Defensive Tackle Competition

[aubiefifty 18,200]

Where Auburn football is leaning in open defensive tackle competition

Updated Jul 25, 2:26 PM;Posted Jul 25, 2:25 PM

4-5 minutes

Much has been made of Auburn football’s defensive line being, arguably, the best in the SEC. It returns a lot of proven talent, including a defensive tackle in Derrick Brown that will likely not wait long on NFL Draft night in 2020.

But who plays alongside him will likely be the only member of the defensive line that is not proven. And as it stands entering fall camp, there are three players vying for the critical starting spot.

There’s Tyrone Truesdell, the junior who registered nine tackles last year. There’s Daquan Newkirk, who is a virtual unknown as he returns from an Achilles injury that kept him out all spring. He played in eight games last year with seven tackles.

And lastly there’s Coynis Miller Jr., a sophomore who was rated as one of the top high school DTs in his class. Like Newkirk, he had an injury this offseason, though it hasn’t been disclosed by the school.

“Tyone Truesdell, he’s improving — I think — each day," head coach Gus Malzahn said, when asked where he might be learning in that competition. “Those two guys you just talked about [Miller Jr. and Newkirk] — you know, we’ll see where we’re at as far as health in fall camp.”

But Malzahn wasn’t the only person asked about the starting job, as the other two defensive line studs that AU brought with them to media day were posed similar questions.

Specifically Brown said he believed it could be a rotation, noting “Coach G has rotated people. When I was a freshman, I didn’t know much about a lot of things. Coach G still put me out there, you know?”

And that’s a fair response, given that, when Malzahn was asked if any could play 50 snaps in a game, he said: “You know I don’t know. I’m not ready to say that.”

‘Coach G’ is a reference to defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who is probably thankful he doesn’t have a ton of rotating pieces to fill in that spot. The team had floated earlier in the offseason the possibility of Nick Coe playing at the position, but it seems that sentiment has backed off as the season rapidly approaches.

“It could be any of them,” Brown said. “We really need all three of them to reach our goal. It’s just been big for us, we’ve got to get those guys back so we can go ahead and start putting the pieces to the puzzle together.”

Russell was a mainstay at DT, and really held the position down without much rotation. At least in the head coach’s estimation, the next most senior player, Truesdell, has the upper hand. That could be a factor of age, experience, or just that he’s the only one that’s truly healthy.

Marlon Davidson, a senior DE, gave a similar line as Brown about the position being up for grabs. But he was pressed a bit on if, like Malzahn, he too felt Truesdell had the upper hand going into fall camp. His answer was priceless.

“I’m not sure actually because like in spring, It was a fight, it was a fight. I mean, we have the Daquan [Newkirk] get hurt. But I mean, you know at the end of the day, like those guys are coming to compete every day because it’s a lifestyle. Nobody wants to ride that pine. I don’t care what you think, that pine hurt. So, I don’t want to be on that either. When like at the end of a game.

"Say we are playing like a lower school and I mean we’re probably beating them, and they put the younger guys in like the guys they don’t play normally they put them mentally I hate sitting on the pine. So, I know they don’t want to sit down, especially when it’s an opportunity in front of themselves.”

It’s safe to say that, outside of Auburn’s late blowouts against the likes of Samford and Tulane, there will not be much pine-riding for Davidson.

As for Truesdell, Newkirk and Miller Jr., there isn’t that same guarantee.

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

It would be fantastic if Newkirk and Miller have fully healed from their injuries.  I'm not sure on Newkirk, I believe Brown made a statement recently that he's still not doing much in the way of lower body workouts but his upper body is massive from a picture I recently saw.  His arms look bigger than some DL's thighs.

[twilli13 600]

7 hours ago, dyehardfanAU said:

It would be fantastic if Newkirk and Miller have fully healed from their injuries.  I'm not sure on Newkirk, I believe Brown made a statement recently that he's still not doing much in the way of lower body workouts but his upper body is massive from a picture I recently saw.  His arms look bigger than some DL's thighs.

Share said glam pic. Lol. 

[Sizzle 3,948]

I just want them healthy for the season. I think all of them can contribute but you can’t contribute anything when you’re not healthy 

[doc4aday 1,887]

I wonder if we will see the 2 true freshmen DL from Ms. in the rotation? Moore and Handy.

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

10 minutes ago, doc4aday said:

I wonder if we will see the 2 true freshmen DL from Ms. in the rotation? Moore and Handy.

Ideally not.   Hopefully they'll both be redshirting.