How the Auburn Defense is Combating Heavy Roster Turnover for 2026

A lack of continuity is not uncommon in the current transfer portal era of college football, but the Auburn Tigers were devastated by even portal standards in the offseason.

Auburn and new head coach Alex Golesh return just three starters from last year’s team, with two of those on the defensive side of the ball: First Team All-SEC linebacker Xavier Atkins and safety Kaleb Harris.

The two sophomores will welcome nine new starters to fill their side of the ball for 2026, few of whom have been set in stone with the season still months away. However, unlike the Auburn offense, the Tigers’ defense did not have to be completely rebuilt from scratch in the portal, as there are quite a few talented young players already on the Plains who chose to remain with defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.

Most of the attrition the Tigers faced on defense was on the defensive front, with Auburn’s top six tacklers at the position all departing, either for the NFL Draft, graduation, or the transfer portal. The leading returning tackler on the defensive line is Dallas Walker IV, who was recently granted an additional year of eligibility and should anchor the trenches from the nose tackle spot.

Auburn Tigers defensive lineman Dallas Walker (35) returns after being granted another year of eligibility. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Walker is joined by former five-Star Malik Autry, who played in nine games for Auburn in 2025 at various alignments along the defensive front. LSU transfer Walter Mathis Jr. was also brought in to help secure the group, forming a formidable trio. The Tigers also added Appalachian State’s Saint Farrior and Arkansas State’s Cody Sigler to provide additional depth.

The edge will be the biggest question for Auburn in 2026, as key starters Keldric Faulk and Keyron Crawford both left for the NFL Draft. Chris Murray graduated following the 2025 season, and former five-Star Amaris Williams left the program to transfer to the Georgia Bulldogs.

To compensate for the losses, Auburn brought in Ole Miss transfer Da’Shawn Womack and Missouri transfer Nate Johnson in the portal to lead the group, both of whom have tremendous upside. Womack is a former five-star who has elite athletic ability, and Johnson is a former Second-Team All-Sun Belt player for Appalachian State.

As far as youth off the edge, the most intriguing piece is sophomore Jared Smith, who was tied for fourth on the team in sacks with two, the same number as Faulk. However, he did it with significantly less playing time, and flashed elite potential as a speed rusher.

Linebacker is easily the position with the most returning production on the Auburn defense, as three of the top four tacklers at the position will be back on The Plains for 2026. The group is led by Atkins, who was arguably Auburn’s best statistical player in 2025. Atkins will be joined by Demarcus Riddick, an experienced player who missed the majority of the season with a shoulder injury.

Also returning is Elijah Melendez, a freakishly athletic player who saw action in all 12 games for Auburn despite not starting a single one. He is an extremely talented downhill player, a play style he can take advantage of alongside experienced field generals like Riddick and Atkins. Freshman Bryce Deas is built from a similar athletic mold as Melendez and should be able to play a similar role when on the field.

Auburn Tigers linebacker Elijah Melendez played in all 12 games as a true freshman. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn secondary also returned quite a bit of production, though most of it is at safety. Standout freshman Eric Winters, Sylvester Smith and Anquon Fegans are all back alongside Harris to man the back end. The Tigers also brought in USF safety Fred Gaskin, who started every regular-season game for the Bulls and excelled as a box player.

Though Smith is listed as a safety, he played most of his snaps as a slot corner, where he was highly effective at being disruptive over the middle and striking fear into opposing pass catchers trying to work between the numbers, thanks to his elite hitting ability.

Both of Auburn’s starting corners from 2025 transferred out, Jay Crawford to Ole Miss and Kayin Lee to Tennessee. However, Auburn added UCLA’s Andre Jordan, a player who is severely underrated in the Tigers’ portal class. Golesh and his staff also added two three-star transfers at the position in USF’s Shamar Arnoux and USF’s Gavin Jenkins.

However, Tulane transfer Rayshawn Pleasant could join Jordan on the outside, where he started two games last season in SEC play for Auburn. Should either of the two get injured, rising sophomore Blake Woodby is a talented young player at the position who could easily beat out Arnoux or Jenkins for the CB3 role to complete the defensive rotation.