Auburn's Jay Crawford Making the Most of Starting Role

The Auburn Tigers season has seen a lot of freshman take the field and Crawford is one of the standouts

The Auburn Tigers freshman is taking his starting opportunity and running with it / John Reed-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers’ 2024 season has been filled with unexpected twists and turns and things appear to be changing more and more each week.

One aspect of Auburn’s season that has been unexpected is the number of freshmen either in starting roles or playing a significant number of snaps, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

One of these freshman standouts is Jay Crawford, a 5-foot-11 cornerback who has moved into a starting role.

“It’s almost like a dream come true,” Crawford said. “As a little kid you always want to play in the SEC, and I did that. It’s just a surreal feeling to be honest.”

Crawford has played in every game for the Tigers this season and has recorded 10 tackles and four pass breakups. 

The Lilburn, Ga. native has been one of the biggest surprises of Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class. Crawford, a four-star prospect was the No. 242 player nationally, the No. 24 cornerback and the No. 14 player in Auburn’s 2024 class, according to 247Sports.

“I feel like I’ve always had the abilities to do it,” Crawford said. “I always needed to make that next step. That next step was getting in the film room, getting with coach, just knowing the little things.”

Fighting through adversity has been a common theme for Auburn this season and Crawford has done so with the rest of the team. The young cornerback has maintained his focus on playing his best despite the team’s disappointing record.

“Keeping my head down, fighting through adversity,” Crawford said. “Something that every team is going to go through. We’ve hit adversity now and we’ve just got to fight through.”

Crawford has leaned on Jerrin Thompson, a veteran safety who joined the Tigers via the transfer portal this offseason, and cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff while adjusting to his prominent role in Auburn’s defense.

“Jerrin (Thompson), I sit next to him in all our meetings,” Crawford said. “Just asking him what I can improve and how I can get better. Playing for Crime (McGriff) is amazing. Him and (Charles) Kelly (co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach), you can’t get better than that to be honest.”

Crawford is expected to be an important piece of Auburn’s defense for multiple years to come. He appears to be on the right track.