Auburn Reveals Captains List For Tennessee Game

The Auburn Tigers have a difficult matchup coming up this Saturday against the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers, though they have a good core of leaders that could make the difference in Neyland Stadium.

On Friday, the university announced that the team had selected its captains for the game, and there are several notable names on the list.

Our Game 5 Captains 🦅 pic.twitter.com/ffC1CNctAI
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 2, 2026

Dallas Walker IV - Defensive Line

Walker could prove to be a big difference in the game against Tennessee, particularly because the Vols have struggled with allowing sacks against SEC opponents so far this season. In fact, the Vols allowed 10 sacks against Texas, and the Tigers may be able to take advantage of weakness in the trenches on Saturday.

Walker has yet to record a sack this season, though he has functioned incredibly well as a run stopper, totaling 13 total tackles this season alongside his fellow defensive tackle, Cody Sigler, who has 17. The Tennessee game will show us a lot about the Tigers’ defensive line, and Walker appears to be the selected leader of the group this week.

Elijah Melendez - Linebacker

Melendez has been the Tigers’ best defensive player by counting stats this year, totaling a team-high 34 total tackles while ranking second in sacks with 2.0. A sophomore, Melendez is joined by fellow linebacker talent Xavier Atkins, Demarcus Riddick, Bryce Deas and more, though Melendez appears to be the most physical of the group so far.

The Tigers’ linebacker core has proven to be a major difference in multiple games this season, and Melendez will look to lead his group to another marquee performance this week.

Omar Mabson II - Running Back

Mabson has had quite an interesting past few months, as he entered the preseason as the Tigers’ projected RB3, earned the RB2 spot during fall camp and is now evidently making a push to take the lead role in the Tigers’ rushing game.

The Tigers have struggled to run the ball with Jeremiah Cobb this year, but Mabson has been successful in the limited reps he has gotten in-game. This choice of captaincy could be a sign that the Tigers are trending towards a higher usage of Mabson, though it also could simply be a sign of strong leadership on his part.

Byrum Brown - Quarterback

Brown has been a captain for the Tigers in every game he has played so far, which does not exactly come as a surprise given his standing and apparent leadership qualities that have been reported heavily on throughout the past few months.

Brown is still looking for a marquee showing in a Tiger uniform, and he could finally have it against the Vols, though it will certainly be no small task. We’ll learn a lot about what to expect from Brown during this Saturday’s matchup.

Cole Best - Center

One of the only consistent starters on the Tigers’ shaky offensive line, Best has blossomed into quite the leader over the past few seasons. Paired with Brown, whom he has played with for multiple seasons, Best has become the leader of a Tigers offensive line that has struggled with quite a bit of adversity throughout the first few games of the season.

The trenches are expected to make all the difference this week against the Vols, so Best’s leadership and physicality will be tested for as long as the Tigers are on offense. Like Brown, we’ll see what this offensive line can do in big-time games this Saturday.

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