cornerbacks about competition, not depth this spring

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Auburn cornerbacks about competition, not depth this spring

ByNathan King

4-5 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn has plenty of cooks in its cornerbacks kitchen. And there’s more on the way. But new position coach Zac Etheridge knows spring isn’t the time to worry about numbers, lineups or pecking orders.

What he desires is simple: Players giving their all every day. The rest will fall into place soon enough.

“Right now, we’re truly focusing on everybody mastering their craft every single day,” Etheridge said during a meeting with reporters Wednesday. “Getting better at being the best version of themselves is the main thing.”

A former Auburn defensive back himself off the 2010 national championship team, Etheridge inherited what might be the Tigers’ deepest and most talented position group when Bryan Harsin hired him from Houston.

Roger McCreary could have been a mid-round NFL draft pick had he left school early. Nehemiah Pritchett had one of the best individual coverage seasons in recent SEC history last year. Jaylin Simpson is back fully healthy after he won the No. 2 cornerback job last fall. Then there’s plenty of talent behind them with JUCO products Marco Domio and Kamal Hadden itching for a role, too. And there’s more talent incoming this summer when West Virginia transfer Dreshun Miller, one of the Big 12’s best corners in 2020, arrives on campus.

Of course, Etheridge has his leaders — the veterans of the room — taking on their assumed roles.

“Those guys, they’re buying into what we ask them to do every single day,” Etheridge said. “Putting in the work. My group, led by Roger and a couple of guys like Nehemiah and Simp (Simpson) and those guys. They’ve been showing up every single day, to come in and do what I’m asking them to do.”

Etheridge’s official title on Harsin’s staff is cornerbacks coach, but new defensive coordinator Derek Mason, who coaches safeties, said earlier in spring camp that he and Etheridge are more like co-captains of the secondary, bouncing ideas off one another to max out the potential of the Tigers’ defensive backs.

“His ability to understand the game is far beyond his years,” Mason said of Etheridge last month.

In the secondary meeting room this spring, Etheridge said Mason takes a backseat and listens to ideas for improvement from Auburn’s defensive backs, then lets Etheridge handle things for the most part.

“[Mason] lets me run the room,” Etheridge said. “We do a great job of just sharing ideas and making sure the information to the kids is being spoken in the same language, so we’re all on the same page. That’s been the most impressive thing, is just coming in every day and just being able to pick his brain and learn from him every single day, it’s awesome to work for a guy like him and I’m loving every moment of it.”

Now in the third week of the spring, McCreary and Simpson are the top two corners, with Pritchett now sliding inside to nickel. Ladarius Tennison has shifted back from nickel to the second safety spot alongside Smoke Monday. McCreary has been particularly impressive to Etheridge.

"[McCreary] has the skill set to play on Sundays," Etheridge said. "I mean, every single day with Roger is he comes up to my office. The biggest is improving your football IQ and making sure that you're studying the game and not just playing on athletic ability. So he's going to be a special player."

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In fall camp, Miller will be looking to make an impact immediately as a high-profile transfer. And Etheridge has made his players aware of that, and the fact that the room will become even more crowded. 

“The depth of the room — there’s no such thing as depth,” Etheridge said. “But at the end of the day you want to have that because competition breeds success. And I want those guys to continue to compete every single day to make each other better. And I’m going to continue to add guys to that room, they know that. And that’s what we want to do is making sure that they continue to push each other every single day to continue to get better.”

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