Auburn’s safety room is the one spot on the roster that still feels wide open heading into preseason camp.
With fall camp set to open Aug. 5, the Tigers are sorting through nine players for starting jobs after Arizona transfer Jack Luttrell was forced into medical retirement in the spring. That leaves a crowded group and, by the look of it, the most competitive battle on the team.
The veterans give Auburn a solid base. Kaleb Harris, Champ Anthony and Sylvester Smith-Reed were the starters a year ago, and all three are back in the mix. Harris and Smith-Reed bring plenty of experience in defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s system, while Smith-Reed has already established himself as a steady presence in the nickel spot.
Anthony’s spring and summer have also pushed him into the spotlight. He was named to the All-SEC third team at SEC Media Days, giving him national attention heading into his final college season. Even with a hand injury limiting him at times last year, he still remained part of the starting picture.
The younger returners are right there too. Eric Winters and AnQuon Fegans both logged meaningful snaps as freshmen, and Fegans made a particularly strong impression in the spring. At one point, he led the secondary in interceptions, a sign that his role could grow quickly once camp gets rolling.
Anthony had plenty of praise for the group at SEC Media Days.
“Sly and Kaleb, they’re up for big seasons,” Anthony said at SEC Media Days. “Kaleb’s coming on his third year starting.
He started as a freshman. That’s not common.
That is not common at all. That just goes to show you, like, he’s ready to play and ready to go.
“Sylvester Smith, I haven’t met anybody who loves football more than him. He loves getting his hands on the ball.
He’s a hard worker. We’re all in the facility all day long, talking about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it and how we’re going to get it done.”
Auburn also added help from the transfer portal. Wayne Jenkins comes over from USF after playing in four games and recording five tackles.
He brings four years of eligibility with him. His USF teammate, Gaskin III, arrives with a stronger resume after earning first team All-AAC honors last season with 49 tackles, two interceptions, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
There’s also a name that surfaced in the spring: Wayne Henry. He may have entered under the radar, but he turned heads in Auburn’s spring game. Henry led all freshmen in tackles and broke up a Tristan Ti’a pass during A-Day, giving the Tigers another option to watch once camp begins.
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