SEC Legend Marcus McNeill stays connected with Auburn: 'It's our family'

AUBURN, Ala. – At 6-foot-9, Marcus McNeill stood out once more during the 2024 SEC Football “Weekend of Champions.”

Auburn’s 2024 SEC Football Legend, the former Tigers’ offensive lineman was honored in Atlanta Dec. 6-7 at the annual SEC Legends Celebration at the College Football Hall of Fame and at the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“It’s an honor from God to even put me in a situation like this,” said McNeill, a member of Auburn’s Team of the Decade for the 2000s. “I feel extremely blessed my whole life. From the time I stepped on the Plains, I felt that family atmosphere, I felt the love. That’s what drove me to play the way I did because I knew I had brothers I was playing for.

“This is a testament to the team we had and the people we have down on the Plains. It’s not just about me, it’s about the whole organization.”

A two-time All-American offensive tackle from 2002-05, McNeill earned All-America honors in 2004 and 2005, becoming the first Tiger since Ed King to earn the prestigious honors in consecutive years.

In 2004, McNeill helped pave the way for one of the best offenses in program history while winning the SEC championship with an undefeated season. That season, McNeill became the first Tiger offensive lineman to receive All-America honors since 1997. He was a consensus All-American as a senior in 2005.

McNeill was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2004 and 2005 and earned the Jacobs Trophy as the SEC’s top blocker following his senior campaign when he was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy.

“I’m from the A so this definitely a homecoming,” said McNeill, a native of Decatur, Georgia, who never allowed a sack in a 43-game span as a four-year starter. “To have my family see me recognized as an SEC Legend, my kids think of me as dad who flips pancakes. Now they’re like, ‘Hold on, you’re special.’ ‘I told you I was special.’ It’s been a great time for everybody.”

McNeill was selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. In his rookie season, he finished fourth in the voting for the 2006 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was named to the Pro Bowl.

“It’s a special time,” said McNeill, who has remained in San Diego after injuries led to his retirement in 2012 after six seasons with the Chargers, but who still visits Auburn often. “It feels like I never left, besides all the building that’s going on.

“It looks completely different, but it feels the exact same. Being down there and able to reminisce about the old times. Seeing Tiger Walk, seeing them roll Toomer’s Corner, those things are a staple in my life. I love to get down there and see it whenever I can.”

Despite living more than 2,000 miles from the Plains, McNeill closely follows Auburn football, hosting a podcast with fellow former Auburn offensive line teammate Jonathan Palmer.  

“I watch it every weekend,” he said. “We turn on the game regardless of where we are. The podcast is just an extension of the conversations we have every weekend when we’re watching and talking about Auburn football. The ups, the downs, the highs, the lows. It doesn’t matter, it’s our family.”

McNeill applauded when Auburn landed its second consecutive top-10 recruiting class a few days after the SEC Legends celebration.

“One thing is for sure, we’re bringing in a lot of talent,” McNeill said. “In most of the games, we seem to be right there. I can tell that we’re right there on the corner, on the brink of something special.”

Twenty years after helping Auburn win the 2004 SEC championship during an undefeated season, McNeill reflected on the passage of time.  

“The biggest transition is going from being a boy to a man,” he said. “When you start off in college, you’re just young kids, out having a good time. Now I’m raising kids, and they’re having a good time. It’s been a great experience. Fatherhood is the biggest thing for me right now. There’s nothing more special than my family. I have a great family. I just love being around them.

“Luckily, I was afforded the ability to be there in their life on a day-to-day basis to watch them grow up. I’m always into business, growth and learning. That’s my life in a nutshell.”

McNeill credits Auburn with helping prepare him for success during and after his NFL career.

“There are going to be ups and downs,” he said. “Being resilient is the biggest thing. The reason we were so good was because we weren’t scared to fail. We weren’t worried about the bumps in the road or the tough times.

“All the hard work that goes into it. Those are the things I learned from Auburn. We’re going to make sure we’re working hard so that when it’s gameday, it’s easy. Work, hard work is what Yox (former strength and conditioning coach Kevin Yoxall) used to say.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer