Auburn’s tight end group is still waiting to get fully sorted out, and Jonathan Echols is part of that picture for the moment. The South Florida transfer did not dress for Tuesday’s practice, the same day ULM transfer Hunter Herring was also out, after Echols had already sat out Auburn’s scrimmage last Friday.
With the Tigers set for their second preseason scrimmage Wednesday, there’s still no clear timeline for when Echols will be back to full strength before the Aflac Kickoff Game against Baylor. Echols said Tuesday he’s handling the setback the way he can, even if the work to get back is still ongoing.
“It has been good,” he said. “Basically, just trying to get my body back.
Dealing with some things in the lower body but working to get back as soon as I can. Things happen; you just have to keep going.
Things will get better and you can’t stay too down on something that happens. You always have to look at the next step and getting better every day.”
Echols spent the past two seasons with Auburn coach Alex Golesh in Tampa, where he caught nine passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. The 6-foot-6 sophomore still has three seasons of eligibility left, and he’s joining a tight end room that has six total newcomers this fall.
That group includes transfers Xavier Newsome from Howard, Arlis Boardingham from Bowling Green and Jake Johnson from North Carolina, along with in-state 4-star recruit DJ Broughton Jr.
Tight ends coach Larry Scott said the focus right now is on helping that young room grow up together and handle the grind that comes with it as Auburn heads into Wednesday’s scrimmage.
“Big time growth. Learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and that’s the hard part,” Scott said. “That’s the part that especially some of this -- a little bit of this generation, they kind of want what they want and they want it now, instead of understanding that it’s a process-driven approach and it’s going to hurt.
“It’s going to be hard days. You’re going to have to strain.
You’re going to have to take your bumps and bruises. You’re going to have to mentally understand what sacrifice truly means as a young guy, and that’s painful sometimes, and that hurts sometimes.”
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DaShawn Womack is now in line to start at BUCK in Faulks place, and Auburn is expected to spread the snaps around among several other players as it reshapes that edge group. There is still some hope Faulk could work his way back late in the year, but for now the Tigers have to plan as if one of their more important front-seven pieces is unavailable when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
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Even so, the sight of the former Auburn star wearing another schools colors got people talking about what his place should be around Auburn going forward. For all the debate it stirred, the bigger takeaway may be simpler: Newton still carries real weight in college football circles, and Auburn could benefit from finding a more formal way to use that presence around its athletics program. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Defense Is Already Facing Heat After Camp Scrimmage
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The tone around the unit has been firm, and the players have taken notice of the demanding coaching that comes with it. Auburn knows the early camp work is about more than just sorting out depth - it is also about building habits that hold up once the season starts, and the defenses uneven showing has only raised the urgency around getting those details right. [Read more 🡒]