Carlton Davis has been in the SEC long enough that he’s used to hearing the hype. He knows Florida’s Quincy Wilson and Jalen Tabor were the top cornerback tandem in the conference last year.

Or maybe it was LSU’s Tre’Davious White and Jamal Adams. Or was it Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marlon Humphrey?

No matter who it was last year, Carlton Davis has a goal for himself and running mate Javaris Davis: He wants to hear Auburn’s secondary mentioned in that conversation this season.

“That’s really what we’re looking for, just being that SEC duo that everyone talks about,” Carlton Davis said. “That’s what we’re working toward this year.”

Last season was, admittedly, an uneven one for the rising junior out of Miami. After intercepting three passes in a breakout freshman season in which he became the Tigers’ No. 1 corner, Carlton Davis finished his sophomore campaign with no picks and just one takeaway — a forced fumble at Alabama.

He still led Auburn’s cornerbacks with 46 tackles and tied Josh Holsey for the team lead with 10 pass breakups, but the campaign wasn’t quite up to his standards. Injuries were partly to blame: Carlton Davis said he suffered a shoulder injury against Clemson and a pair of tweaked ankles before the Mississippi State game and at Georgia that nagged him throughout the season.

“It was kind of a down year,” Carlton Davis said. “I had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of things happen — injuries, fighting through it. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I’m always focused on the future. I’m not focusing on the past.”

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And that future, he believes, is bright. Auburn’s secondary lost two impact seniors in Holsey and nickel back Rudy Ford, but has young talent in Daniel Thomas, John Broussard Jr. and Marlon Character Jr. It could also get a sizeable boost from Jeremiah Dinson, who is back from the knee injury that cost him all of last season, and Jamel Dean, who is expected to be cleared in time for the fall.

Then, of course, there is Javaris Davis, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman team last year after totaling 37 tackles, seven pass breakups and two interceptions and will almost certainly start opposite Carlton Davis this year.

“Oh my God, Javaris is — he’s like a ‘climb the mountain,’” Carlton Davis said. “Freshman year he redshirted, then last year was his coming-out year, and I’m expecting an even bigger year this year for him. We just go to work every day, push each other, make plays and just be that SEC duo.”

Both corners believe two of the new hires on Auburn’s coaching staff, defensive backs coach Greg Brown and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, will help them get there

Javaris Davis said the transition from Wesley McGriff to first-year defensive backs Greg Brown has been “real smooth” and that “he’s been coaching so long so we’re gaining a lot of knowledge from him.”

Carlton Davis said the increased focus on the passing game in Lindsey’s offense — Auburn passed on 40 percent of its plays in Saturday’s scrimmage instead of the usual 20 — will give him, Javaris Davis and the rest of the secondary more reps in the spring and fall to practice what Brown is teaching.

“It gives us a lot more action in the back end,” Carlton Davis said. “I’m happy about it because it’s a lot more competition and I’m not just out there sticking dummy routes. It’s a chance for me to get better.”

Better enough, he hopes, that he starts hearing Auburn’s secondary mentioned in the same breath as those from Gainesville, Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa.

“The experience level has risen, and we just have so many players back,” he said. “We’re veterans now. It’s time to really get after it.”