Auburn’s safety room is wide open, and Tim Banks isn’t pretending otherwise.
With fall camp rolling into its second week, the Tigers’ safeties coach laid out a clear plan Tuesday morning: keep as many playable bodies involved as possible and sort out the depth chart by matchups. Banks said he’d like to use six safeties in the rotation - “Four on a hash and two at the star position” - because that kind of flexibility matters in today’s game.
“We talk a lot about getting what you deserve, and if you’ve got a bunch of good players that can play, we’ll find roles for them. We’re going to play as many as we can,” Banks said.
That approach fits a room that has both experience and youth. Veteran safeties Champ Anthony, Sylvester Smith-Reed and Kaleb Harris bring the most time in the system under defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. Behind them, sophomores AnQuon Fegans and Eric Winters already showed last season they can handle SEC snaps, stepping into important moments during conference play.
Banks also pointed to two freshmen climbing through the depth chart: Wayne Henry and Damonte Tabb.
“Wayne’s a worker. I know he’s not real big in stature, but you’re talking about a tough kid.
He’s super quick, he’s extremely competitive, he comes from a great program,” Banks said. “He’s been exactly what we were hoping he’d be.
Now, he’s been a freshman, so there are some things he needs to continue to grow, areas he needs to grow in.
“Tabb, for a kid who didn’t get here until the fall, I think it’s starting to slow down for him a little bit. You’re starting to see the athleticism show up a little bit. We do think the future is bright for both of those young guys.”
Auburn goes back to work Wednesday morning in full pads, and Banks is eager for the next step.
“It’s ball, right? That’s what it is -- particularly at the safety position,” he said.
“We’ve got to quarterback the defense and get guys lined up. I tell them all the time: It’s up to us to get guys on the ground.
No one notices when the D-line is rolling and the linebackers, but they notice when the safeties aren’t. It’ll be fun tomorrow, and guys are excited for it.
So am I.”
In Other News...
Auburns New Era Is Already Turning Heads Across The SEC
Alex Golesh has barely settled into his new job at Auburn, but the early signs of his reset are already drawing attention around the SEC. After a stretch of instability that saw the Tigers cycle through six head coaches across a run of losing seasons, Golesh arrives with the kind of conference background that gives his voice some instant credibility, and he is wasting little time trying to change the feel of the program.
One of the clearest examples has come during fall camp, where players are staying together in a hotel as part of Goleshs effort to build a different culture. SEC analyst Paul Finebaum has already signaled support for the approach, seeing it as a positive step for a program trying to steady itself. For Auburn, the real test is still ahead, but the new staffs message is being noticed well beyond Tuscaloosa and the Plains. [Read more 🡒]
Kodi Burns Is Changing What Auburn Demands From Its Receivers
Kodi Burns is back at Auburn, and his message to the wide receiver room has been plain from the start of fall camp: catching passes is only part of the job. The new wideouts coach is pushing a more physical, versatile standard for a group that figures to be deep in Alex Goleshs offense, where keeping tempo means leaning on a heavy rotation and asking plenty of players to be ready for meaningful snaps.
For Auburn, the shift matters because the role of a receiver is becoming about more than route running and production on the stat sheet. Burns has already drawn praise from players like Keshaun Singleton and DeShawn Spencer, who say his impact has shown up in their development on and off the field, and the broader challenge now is clear - earn trust by doing the dirty work, adapt to multiple assignments, and prove you can stay on the field when the tempo starts picking up. [Read more 🡒]
Former Auburn Staffer Just Surfaced Inside Alabamas Program
A familiar football family is showing up around Alabamas practices, with Dave Wommack and Dominic Studzinski both spending time around the program. Dave Wommack, a retired defensive coordinator, has been around as a resource at practices and games, while Studzinski has been helping in the weight room even though he is not listed on the staff directory.
The connection runs deep, stretching back to their shared coaching days at Ole Miss in 2012 and 2013, when the same circle of personnel worked together in the South. For Auburn fans, the name attached to Studzinski may stand out even more because of where he worked before, making his quiet presence in Tuscaloosa the kind of detail that tends to get noticed long before it gets officially explained. [Read more 🡒]