Auburn Football: Previewing the Tigers Defense for the 2026 Season

The Auburn Tigers football team has traditionally been viewed as a program with a good defense. Since 2020 (excluding 2022), Auburn has been at least the 43rd-best defense by points per game allowed. This has been through Gus Malzahn, Brian Harsin, and Hugh Freeze as the head coach (Harsin’s 2022 team allowed the most points per game and were ranked 97th).Now that another offensive head coach is coming in, can Auburn maintain its defensive prowess?

Auburn Football: Previewing the Tigers Defense

DJ Durkin stayed on after Hugh Freeze was fired and a new coach was named. Durkin and staff have had Auburn ranked as the 27th and 34th-best defenses since taking over as defensive coordinator. That is the key to maintaining it. Yet, the staff, the incoming transfers, and the retained players will ultimately determine how Auburn’s defense looks this year.

The Staff

DJ Durkin was considered for the head coach position at Auburn. He didn’t get it, and yet he still chose to stick around at Auburn. He ran his defense as a unit, and they had intensity, urgency, and fight.

Durkin’s coaching career includes stops at some of the elite programs in college football history, including Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, Texas A&M and now Auburn. He also has head coaching experience from his time at Maryland. His career includes the consistent development of players into NFL draft picks. At Auburn some of those players include Keldric Faulk, Keyron Crawford, Bobby Jamison-Travis, and Jalen McLeod.

Durkin is one member of the defensive staff that has held the title of defensive coordinator. However, the other defensive staffers that have also held the title of defensive coordinator are safeties coach Tim Banks, edges coach Coleman Hutzler, and linebackers coach Brad Wilson.

That list excludes two of the hottest names in coaching circles in Vontrell King-Williams and Demarcus Van Dyke. These two young coaches are risers in the coaching world and have been extremely hot on the recruiting market. This defensive staff, like the roster they will be coaching, has a lot of experience and a lot of potential.

Key Transfers

Auburn had 36 players transfers out, and 40 players transfer in. Some of the key players to transfer out were on the defensive side of the ball, including both starting cornerbacks, three defensive linemen and other players throughout the defense.

The two starting corners that left were Jay Crawford (Mississippi) and Kayin Lee (Tennessee). The three defensive linemen that left are Amaris Williams (who is now at Goergia), Malik Blocton (LSU), and Antonio Coleman (who has not picked his next destination). There were other players that transferred out that also played key roles on the defensive side of the ball. Durkin has to find a way to replace them.

The two rooms that have been affected the most by the transfer portal on Durkin’s defense are the EDGE room and the cornerback room. To find replacements, the Tigers also went to the transfer portal and brought in some key players.

The first of those is Dashawn Womack. Womack started his career at LSU, transferred to Ole Miss after two years, and is now at Auburn. Ole Miss is where he saw more significant playing time and accumulated 27 tackles and two sacks. Womack has been a highly touted prospect, but has not seen a totally significant amount of playing time (though it did increase at Ole Miss). He is going to have to finally live up to his potential fully. If he does, then Auburn’s EDGE room will be fine.

As mentioned previously, the No. 1 and No. 2 cornerback positions are open for business on the depth chart. Some of the players that will be discussed later fit into this discussion, but Auburn brought in two transfer corners as well.

Andre Jordan Jr. transferred in from UCLA after two years at Oregon State before that. His most impressive stat line is 10 pass deflections at UCLA and is why he makes a good replacement for CB1. The other corner is one of two defensive transfers from USF, and that is Gaven Jenkins. Alex Golesh has described Jenkins as an NFL corner. Unfortunately, Auburn fans are going to have to lean on camp rumors with Jenkins, but the reports have been great regarding him.

The final key transfer in is a player that embodies the American dream when it comes to a football journey.

Cody Sigler started his career at Division II West Alabama. He then transferred up to Arkansas State where he put up 35 total tackles, five sacks and six pass deflections in 2025. Sigler is the key to Durkin’s defense. If he can fill the gaps and create pressure in the interior, then linebackers like Xavier Atkins and Elijah Melendez can roam free and create havoc from their positions. Also, if Sigler is able to create problems interiorly, then Jared Smith and Dashawn Womack’s jobs get a lot easier as well.

Sigler, Jordan, Jenkins, and Womack are a handful of key defensive transfers, but they aren’t the only ones that matter in this somewhat rebuilt Durkin defense. The returning players matter too.

Key Defensive Returners

Auburn has some key returning players on both sides of the ball for this season, and for the future. Xavier Atkins, Jared Smith, Elijah Melendez and Eric Winters are the key returners on the defense (to name just a few) who can help maintain the defensive prowess that Durkin has held at Auburn. Plus, the true sophomore class that is a part of this defense is going to be key for the unit as a whole to improve. Auburn and Durkin need the sophomore class to make the leap that is typically seen from freshman year to sophomore year.

Xavier Atkins produced an All-American season in 2025 and the expectations are sky high for him. In that All-American season, Atkins had 84 total tackles, nine sacks, one pass deflection, one interception, and two forced fumbles. Durkin recruited Atkins prior to his commitment at LSU; and then when he didn’t get playing time Durkin still believed and asked him to come to Auburn. Durkin nailed that evaluation, and then developed him even more. The goal now is for Atkins to match that All-American season despite being game-planned for now more than ever.

Elijah Melendez played meaningful snaps as a true freshman and has put in the work in the offseason. He looks like an athletic freak now, and camp reports have him as the leader of the linebacker room.

As a true freshman, Melendez had 29 total tackles, one sack, two interceptions, and one defensive touchdown. Melendez showed his ability, especially towards the end of the season, to be a game changer at linebacker. Now he has worked out, gotten bigger and stronger, and stepped into a leadership role in the linebacker room. Melendez will be able to succeed due to the fact that Atkins will be the focus of most teams.

Jared Smith looks to become a starter as a true sophomore. He played limited snaps as a freshman, but when he did, his speed was clearly on display as a pass rusher. He will have to step up in a room that lost two draft picks in Keldric Faulk and Keyron Crawford. Amaris Williams, Malik Blocton, and Antonio Coleman are all gone as well. Smith has shown the ability to be a weapon as a pass rusher, but the big question is can he put together a total game as an edge rusher? If he does, then Auburn’s EDGE room will be just fine.

Eric Winters looks to lead a safety room that is loaded with talent and experience. As a freshman, Winters was one of the top safeties against the run, and looks to diversify his skill set as he plays more in his sophomore campaign. Tim Banks has been quoted as saying Winters quite possibly be the biggest safety in the country. As a freshman, Winters had 33 tackles, one pass deflection, and one sack. He will need to increase these stats and start to create turnovers to fully step into his potential.

Winters, Smith, and Melendez are only a few names in the sophomore class that have to significantly live up to their potential. Some other names include Malik Autry, Jourdin Crawford, Anquon “Newboy” Fegans, and Bryce Deas. They have all played snaps as true freshman, but are looking to dramatically increase the amount the play. They have to live up to this potential.

Final Thoughts

DJ Durkin is a phenomenal defensive coordinator. He has put together an experienced, stellar staff of position coaches – some who have defensive coordinator experience themselves. They have brought in transfers from all levels of football and retained key players despite a head coaching transition. If these players under this staff maintain their high level of play, the Auburn defense will look great, and the football team may surprise many this season.