Auburn Daily

AP All-SEC First Team Honors Rewarded to Auburn Linebacker

A big season for the Auburn Tigers defender earns him a high honor from the Associated Press
Dre Gaines|
Auburn Tigers linebacker Xavier Atkins earns one of the highest honors for a player in college football
Auburn Tigers linebacker Xavier Atkins earns one of the highest honors for a player in college football | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala.- The accolades continue to pour in for Auburn Tigers middle linebacker Xavier Atkins, as he has now earned AP All-SEC First Team honors.

Atkins, a transfer linebacker from LSU, exploded onto the scene in his first season on the Plains. The 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker is originally from Houston, Texas, and was a three-star prospect. Atkins spent his freshman season at LSU, where he recorded just three tackles on the season. 

However, he has proven that when given an opportunity, he can be one of the best players on the field. In his sophomore season at Auburn, Atkins recorded 84 total tackles and an SEC-leading 60 solo tackles. He also recorded nine total sacks on the year and one interception, which he returned for 73 yards against the Texas A&M Aggies to put the Tigers back in the game. 

The best outing from Atkins came when the Tigers faced the Arkansas Razorbacks, where he recorded a career high 13 tackles, one of two games in which he made four tackles for loss. He became the first Auburn player to do that since Stanley McClover in 2005. He had two-sack games against Ball State, Missouri, and Arkansas. 

When the Tigers faced Arkansas, he was given the sole assignment of containing shifty quarterback Taylen Green. He proved to do it with ease. 

Atkins was also able to force fumbles against Texas A&M and Arkansas. He ended up recovering a fumble against South Alabama. 

Atkins’ 17 TFL are the most in a season by an inside linebacker at Auburn and the most by an underclass defender since Antonio Coleman recorded 18.5 TFL in 2007. His tackle and sack totals ranked third in the SEC. Thirteen of Atkins’ tackles for loss came in SEC play, tops in the league.

Atkins was often all over the field in every Tigers' matchup. There has not been a middle linebacker for Auburn this good in quite some time. And he is the anchor that the Auburn defense needed to perform at an elite level for most of the season. 

He became the most decorated Tiger for the 2025 season, and accolades continue to pour in for the star linebacker. It is also good news that he will be returning to Auburn next season to lead the defense once again, but under new head coach Alex Golesh. 

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Dre Gaines
DRE GAINES

Dre is a veteran of the U.S. Navy from Riverside, California. He is a Journalism major with a specialty in Sports Production. He has experience in sports media content production with Eagle Eye including reporting as well as producing/directing.

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