Role on Auburn's Defense for LSU Transfer LB Xavier Atkins

In the Auburn Tigers, LSU transfer linebacker has a new lease on life and a big advocate on the Plains.

Linebacker Xavier Atkins transferred from LSU to the Auburn Tigers in large part because of defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. | Austin Perryman / Auburn University Athletics

When new Auburn Tigers and former LSU linebacker Xavier Atkins traded beignets in Louisiana for Conecuh on the Plains, it was more than swapping culinary delights. It was a return to the familiar.

While Atkins hadn’t yet suited up Auburn, he does remember one of their coaches from another football life. The Humble, Texas native became acquainted with defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, then a recruiter for Texas A&M. It was that connection that prompted the linebacker to stay in the SEC but switch teams. 

"No other place feels like Auburn," Atkins told Auburn Undercover of his choice. "Auburn feels great and it feels like home here. We go way back from him recruiting me hard at A&M," he said of Durkin recruiting him in high school. "That's my dog. He's one of the biggest factors why I'm here. He really told me what he can do for me and develop me as a linebacker. The people that he's coached, the pedigree, the background — it just shows everything.”

While not a measurable trait that you can quantify, loyalty is the currency of the successful. Durkin banked on his bond with Atkins to bring him to the program when he could have probably started at a slew of Group of Five schools. 

Yet, he took his chances at an SEC school that never guaranteed him a starting spot. Instead, any reps that the transfer sees will be the by-product of hard work. 

With just seven college games played and zero starts, the term "blank canvas" feels inadequate. As a result, Atkins will need to make his bones in subpackages and special teams in order to touch the field early in his career.

While nickel and dime coverage fit his 6-foot-0 athletic profile, special teams will open eyes as well. Atkins, a linebacker with a sprinter’s past, lends itself to a special teams demon that bears down on kick returners. 

Stars don't necessarily have to be starters right away. They can be role players that excel in their niche.