talent and experience at the linebacker position, but there’s also a plenty of competition including an intense battle brewing for the No. 4 spot in the playing rotation.
It’s a spot that was occupied by Chandler Wooten last year and could have been won by Josh Marsh this fall, but both have opted out of playing this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s left a talented group of young linebackers to compete for the position.
“It’s going to be a battle and in Coach T-Will’s room, regardless, nothing is given, but much is required. The standard is going to be the standard no matter who is going to be the fourth linebacker,” said Britt, a first-team All-SEC selection last year.
Redshirt freshmen O.C. Brothers and Kameron Brown, and true freshmen Wesley Steiner, Desmond Tisdol and Cam Riley are all in contention for a coveted spot in the playing rotation, and Auburn's first scrimmage last Saturday was a key early battleground.
“The urgency with the three freshmen coming in are all kind of what we thought. They just need more experience,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “The older guys had an outstanding week, too. We're looking for depth. We'll look and see who can step up and help us early. That was a big part of this scrimmage today, and it will be part of next week also.”
Of course, linebackers coach Travis Williams makes his players compete for spots everyday and that’s why Britt, Pappoe and McClain have to approach every practice with the same mindset as the younger players fighting for a position.
“I’m not even promised to start so it’s like you just got to come to work,” Britt explained. “You can’t really put a guy there or a number there right now. First and foremost, I’ve got to make sure, Zakoby got to make sure, Owen got to make sure, the guys that played last year got to make sure that we’re doing our part or we’ll see nothing but a two-guy rotation out there.
“It’s like everybody just has to come to work everyday, day in and day out. You don’t feel like it, come to work. When you feel like it, come to work. That’s the way that the fourth linebacker or the fifth linebacker or the sixth linebacker going to be able to play. Keep chopping wood, staying positive and just getting ready to play.”
After taking off Sunday and Monday, Auburn returns to practice Tuesday afternoon. The Tigers will practice Wednesday and Thursday, take off Friday, and hold the second of four scheduled scrimmages Saturday.
