replacing Dontavius Russell

[aubiefifty 18,201]

With injuries to 2 key pieces, Auburn plans to be ‘creative’ in replacing Dontavius Russell at DT

Posted Aug 03, 7:00 AM

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Nick Coe pressures Joey Gatewood during football practice on Saturday, April 6, 2019 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

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By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Rodney Garner took a second to reminisce before fall camp.

Auburn’s defensive line coach was at the Tigers’ athletics complex two weeks ago when former defensive tackle Dontavius Russell stopped by. Russell spent four years starting along Auburn’s defensive line for Garner before being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round of this spring’s NFL Draft, and he was back in town before reporting for training camp late last month.

“Don was such a steady player,” Garner said last week in Hoover. “He didn't wow you with his stats and all that, but when you graded that film on Sunday, man, you appreciated having him. That's the same thing I was looking at -- I was looking at some tape today… and he did some good stuff. He really did. He did a lot of that dirty work that a lot of people don't want to do, especially in this day and time.”

Russell’s departure left a gaping void — both literal and figurative — in the middle of Auburn’s defensive line this offseason, and the question of how the Tigers will fill that second defensive tackle spot alongside Derrick Brown (projected to be a first-round pick next year) is one of the biggest issues Garner and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele face this preseason.

Auburn is believed to have one of the best, if not the best, defensive lines in the country this season thanks to the return of Brown, Marlon Davidson and Nick Coe, as well as other key rotational pieces. Yet due to injuries to Daquan Newkirk (Achilles) and Coynis Miller (shoulder), the depth at defensive tackle was thin as the Tigers opened fall camp on Friday.

Practice observations from Day 1 of Auburn's fall camp

Some news and notes from the open portion of Auburn's first practice of fall camp.

Newkirk is still sidelined by an Achilles injury — his second in as many offseasons — that cost him the spring, while Miller is still limited while recovering from a shoulder injury. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Friday that Newkirk could miss a considerable part of the season as he continues his rehab process, while Miller — who was in an orange non-contact jersey for Day 1 — could return to full strength before the end of fall camp on Aug. 18.

In the meantime, that leaves Auburn searching for answers at that second defensive tackle spot behind junior Tyrone Truesdell, who ended spring atop the depth chart and received first-team reps on Friday.

“You know, what I really think it does is that it gives you a chance to develop — even some of those younger guys,” Malzahn said. “They've got an opportunity, when those guys are gone, to develop some depth there. That's really the way we're looking at it.”

While Truesdell has two years’ worth of experience in the rotation at defensive tackle, it remains to be seen whether the 6-foot-2, 310-pounder can play the volume of snaps that Auburn was accustomed to getting from Russell over the last four seasons. Over the last two years, Truesdell has appeared in 21 games in a supporting role while totaling 14 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss.

“I thought Trues has gotten better every year,” Garner said. “I'm really proud of him and the growth that he's made, not just as a football player, but as a person. I've seen tremendous growth out of him.”

Russell: 2019 is Truesdell's "time to emerge" for Auburn's D-line

Auburn will be tasked with replacing four-year starter Dontavius Russell at defensive tackle in 2019. Rising junior Tyrone Truesdell may be next in line.

Working behind Truesdell with the second-team defense on Friday was senior Gary Walker, a 5-foot-11, 283-pound defensive end who was a former walk-on. Walker has appeared in 15 games over the last three seasons, with just four total tackles — though one resulted in a safety — and a fumble recovery.

As Auburn eases its freshman newcomers into the swing of things — the team added four-star defensive linemen Charles Moore and Jaren Handy to the fold this summer — the Tigers do have two other viable options to take reps at defensive tackle: Coe and Davidson.

“Obviously, you've got the ability to move some things with Nick and Marlon,” Garner said. “Those are two guys that can definitely play inside, especially if you're not playing against a bunch of 21 personnel or 12 personnel where it's all downhill with combo blocks and all that. But if it's more zone, outside zone, all those things, those guys have got time on task in our Rabbits package, anyway, playing inside, so those are always going to be some options, too."

The 6-foot-5, 291-pound Coe has the versatility to play all four spots along the line—more so, even, than Davidson and Brown—and he spent the spring taking snaps at the various positions. When Auburn opened camp on Friday, Coe was moving around the line and was seen repping with the second-team defense at defensive end (behind Davidson) as T.D. Moultry and Big Kat Bryant received the first- and second-team reps at Buck. According to Malzahn, Coe is “probably the No. 1 guy” who will help fill that role at tackle with Newkirk out and Miller limited.

Will Nick Coe start at Buck or elsewhere on Auburn's D-line this season?

Breaking down Auburn's depth chart at the Buck defensive end position.

“Coe is a guy that is going to play some inside and some outside,” Malzahn said. “… But he’s done that before, so it’s something where he gives us flexibility with that position.”

Ultimately, though, the solution to Auburn’s defensive tackle puzzle isn’t a singular one; it’s likely going to take a by-committee approach to fill that void left behind by Russell this fall, especially with two of the team’s top-three options for that role still working their way back from injury.

"We're going to use everybody,” Garner said. “We're going to try to find the best combination that's going to give us the best opportunity to be successful. I'm sure we're going to mix and match and do a lot of things based on who we're playing against, the different kind of personnel we're facing, the kind of offense we're facing. We just got to be creative.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[gr82be 14,901]

uburn plans to be ‘creative’ 

 

I'd like to buy a vowel. I'd like an A please. 🤔

[aubiefifty 18,201]

5 minutes ago, gr82be said:

uburn plans to be ‘creative’ 

 

I'd like to buy a vowel. I'd like an A please. 🤔

done. you owe me fifty......get it? lol

[auburnphan 6,050]

Replace “plans” with “forced to” would be accurate.  Hope these big guys get healthy soon, we are gonna need a solid rotation to keep the quality of snaps high.

[Sizzle 3,948]

14 minutes ago, auburnphan said:

Replace “plans” with “forced to” would be accurate.  Hope these big guys get healthy soon, we are gonna need a solid rotation to keep the quality of snaps high.

Don’t wait on Newkirk but he’ll be gone most of the season unfortunately 

[bigbird 60,939]

29 minutes ago, auburnphan said:

Replace “plans” with “forced to” would be accurate.  Hope these big guys get healthy soon, we are gonna need a solid rotation to keep the quality of snaps high.

Yeah, that's some decent spin.  Coe or MD will NEED to play a good bit of DT this year. We need some of the tFR to be ready and step up.

[abw0004 10,300]

4 hours ago, bigbird said:

Yeah, that's some decent spin.  Coe or MD will NEED to play a good bit of DT this year. We need some of the tFR to be ready and step up.

I think Moore could do it.  Unless you disagree, he looked fairly college-Ready in his film. 

[bigbird 60,939]

20 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

I think Moore could do it.  Unless you disagree, he looked fairly college-Ready in his film. 

He and Handy are about 30-40 lbs light, IMO

[aubiefifty 18,201]

6 hours ago, bigbird said:

Yeah, that's some decent spin.  Coe or MD will NEED to play a good bit of DT this year. We need some of the tFR to be ready and step up.

you should apply for one of those football analyst jobs at auburn unless you already make more money.

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

6 hours ago, bigbird said:

We need some of the tFR to be ready and step up.

That's asking a lot in SEC play.  Im not as bullish as many are on our defense this season.  Trusdale taking a big leap forward would help considerably.