One of Auburn’s returners in the secondary will be looking to have a big season for the Tigers in his second year with the program.
The defensive secondary is a question mark for the Auburn Tigers heading into the 2024 season.
The unit was one of the SEC’s best last season, being led by D.J. James and Jaylin Simpson who both got drafted to the NFL. Kaylin Lee and Keionte Scott were dependable as well and are both expected to carry a bigger load this season.
Another returning defensive back for Auburn who is expected to take a step forward this season is Champ Anthony, a former junior college cornerback who is entering his second season with the Tigers.
Anthony played in each game last season but did not have much of a presence on the stat sheet, recording five tackles and one tackle for a loss of yards.
Anthony talked about how good of a fit new defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s scheme is for the players that Auburn has on that side of the ball.
“With Coach Durkin’s defense, I feel like everybody’s position is so flexible,” Anthony said. “Even from the standpoint of scouts watching your film it makes you seem more multiple because you technically are playing multiple positions and it just shows your range and variety of what you can do. In this defense you don’t have to think, (you) just play ball. It’s fast ball and we just know how to play.”
Anthony expanded more on how Durkin’s defense benefits him specifically.
“I hate sticking to one position so that helps me a lot being able to focus on multiple positions, just being able to play fast, not to think about the calls and just knowing what’s coming next,” Anthony said. “It actually helps with pre-snap communication, knowing the plays before they come. We know our adjustments and they are quick adjustments, easy adjustments, so that makes us be able to play faster.”
Anthony mentioned freshman safety Kensley Louidor-Faustin and how impressed he has been with him throughout fall camp.
“He (Faustin) came in very mature,” Anthony said. “He is always ready to work, he’s real smart. He picked up on stuff real easy so teaching him wasn’t really anything I had to do. He came in just understanding how things go.”
Anthony expressed how valuable the experience he got last season has been in helping him prepare to take on a bigger role.
“It’s very valuable,” Anthony said. “You can understand the game day speed. You understand that yes it’s the SEC but they’re just people too. You can understand how the game feels. Just to be in my role as a special teams guy and a defensive role player, it just helps me. It just motivates me more because now I know I’ll get more opportunities and I understand what to expect in the speed of the game.”
Auburn’s secondary will need to build on the success it had last season and Anthony feels prepared to help the unit achieve that.
