Auburn’s safety room has a new voice this season, and Champ Anthony sounds like a player who’s already bought in.
Tim Banks arrived on the Plains with a résumé that carries real weight. He spent five seasons as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator before joining Auburn as co-defensive coordinator with D.J.
Durkin and taking over as the primary safeties coach for 2026. The Tigers also moved on from former specialist T.J.
Rushing this offseason, giving Banks the chance to reshape the room from day one.
For Anthony, the appeal is obvious: Banks isn’t just teaching from one angle. He’s bringing the perspective of a former defensive coordinator, and that changes how the safeties process the game.
“I mean, when you get a DC, when you get a guy who was a DC, and then he has lots of safeties in the league,” he said on Tuesday. “So, he understands how to view the game from a different standpoint, just like a regular safeties coach.”
That broader viewpoint is already showing up in the way Auburn’s defensive backs prepare. Banks has talked about having enough depth to rotate four to six safeties regularly this season, and Anthony is expected to be the headliner in that group. He’s also one of three players joining Alex Golesh in Tampa, Fla., for SEC Media Days.
Anthony, heading into his senior year and already being called “a true leader,” said Banks is helping the safeties think like coaches instead of just players waiting for the snap.
“We talk about what Coach Durk, what do you think Coach Durk is going to call, when he’s going to call it,” he said. “So, he’s kind of turning us into coaches on the field, so we understand.”
That preparation is about getting ahead of the play, not merely reacting once the offense shows its hand.
“We have a feel,” Anthony said. “We have a feel for what he’s going to call, and just his understanding of offense is phenomenal. Just understanding what they can get out of formation and stuff like that, so we’re hearing him talk every day, and I’m feeling good.”
Auburn’s pass defense gave up 229 passing yards per game last season, which ranked 11th-fewest in the SEC. With Durkin back in his familiar role and Banks adding another SEC-tested mind to the staff, the Tigers are hoping the back end can take a step forward in 2026.
Anthony says the benefit goes beyond alignment and assignments. It’s about being able to anticipate what’s coming before the offense ever gets into motion.
“You can anticipate. If you anticipate the call, then you don’t even have to worry about your job,” Anthony said. You can get everybody lined up and, honestly, you can worry about what the offense is trying to do to you instead of just worrying about what you’re going to do or trying to figure out what he’s going to call.”
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Health remains the subplot to watch, though, because not everyone was able to take part in the scrimmage and some players are still working through limited contact protocols. Golesh said a handful of players were held out, with some expected back soon, which leaves Auburn with a familiar late-summer balancing act: push enough to sharpen the depth chart, but not so much that the injury list grows before the opener gets here. [Read more 🡒]
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That matters because Auburn has lived through coaching turnover for years, with four head coaches in six seasons leaving the program in a constant state of reset. Golesh is being viewed as a possible answer to that cycle, but the job is bigger than one camp arrangement or one fresh voice. He has to build a culture that lasts, improve the product on the field and convince a restless fan base that this time the foundation might actually hold. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns First Scrimmage Clarified Which O Line Jobs Are Still Up For Grabs
Auburns offensive line was one of the biggest talking points of preseason camp, and the Tigers first full-pads scrimmage offered a clearer look at where things stand. Right tackle Stanton Ramil, working back from injury, got through the entire session and looked positioned to handle a starting role, while the rest of the line still had the feel of a unit searching for the right mix. For a group that has been under the microscope all camp, the scrimmage was a useful checkpoint even if it did not settle everything.
Head coach Alex Golesh came away seeing both encouraging and imperfect stretches from the line, which is about where Auburn expected to be at this stage. The bigger question now is how quickly the staff can settle the rotation before the season opener, especially with competition still active at the guard spots. For an offense trying to build some early-season stability, the next few practices could matter as much as the scrimmage itself. [Read more 🡒]