Auburn Tigers Address Need with Massive Influx of Defensive Linemen

The Auburn Tigers recognized a need heading into the 2024 season and beyond and addressed it in a big, big way.

Former Texas Tech and Indiana DL Philip Blidi is expected to help the Auburn Tigers right away. / Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY

Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers staff have made monumental improvements on the defensive front in the last year and a half, efforts of which will be seen over the next several years to come.

The Auburn staff has had to rely on the transfer portal to shore up the defensive line ahead of last year's season and the upcoming 2024 season. The portal has supplied experience and depth for immediate help, but the real talent, at least according to the recruiting services, is on its way.

Freeze was hired in late November 2022 -- too late to do much of anything for the 2023 signing class -- but the then-new staff was able to snag defensive end Keldric Faulk on signing day. Faulk was committed to Florida State at the time and was Auburn's only top 100 prospect to sign that year. He grew into a starting role as a true freshman last season.

New to the 2024 roster are transfers up front Philip Blidi (Indiana), Isaiah Raikes (Texas A&M/USC), Trill Carter (Texas), Gage Keys (Kansas), and Keyron Crawford (Arkansas State). None of those five are high on NFL draft boards, but all five have experience and were brought in to play immediately. Out of the group they're all inside guys while Crawford figures to play on the end in defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin's "Buck" position.

Where the excitement lies for Auburn fans is what the future holds with the talent coming in from the high school level. Freeze and staff were late to the party and had their work cut out to put together an impressive 2024 signing class, as some of the top-rated recruits that eventually signed with Auburn were committed to Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Florida at other points. They fought their way back and ended up with a Top 10 class according to the recruiting services, headlined by a number of talented defensive lineman.

The 247Sports No. 30 player in the class Amaris Williams, switched from Florida to Auburn on signing day, figures to play at end and perhaps grow into a tackle.

Jamonta Waller, also a former Gator commit, was the No. 105 prospect in the county as a pass-rush specialist.

Joe Phillips (No. 135) was listed at a solid 6-2, 250 coming out of high school. He could get looks at linebacker or rush end (Buck).

Defensive linemen Malik Blocton and T.J. Lindsey were three-star recruits who could also earn their way into the playing rotation as true freshman this fall.

Another highly-ranked and highly-recruited defender who signed with Auburn worth mentioning is linebacker Demarcus Riddick. Riddick was committed 247's No. 69 prospect and has the size to play safety or linebacker at 6'2 and 216 pounds.

Freeze stated publicly when he accepted the job that his tenure as Auburn head coach was going to be defined by his first few recruiting classes. The 2024 class was a consensus Top 10 class in the country, and the 2025 class is on its way as well.

There are plenty of big fish still to be caught, but so far with 15 commitments ahead of the Dec. 4, 2024 early signing period, Auburn has won a number of in-state battles with star power again on the defensive line. They're currently ranked No. 6 nationally by 247.

Malik Autry from Opelika High School, at 6-5 320, is the 29th rated prospect. Jakaleb Faulk, younger brother of Keldric from Highland Home, Ala., is the 46th rated player and will be an edge or linebacker at the next level. Jourdin Crawford from Parker High in Birmingham is another Top 100 commit, and is a defensive tackle commit.

The pursuit of highly rated box defenders doesn't stop there.

Auburn is high on the short list for a number of 247's top edge players in this class -- Isaiah Gibson (USC commit, No. 17 prospect in the country from Warner Robins, Ga.), Jared Smith (No. 19 from Thompson, Ala.), and Zion Grady (No. 75 from Enterprise, Ala.).

At defensive tackle Michigan commit Nathaniel Marshall (No. 80 from Oak Park, Ill.) and Alabama commit Antonio Coleman (No. 100 from Saraland) are high on Auburn. Coleman was previously committed to Auburn for a brief time before switching back to Alabama.

There are a number of other prospects that the Auburn staff has high on its board who are taking interest. Edge rusher Herbert Scroggins from Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Ga. could become commitment No. 16.

After a flurry of official visits over the last several weeks that included five new commitments for the 2025 class, things are going to slow down over the next month. The NCAA dead period for recruiting ends July 24, 2024. Auburn will have its Big Cat Weekend on July 27th.

Late in the season last year Auburn's defensive front was pushed around by New Mexico State and Maryland, even with Marcus Harris and Justin Rogers (both 7th round NFL picks). Changes aren't going to happen overnight in the trenches, but Freeze's staff recognized the immediate need with five d-linemen transfers from the portal. The unit is likely to be middle of the road for the 2024 season, but it won't be long after that the Tigers have one of the best defensive lines in all of college football.