Luke Deal's Importance to Auburn Tigers is Understated

A fixture with the Auburn Tigers seince 2019, tight end Luke Deal provides invaluable leadership kkills to 'Drive the Culture'

Auburn Tigers tight end Luke Deal is entering his sixth season / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn Tigers tight end Luke Deal will enter his sixth college campaign with even more responsibility resting upon his sage old shoulders.

The 6'5 and 259-pound tight end has seen three head coaches come and go during his tenure with the Tigers, and being a stable leadership presence is something he continues to willingly grow into.

"We've met for hours and hours, and days and days, '' Deal told reports, via Bryan Matthews of AuburnSports. "A lot of people don't realize how much time you put in when you are trying to drive the culture. With the emphasis we put on it this year. It's a lot more responsibility."

You could say that Deal is well versed in rolling with the punches, and that's a pretty neat, if not an entirely necessary skill to have. For a man who can hold a mean country tune on the acoustic guitar, Deal is also well aware that without the lows, you can't savor the highs.

When you consider Deal walked through the door at Auburn at the same time as quarterback Bo Nix, you start to understand that he's seen a lot. Subsequently, Nix went to Oregon, came third in the Heisman, and has even been drafted 12th overall by the Denver Broncos in the NFL draft.

Truth is, rosters change quicker than ever before in the college game, so Deal has been impressed by the willingness to lead and take responsibility which many new faces have shown him..

"This class, some of these transfers that have come in, they're really impressive in terms of wanting to be leaders and moving towards that, because some of them , even the ones who played last year and now they're trying to be leaders which is really neat to see," Deal enthused.

Thankfully for long suffering Tigers fans, Freeze is restoring well-needed stability to the program. In many ways Freeze has been trying to restore the luster to a damaged brand that has been way undervalued in recent years.

Of course,  that will take more time than Deal has left now at Auburn, but the old head in the locker room knows the marquee brand badly needs the TLC it's currently receiving.

"With Auburn football being the huge brand that it is and so many people relying on us, you have to do the right thing. So that's what we're to drive here," Deal insisted.

When Deal's stay is finally over at Auburn he will have played in excess of 60+ games as a Tiger  - an outstanding stand alone achievement in itself.

Truth is, selfless leaders like Deal will be far more well revered after they've departed, and especially if the wins start accumulating once again.