50 most valuable players..#20

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Ranking Auburn's 50 most valuable players: No. 20

ByNathan King

6-7 minutes

Texas and Oklahoma's move to the SEC will provide a huge recruiting boost

Ahead of preseason practices, Auburn Undercover is counting down the 50 most valuable players on Auburn's 2021 roster.

A few notes to set the table: These rankings are based on a player's previous contributions to the team, as well as his assumed impact in 2021 — how important he is expected to be to Auburn's success in both production and the win-loss column. It is not simply Auburn's best players in descending order. If a freshman is included on the list, his positioning is obviously a projection of his talent and significance to his respective position group.

Next in the countdown is No. 20: redshirt sophomore cornerback Jaylin Simpson.

AS A RECRUIT

Hometown: Brunswick, Georgia

Class: 2019

Committed to Auburn: April 30, 2018

Rank in Auburn's 2019 class: 12th/21 signees

Ranking nationally: No. 34 CB, No. 36 player in Georgia

AS A PLAYER

Originally projected as a safety with the Tigers, Simpson played in only four games in 2019 to maintain his redshirt. Kevin Steele and Auburn's defensive coaches then fancied Simpson more as a cornerback, and he made the move heading into last year's fall camp.

After a tight race between him and Nehemiah Pritchett, Simpson won the starting cornerback job across from Roger McCreary. He was an immediate standout in Auburn's season-opening win over Kentucky, earning SEC freshman of the week honors with four tackles, a pass breakup and a tackle for loss. Simpson sustained a lower-body injury in the second half, however, and missed Auburn's next two games.

Even when Simpson was able to return midseason, he was admittedly still bothered by his injury. Some games he split snaps at the No. 2 cornerback spot with Pritchett, other games his playing time was sparse, and he missed another game entirely (Alabama) late in the year.

Simpson ended what he called a frustrating 2020 campaign with 14 tackles and three pass breakups — all while Pritchett was garnering national attention for his highly efficient coverage skills playing in place of Simpson.

But Simpson was able to take advantage of an opportunity in spring practices. Highly touted West Virginia transfer Dreshun Miller was not yet on campus, and Pritchett had been moved to nickel to replace Ladarius Tennison, who slid back to safety. So Simpson was able to reoccupy his starting cornerback spot unabated. He impressed his new position coach, Zac Etheridge, and his new defensive coordinator, Derek Mason, throughout spring ball as one of Auburn's most consistent players on the defense.

2021 OUTLOOK

Much of Simpson's role for 2021 will depend on the alignment of other starting-caliber players in the secondary. If Pritchett remains at nickel, there will be more snaps available for Simpson at cornerback, presumably behind McCreary and Miller.

But nothing will be given for players like Miller and Pritchett to move up the depth chart and overtake Simpson, who said in spring practices he feels like a completely different player now that he's fully healthy.

And the depth for Auburn in the secondary isn't being viewed as a negative by the Tigers defensive backs. Mason said in spring practices that his goal was to shift players around and nurture more versatile skill sets for his DBs so that he can get as much of his talented secondary on the field at the same time as possible. He was able to do so in spring ball, but that was without Miller, Vanderbilt transfer Donovan Kaufman and Southeast Missouri State transfer Bydarrius Knighten added to the mix.

Regardless of how the cornerback battles shake out, it's tough to envision an Auburn secondary in 2021 that doesn't utilize Simpson. When healthy, he's been a strong coverage player — with his 6-foot-1 length able to compete with longer receivers down the field — and an effective tackler in open space.

Auburn has, in recent years, made good use of its cornerback depth; that's how McCreary was able to gain notoriety before ever starting a game. A worst-case scenario for Simpson is an important, rotational role as he continues to grow and prepare to be a veteran in 2022. The best case could be an intense battle with someone like Miller for a full-time starting role in fall camp.