Auburn Football Preview: Rebuilding the Secondary

There are a lot of new faces in the Auburn Tigers secondary as most of last year's contributors are on NFL rosters now.

Auburn Tigers defensive back Keionte Scott will lead a unit that must replace a lot of talent from the 2023 team. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Auburn Tigers cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff and safeties coach Charles Kelly must completely retool the secondary heading into the 2024 season. Gone from last season are most of the starters and several other contributors, for various reasons – the NFL, the transfer portal, and an off season injury. But that doesn’t mean the cupboard is bare.

It starts with Keionte Scott, who is going to be called upon as the number one corner. In the coaching world there are varying thoughts on where you put a talent like Scott, especially when he’s a guy who played the nickel position well and got involved in the run game. He plays more physical than his 6' and 188 pounds would suggest as he tallied the second highest number of solo tackles on the team a year ago.

Do you leave him at nickel where he was an asset in both the pass and run game? Or do you put him at boundary corner and see if his coverage skills develop into being able to put him on an island? As of now he’s on the outside, and his physicality at the nickel must be replaced.

Another building block is Texas transfer Jerrin Thompson, a starter at safety on the Longhorns’ playoff squad a year ago. Thompson had three interceptions, including a crucial INT in Texas’s win at Alabama, to go along with 38 tackles. He has five-career picks and 176 tackles as a four-year contributor in Austin. Thompson is locked in as the starter at strong safety.

From there Kelly will need two to three other safeties who can be counted on. Caleb Wooden has had his share of playing time the last two years, and will have a chance to earn a starting role as a junior. Sylvester Smith and Terrance Love, a pair of defensive backs signed in 2023, don’t have much experience, and September will be crucial for their development as the secondary settles in before getting to the meat of the schedule Game 5 versus Oklahoma and Game 6 at Georgia.

Opposite of Scott on the perimeter stepping up is Kayin Lee, a player the coaches are excited to watch develop. Lee played well for a freshman as a backup cornerback in 2023 and has all the makings of a future No. 1 cornerback by the time his college career is over. He was second on the team with six passes broken up last year.

Pushing Scott and Lee for playing time are local product and redshirt freshman JC Hart, along with Alabama transfer Antonio Kite. Hart is a long speedy corner at 6'2, who could possibly push Lee.

The nickel spot is up for grabs with plenty of options. The fifth defensive back could change week-to-week or down-to-down depending on what the opposing offense dictates. Former JUCO transfer Champ Anthony, who played in all 13 games last season notching just five tackles, is the favorite to be named the starter.

Wooden has prior experience at nickel the last two years, and could be the guy when it’s a three-safety look. Kensley Louidor-Faustin is one of a few true freshman aiming for playing time in the secondary, and he’s another option at the nickel spot.

Cornerbacks Jaylin Crawford and A'mon Lane-Ganus, and safety Kaleb Harris, are all true freshmen who were January enrollees that went through spring drills. Auburn picked up JUCO transfer Laquan Robinson during the off season, and his role this fall will be interesting to watch. He’s primarily a safety but could possibly play linebacker to get more speed on the field in pass situations. A late arrival this summer was former Alabama and Colorado player Jahquez Robinson, who is looking to get into the mix at safety or possibly nickel.

Auburn watched three former starters get selected in the NFL Draft this off season – free safety Jaylin Simpson and cornerbacks Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James. Starting strong safety Zion Puckett exhausted his eligibility. Nickel/safety Donovan Kaufman transferred out.

Auburn was hoping for big things from young cornerback Colton Hood, but he decided to join the circus in Boulder, Colo. Tyler Scott was one of the higher-rated prospects in Auburn’s 2023 signing class, but he injured his knee over the summer and is out for the year.

Sometimes the greatest fear can be the fear of the unknown, and the Auburn secondary has plenty of unknowns at this point. With experience from Scott, Thompson and Wooden, and well as potential future stars in Smith, Love, Harris at safety, and Hart and Crawford at corner, it’s going to be fun to watch the development of this unit.

Auburn has bolstered the pass rush from a year ago with the return of Jalen McLeod and adding guys like Keyron Crawford and Jamonta Waller on the edges. For the Auburn secondary to be at its best in 2024, the pass rush will need to improve, and Kelly and McGriff will need to quickly develop the young talent into SEC-level performers.

Auburn Tigers Secondary

CB Keionte Scott, Sr., 6-0, 192, Returning Starter

S Caleb Wooden, Jr., 6-1, 192, Returning Backup

NB Champ Anthony, Jr., 5-11, 182, Returning Backup

CB Kayin Lee, So., 5-11, 186, Returning Backup

S Terrance Love, So. 6-2, 220, Returning Backup

S Sylvester Smith, RFr., 6-0, 192, Returning Redshirt

CB J.C. Hart, RFr., 6-2, 199, Returning Redshirt

S C.J. Johnson, RFr., 6-2, 198, Returning Redshirt

S Jerrin Thompson, Sr., 6-0, 186, Transfer from Texas, January Enrollee

CB Antonio Kite, So., 6-0, 174, Transfer from Alabama, January Enrollee

S Jahquez Robinson, Sr., 6-2, 200, Transfer from Colorado, Summer Enrollee

S/LB Laquan Robinson, Jr., 6-1, 204, Junior College Signee, January Enrollee

NB Kensley Louidor-Faustin, TFr., 5-11, 177, January Enrollee

CB Jay Crawford, TFr., 5-11, 179, January Enrollee

S Kaleb Harris, TFr. 6-1, 201, January Enrollee

CB Amon Lane-Ganus, TFr., 5-10, 179, Summer Enrollee

Injured:
Tyler Scott, RFr., 6-1, 199, Returning redshirt, tore ACL over the summer and expected to miss the season.


Departures:
Nehemiah Pritchett drafted by Seattle Seahawks

Jaylin Simpson drafted by Indianapolis Colts

D.J. James drafted by Seattle Seahawks

Zion Puckett signed with New York Jets

Donovan Kaufman transferred to N.C. State

Colton Hood transferred to Colorado

J.D. Rhym transferred to Houston

Austin Ausberry transferred to LSU

Marquise Gilbert entered transfer portal