Auburn’s Xavier Atkins Details Mentality Ahead of 2026

The Auburn Tigers have certainly found a top-tier defensive piece in Xavier Atkins, a junior linebacker who transferred in from LSU ahead of the 2025 season. At the time of his Auburn signing, Atkins was largely an unknown, unproven player, but he quickly made his mark during the 2025 season.

With the prestige that comes from being a top-tier SEC linebacker comes several awards, honors and acknowledgements, all of which Atkins has received in spades over the last year. However, he told the press on Wednesday that these awards are not changing his mentality ahead of the 2026 season.

"When I came in last year, I did not have preseason accolades or anything like that, so I'm just keeping my head down," he said. "We all know awards aren't won in the preseason; it's what you do in the season to get what you want to get. That's why I always try to keep my even keel level down, like, just being where my feet are. But it is a great thing, though."

Atkins has received several awards headed into the season, including multiple All-American nods from different publications as well as a host of other preseason awards that have left many thinking that this season will be Atkins’ best yet. However, sophomore slumps (Atkins is a junior, but this season will be his second season as a starter) are not uncommon in college football, so he is focused on staying level and executing at the level he did when he was young and hungry this time last season.

Atkins will have plenty of help on defense, as well, including the now-healthy Demarcus Riddick, a fellow junior linebacker who has been with the Tigers for his entire collegiate career, as well as key pieces like Elijah Melendez and Bryce Deas. This group, particularly Riddick and Atkins, has garnered quite a bit of preseason hype, with some publications even ranking them among the top-three linebacker groups in all of college football.

So, if Atkins is able to stay level and control his game despite the mountain of preseason awards he has received, chances are that he will avoid the dreaded sophomore slump in 2026, a factor that will bode well for Auburn’s defense this year. After all, Atkins was considered one of the best defensive players in the SEC last year, so any improvement over last season would be monumental for the Tigers’ chances in a loaded in-conference schedule.

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