AUBURN, Ala. – After ranking No. 14 nationally in scoring defense last season, Gus Malzahn believes the Tigers' 2019 defense could be the finest yet in his 10 seasons – seven as Auburn's head coach and three as offensive coordinator – on the Plains.
"I think we've got a chance to the best defense we've had since I've been here," Malzahn said. "We've got a lot of experience, we've got a lot of really talented guys on defense, specifically up front. The strength of our team is up front. That's a good thing in this league."
Two of Auburn's D-line stars represented the Tigers at SEC Media Days in July, seniors Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson.
"He's an impact player," Malzahn said of Brown, a 6-5 defensive tackle from Sugar Hill, Georgia, who has 115 career tackles, nine sacks and 21 tackles for loss, including 10.5 in 2018.
"Marlon Davidson will be a four-year starter," said Malzahn. "He's one of the better football players who have come through Auburn since I've been there. A great leader, great person."
"We're going to be hungry, we're going to eat," Davidson said. "We're going to show Auburn defense. Having an attitude about ourselves like, nobody's going to run the ball on us."
Fellow defensive lineman Nick Coe is another key reason many rank Auburn's defensive line as the SEC's best.
A 6-5, 291-pound redshirt junior, Coe recorded seven sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and 27 tackles last season.
In the secondary, starting safeties Jeremiah Dinson and Daniel Thomas return, along with cornerbacks Javaris Davis and Noah Igbinoghene.
Davis has played 36 games for the Tigers, intercepting six passes while making 107 tackles. Igbinoghene started eight games at cornerback last season and finished fifth on the team with 50 tackles. He also broke up a team-best 11 passes, pulled down an interception and forced a fumble.
Defensive backs Smoke Monday, Christian Tutt, Jordyn Peters, Traivon Leonard and Roger McCreary provide additional depth and experience in the Tigers' secondary.
With experience on the line and in the defensive backfield, Auburn will debut a new linebacker corps following the graduation of starters Deshaun Davis and Darrell Williams and veteran Montavious Atkinson.
"They were big-time players," Malzahn said. "But K.J. Britt and Chandler Wooten really took a leadership role in the spring. It didn't look like we dropped off at all, really playing downhill."
Linebacker Owen Pappoe enrolled in January with plans to contribute immediately, something Auburn has shown a willingness to do with true freshmen in the Malzahn era.
The Tigers linebackers will benefit from an elite defensive line that frequently requires double teams.
"It's a good time to play linebacker at Auburn with the defensive line we have," Malzahn said. "They allow you to play downhill."
Emphasizing mental and physical toughness, sound tackling and maximum effort, Kevin Steele embarks on his fourth season as Auburn's defensive coordinator, hoping to deliver on Malzahn's hunch regarding the unit's potential.
Auburn will be tested early with the Tigers facing Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert in the AdvoCare Classic in the season opener in Arlington, Texas.
"You build on it in the spring," said Brown, who begins his senior season on watch lists for the Outland Trophy, Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Awards. "Fall camp is where the dirty work is done, and then the show comes when you get to Aug. 31."