Jeremiah Wright out for season

[aubiefifty 18,236]

Auburn’s Jeremiah Wright won’t return this season from spring ACL tear

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

3-4 minutes

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Jeremiah Wright (76) goes through drills during Auburn spring practice on Thursday, March 18, 2021 in Auburn, Ala. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Auburn defensive tackle Jeremiah Wright is progressing in his recovery from a spring ACL tear but will not be cleared to return to the field this season.

Auburn coach Bryan Harsin announced Monday that the 6-foot-5, 338-pounder will miss the remainder of the season, though he has made promising steps in his rehab process. Wright, who underwent surgery on his left knee in the spring, has been cleared to run and has been a limited participant in recent practices, with Harsin noting that he was in shoulder pads during the bye week.

“I wish he could (return),” Harsin said. “... He’s out there doing things. Will he be ready to play this year? No, he’s not going to be ready to play this year.”

Auburn is being cautious in its approach to Wright’s recovery, choosing to not rush a return to action for the Selma native who was an early standout in spring practices.

A former offensive line signee, Wright moved to the defensive side of the ball prior to the start of his freshman season in 2020 to provide the Tigers with additional depth along the defensive line. He appeared in six games and had four total tackles as a freshman, but he made a leap in his development during the second half of the year and carried that into the offseason and through the start of spring practices under a new coaching staff and defensive scheme.

Wright was seen getting first-team reps at defensive tackle in Auburn’s 3-4 and 4-3 fronts early in spring practice, and he appeared to be a breakout candidate on that side of the ball. However, he tore his ACL during a scrimmage on March 25 and underwent surgery to repair it shortly thereafter.

“You don’t want to reinjure an ACL; you want to make sure that guys are completely healthy, fully at that full strength, full capacity where they can make all the moves and things they have to do to play at their level,” Harsin said. “But it’s good to see him out there. He’s running with the guys, he’s got pads on. He’s got help. He’s got a helmet on at times, so it’s just good to have him out there.”

Though Wright will not see the field this season, Harsin expressed plenty of excitement about his progress and optimism for his future along the defensive line for Auburn.

“He’s got a vibe about him that you want on this team,” Harsin said “He’s got, I think, leadership qualities that you want on this team. He is very aware of what’s going on with this football team, so the more he’s around, the better that we are. I wish he could play. We could use him. That guy would be a difference maker for us without a question.

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

[boisnumber1 2,917]

Unfortunate, but I assumed this anyway.

[bigbird 60,939]

I love the cautious approach. Wright is going to be a massive part of our defense taking the next step in '22

[Hank2020 3,355]

1 minute ago, bigbird said:

I love the cautious approach. Wright is going to be a massive part of our defense taking the next step in '22

This coaching staff sure appears to be handling things in the correct manner. Respect that greatly.

[CCTAU 3,536]

Dang COVID!

[Sizzle 3,948]

I don’t think this is a surprise to anybody. Nobody expected him to play. He’s 6’5, 340 pounds and tore his ACL 7 months ago, it’d be stupid for him to be out there 

[aucanucktiger 1,891]

ACLs are a long conversation. They're not all the same and recovery for a straight line player that weighs 338 lbs is different from a cutting scat back. I read a med stat a decade ago that half of top tier athletes injured ACLs were OVER 100% performance 2 yrs after injury. Amazing. Just takes rehab & time.

[McLoofus 35,182]

13 hours ago, bigbird said:

I love the cautious approach. Wright is going to be a massive part of our defense taking the next step in '22

Does he project as a nose tackle to you?

[bigbird 60,939]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Does he project as a nose tackle to you?

100%

Probably would've started this year without the injury

[JDUBB4AU 5,287]

Love the approach . Huge young man