Future Forward: The Defense

Look beyond the veteran names on an Auburn defense that ranks in the top 25 nationally in seven statistical categories and you will find a number of Auburn freshmen learning while doing at the highest level of on-the-job instruction. 

The Tigers, allowing just 314.4 total yards and 19.2 points per game, have had a number of outstanding contributions from players who have yet to become household names. 

“I’ve grown into being able to process what the offense is doing and just processing college football in general,” said safety Sylvester Smith, who has worked his way into a starting role, contributing 21 tackles and an interception against Arkansas that announced his arrival on the scene. “It’s been a wonderful thing to learn more and more each week, just knowing the situations of where the ball might be here and in terms of what they can do from there. I love all the knowledge we’re getting.”

“It’s making me more competitive, being around people at your talent level every day and people who are smarter than you,” added cornerback JC Hart, who has gained key experience in the secondary and on special teams this season. “You don’t grow if you’re not around people better than you.”

“The film study is key, and getting used to the speed of the game,” cornerback Kensley Louidor-Faustin said. “That’s been such a difference from high school.”

That difference is noticeable to all the freshmen. 

“I’ve grown and changed a lot,” said linebacker Demarcus Riddick, who has added 19 tackles and two tackles for loss this season. “In high school football, I didn’t know how to study the game but when I got here, I got taught a lot about football. Knowing I could learn and master all that has given me a lot of confidence as a football player and as a student.”

“It really has matured me because I look at it as a career path and not just a game anymore,” added defensive lineman Malik Blocton, who has 11 tackles and three tackles for loss this year. “I know that this is how I want to feed my family, so it really has matured me to take it seriously.”

Safety Kaleb Harris, who has 26 tackles and three pass break-ups to his credit, agrees. 

“This is helping me mature more than I could have guessed,” he said. “There are some things I still have to work on mentally – you can still tell I have my freshman mistakes – but I have learned how to work.”

And now that their freshman season is almost over, what’s been the best part of the whole experience? 

“Just being part of this team. This team has really good people, and we’ve got a lot coming in the future,” cornerback A’mon Lane-Ganus said. “Sticking together as we work through hard times has been special.” 

“I think the best part has been everything we’re learning from the older guys,” added Harris. “They teach you a lot because they’ve been in college for a couple years, and that experience gets passed down.”

“My favorite part of playing college football is just being out here with all the guys, with my brothers,” Riddick said. “That’s the best part about it.”

“I think the best part is playing for a team that so many people support,” said Hart, a Loachapoka native. “So many kids look up to this brand. I’ve really been representing the brand my whole life because I’ve been an Auburn fan forever.”

And gameday at Jordan-Hare Stadium is at the heart of what makes Auburn football special. 

“Running out the tunnel and seeing all the fans yelling is my favorite part, Blocton said. “And experiencing all that with my teammates.”  

“The competition we get to play against every single Saturday is tops, and those teams coming to our stadium has been awesome,” Louidor-Faustin added. 

“To be honest, I think the best part is the environment,” defensive lineman Amaris Williams said. “The fans at the games at Jordan-Hare Stadium are the best. The energy from all the people when we’re about to get a stop – the crowd and all of that, it brings chills to your body. It makes you want to become aggressive and play your hardest.”

“I say the best thing is the fans, and also the atmosphere of the stadiums where we play, how the Auburn people are everywhere,” said cornerback Jay Crawford, who leads the team with seven pass breakups and had an interception at Kentucky. “You only get to go through college one time so you might as well make the best of it. We’re doing that.”