AUBURN, Ala. – It may be hard for Auburn fans to realize, but Roger McCreary is officially the old man of the Tiger defense. It's a little difficult for McCreary to absorb as well.
"My senior season? It's crazy when I think about the process," the cornerback from Mobile, Alabama, admits, thinking back on his journey from Williamson High. "College is different. Coming from being a star to being around all these stars – everybody when you get to college was a high school star – it's different.
"I feel like my freshman year I had to adjust and really humble myself. That's what everybody has to do when they get to college -- humble themselves, because you're around so many stars.
"The general college part also, learning your way around campus, going to classes, all that process – that was also new, but I feel (player development director) Jorrell Bostrom and his guys were really good at helping me with that process. They were people I could talk to with questions.
Arriving at Auburn in 2018, McCreary determined to make his family proud while adjusting to the demands of athletics and academics.
"I didn't talk to my mom that much my freshman year because she wanted me to be my own man, and I wanted to make her proud," said McCreary, who shares a close bond with his mother, Felicia James. "I didn't want her to feel like she had to take care of my stuff anymore. I really wanted to take care of myself and I feel like Auburn had the right strategy on helping all of the freshmen get adjusted to everything, especially time management.
"In high school, you make your own time schedule and you can get around to everything, but in college, you have to do tutors, classes, meetings with coaches, practice and all at specific times. I feel like that was the hardest adjustment, but I feel I got it down and life got easier after freshman year."Cover corner: A safety and receiver in high school, McCreary has adjusted well to playing CB at Auburn
When McCreary, a preseason all-SEC selection, got to the Plains, he also had to learn a new position on the field.
"Coming to Auburn was my first time ever playing cornerback. I played receiver and safety in high school," the Class 5A all-state honoree said. "This was my first time ever playing cornerback. I had to adjust my freshman year with that and I learned a lot by observing. I feel like every freshman should always observe how they play – they shouldn't force themselves, but should watch and study and learn how the game goes.
"My freshman year I was thrown in the fire -- at Ole Miss, Tennessee, at Alabama – and I thought that was good for me, because I did really well that next spring.
"Then came my sophomore year, and I had to step up quick. I feel like my transition from freshman to sophomore year was perfect and just carried on through my junior year.
"I feel like I've improved the most with man coverage, and I feel like that's what I'm the best at. It was hard at first for me to guard a person who was the fastest dude out there because I was used to playing safety.
"But I've adjusted, and picked up having more football IQ. I had to learn what was going to come before the play even happened. That made a big improvement."
Improving his football IQ came when McCreary had the opportunity to actually study the game. The high school jack-of-all-trades has become a master of one playing SEC football.
"I played a lot of sports in high school – football, basketball, track -- so I didn't have time to watch the NFL all the time," he said. "But now I watch a lot of NFL and my favorite players at my position – I watch a lot of Jaire Alexander and other cornerbacks and sometimes I watch receivers, too, to see how they read their routes and reactions."
McCreary, whose personal goals include first team all-SEC recognition and contending for the Jim Thorpe Award, believes that first-year coach Bryan Harsin's staff will have an impact.
"The strategy they came in with, it's different, but I feel like it's going to help," McCreary said. "On defense, we want to meet the old Auburn standard with the defense being top three in everything: run game, passing coverage, turnovers. We've got the ability and I feel like we can do it."
McCreary predicts a big assist toward that goal will come from a packed Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"I like that everybody's coming back," the veteran with four career interceptions and 86 career tackles said. "That's a reason I feel like I had a good sophomore season because the fans get you 'turnt' and they get you more focused; with a lot of people out there, you really don't want to mess up. In Jordan-Hare, I'm ready for the crowd and for something to happen."
Something big definitely happened for McCreary in August. "I graduated Aug. 7 in interdisciplinary studies," he said. "My disciplines were business, psychology and sports coaching.
"Eventually, I want to do construction, so that's the reason I did business, so I can start my own business in construction. I grew up working with my granddad in construction and learned lots of things – and psychology was because I like talking with my friends and giving advice. And sport coaching will be somewhere at the end of life. I've thought it through."
Off the field, the personable defender is "very competitive – VERY competitive! I love to play golf, tennis, bowling – any activity. I do a lot of fun activities outside of football with friends."
And his friends know the daily staple of McCreary's quirky eating habits. "I love baked beans," he said enthusiastically. "That's been my go-to food since I was 6. It's a quick little meal and very satisfying, so I've loved them since then."
Hungry for the 2021 season to begin, McCreary will be taking exercise science classes this fall and focused on the gridiron. "I want to finish off strong and help my team – that's my concentration. Our team wants to meet the standard of playing Auburn football."
INT: Roger McCrearty intercepts a pass at Ole Miss in 2020
