With returning players like DJ James, Nehemiah Pritchett, and Keionte Scott, the defensive backfield has some stability. Can the DBs make the Auburn defense Elite?
Last season, DJ James was named to 2nd Team All SEC. According to PFF, he had 20 targets in his direction and only yielded 6 catches for a 62.1 Passer Rating Allowed. With a new defensive scheme that will allow him to be in press coverage more, Auburn should really see his strength on display.
On the opposite side from James, the competition is fierce. Nehemiah Pritchett is underrated and going to really make some noise. However, there has been a lot of buzz about the True Freshman, Kayin Lee. He has been making a every take note of why he was so highly sought after.
Keionte Scott is set to have a great 2nd Season with the Tigers. This time, he will have the benefit of a full Spring and Summer with the staff. He played well in spot duty last season and there is no sign of relent with him and his trajectory.
A big part of your recruiting job in the era of the Transfer portal/NIL is recruiting your guys to stay in house.
– Ike Jones on The Morning Drop
The challenge is going to be “talent retention.” The great job that this staff has done to fill out the rooms with top level talent cannot be understated. With that, you will have a lot of guys that are super talented but not have snaps available. They staff did not use the transfer portal, this year, to get more bodies, which says to me, that they are happy with the guys they had already and feel like they can take the next step, if they stick around.
You can watch The Morning Drop on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings on The War Rapport’s YouTube channel.