Auburn will be short one of its biggest defensive additions for the home opener against Southern Miss.
Transfer edge rusher Da’Shawn Womack was spotted in street clothes before Saturday night’s game, a strong sign he won’t suit up as he continues to work back from a lower body injury he picked up in Auburn’s Week 1 win over Baylor. Head coach Alex Golesh had been monitoring the issue all week, but Womack appears headed for another week on the sideline, with Auburn expected to hold him until SEC play begins against Florida next week.
The warning signs were there early. During warm-ups Saturday afternoon, Womack was not stretching at the start of the sequence, which pointed toward him being unavailable for the Tigers’ 2026 home opener. Golesh had described him as “day-to-day,” but that status is carrying into next week.
Womack was later seen in street clothes again before a lightning delay pushed back kickoff.
Auburn did get some good news on another edge rusher. Chris Murray, who also went down in last week’s win over Baylor, was said by Golesh to be officially good to go earlier in the week.
In his first game with Auburn, Womack logged one total tackle before exiting in the middle of the contest. Sophomore Jared Smith stepped in at the BUCK position, and Auburn may need him there again with Womack unavailable. Smith finished last week with half a tackle for loss and an interception of Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway.
At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Womack arrived on the Plains as a senior after stops at LSU and Ole Miss. He played every game for LSU in 2023, then transferred to Ole Miss and appeared in every game for the Rebels in 2025. He also played in every College Football Playoff game last season, before Ole Miss fell to Miami in the semifinal.
For now, Auburn will have to wait until SEC play to see what Womack can bring to the defense.
Kickoff is now scheduled for 7:50 p.m. central after the lightning delay, and the game is set to air on the SEC Network.
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