Auburn’s trip to Athens already looked brutal. If Xavier Atkins really sits out, it gets even uglier.
That’s the tension hanging over the Tigers this week, with Auburn message boards buzzing over whether the linebacker has been off the team. The talk has centered on whether Alex Golesh and the staff dismissed him sometime in the past week for disciplinary reasons. Atkins was not kicked off the team, but he may still miss the Georgia game.
That would matter a lot because Atkins has been one of Auburn’s most disruptive defenders. He’s dealt with disciplinary issues all season, and he already missed a few drives in Auburn’s 43-8 win over Southern Miss in Week 2. If he’s unavailable against Georgia, Auburn loses one of the few players built to chase down that kind of offense.
And Georgia’s offense is exactly the sort of machine that punishes any weakness. Gunner Stockton can beat you throwing the ball or improvise for yards when plays break down.
The backfield brings another layer of stress, especially after the injury loss of Chauncey Bowens. Bo Walker and Dwight Phillips Jr. rushed for 189 yards in the Dawgs’ 20-17 win over Alabama on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Add in an offensive line that controls the action and receivers who block with discipline, and the early return in 2026 has been an attack that looks nearly impossible to slow down.
That’s where Atkins would have helped. He’s one of the Auburn defenders who can actually keep pace with Georgia’s athletes. Without him, Auburn would need someone else to handle a bigger role immediately.
That responsibility would fall to De'Marcus Riddick.
Riddick would be the main beneficiary if Atkins is out on the weak side, and he has enough versatility to fill that space in multiple ways. He has barely seen the field this season, recording just five tackles and a pass deflection in two appearances against USM and Tennessee. Still, Auburn likes what he can do: he can shoot the A- and B-Gaps like Atkins and also drop into coverage.
There’s another layer to the matchup, too. Riddick flipped from Georgia during his high school recruitment, so this one could carry a little extra edge if he ends up having to step into a bigger spotlight “Between the Hedges.”
Golesh is taking a gamble if Atkins doesn’t go. If Riddick holds up, it looks like a smart bet. If not, Auburn is staring at an even steeper climb.
The Tigers are 3-2 and already 1-2 in SEC play, which leaves them short on time to straighten things out.
In Other News...
Auburn Heads Into Georgia Week With One Big Problem To Solve
Auburns prep for Georgia week has put the focus squarely on the basics, with Alex Golesh, Joel Gordon and DJ Durkin using their latest press conference to sketch out what still needs cleaning up on both sides of the ball. The staff pointed to fundamentals, situational game planning and the kind of physical play that will be required against a Georgia team that rarely gives opponents much room for error.
The availability side of the equation matters, too, and the Tigers already know linebacker Xavier Atkins will be out. That forces Auburn to keep adjusting while trying to sharpen its offense and tighten its defense, and it leaves the staff with a very familiar midseason task: find answers fast enough to matter in one of the SECs most demanding game weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Heads To Georgia With Upset Hopes Resting On Two Concerns
Auburn comes out of its bye week staring at a tall assignment in Athens, where the Tigers will try to test No. 1 Georgia with a little extra time to prepare. The matchup is already a steep climb, and Auburns path gets narrower when you look at the two areas that have shaped the conversation around this team: Byrum Browns play at quarterback and the uncertainty surrounding the defense.
Brown has given Auburn a passing threat with 1,055 yards and seven touchdowns, but the seven interceptions have also left room for concern in a game where every possession figures to matter. On the other side of the ball, there are unconfirmed reports that linebacker Xavier Atkins may not be available, which would only add to the challenge of slowing a Georgia offense that rarely offers many chances to recover. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has No Time To Solve A Growing Problem
Auburns offensive transition has brought some familiar growing pains, and Joel Gordon said the adjustment is especially real for players coming from Group of Six programs. The offensive coordinator pointed to the challenge of getting used to the SEC pace, with USF transfer quarterback Byrum Brown among the players still working through that leap. Gordon did frame it as a solvable issue, which matters for a team trying to find stability before the schedule tightens even more.
The problem for Auburn is that the margin for patience is shrinking. The Tigers are already managing a recent suspension of linebacker Xavier Atkins for behavior detrimental to the team, and the larger concern is whether the roster can clean up enough issues in time to handle whats ahead. With a difficult run coming, Auburn does not have much room to let the learning curve linger. [Read more 🡒]