Xavier Atkins didn’t exactly arrive at Auburn with the kind of buzz that usually follows a future All-American. But by the time the 2025 season wrapped, he had become the Tigers’ most productive defensive player and one of the biggest breakout names in the country.
After transferring from LSU, Atkins put together a monster year for Auburn: 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks. That production earned him second-team All-American honors at season’s end, a sharp rise for a player who barely saw the field as a true freshman in Baton Rouge. Even then, the full impact of his arrival in Auburn didn’t become obvious until preseason camp.
Still, one of his former LSU teammates says the breakout never came as a shock.
“You could you could tell from the first time that dude stepped foot on campus that he was he was going to be a problem,” LSU linebacker Whit Weeks said during SEC Media Days. “He just has a knack for the football.”
Atkins isn’t a traditional Mike linebacker, but he made his living as a disruptor. His game is built on affecting plays all over the field, and the numbers backed that up in 2025.
The tackles came. The negative plays came.
So did the sacks.
Weeks also talked about what makes life difficult for young linebackers trying to adjust to the SEC, and why a year of experience can matter so much.
“The mental aspect for sure, and then just the size as well,” Weeks said, describing the challenges for young linebackers. “I remember when I was coming out of high school, I didn’t even know what cover three was, didn’t know cover two, quarters, anything.
When it was pass, I would just drop back a little bit. When it was run, I was just running and tackling...
“I think that’s really the hardest part for freshmen to understand is like you really have to spend time learning and studying. It’s just like a class.”
Now heading into his third year of college football, Atkins is looking to build on what he started at Auburn. He’ll have defensive coordinator DJ Durkin back for another season, and he’s part of what’s described as one of the strongest linebacker groups on the roster.
There’s also one date that could carry a little extra for Atkins: Oct. 24, when Auburn is scheduled to face LSU and some of his former teammates.
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