On the Plains with Cody Sigler: From D-II to the SEC

Cody Sigler’s journey to Auburn was anything but conventional. The defensive lineman climbed from Division II all the way to the SEC through hard work and perseverance. 

A smalltown guy, Sigler grew up in New Hope, Alabama, about 19 miles southeast of Huntsville and had a successful prep career with New Hope High school, earning All-Region recognition and being named Linebacker of the Year as a senior. 

Despite that success, Sigler had only one offer, from D-III Huntingdon College in Montgomery. But after a change of heart, he reached out to coach Larry Scott III, the defensive line coach at West Alabama at the time. 

“I sent Coach Scott a message on Twitter and said, ‘Coach, if you give me a chance to walk on and the bill is not $21,000, I'm there,’” said Sigler. “Coach Scott responded back to me and two days later, I walked on at West Alabama.”

Sigler’s first season at West Alabama did not go as he had planned. It was marked by a series of setbacks.

“My first year, I medically redshirted,” Sigler said. “I had a medical withdrawal from school. I got a concussion. I got COVID. I had the flu and then I had to get my tonsils taken out. During that time, I didn't know if I was going to play football. I didn't know what I was going to do.”

When his football career seemed uncertain, things began to look up when he received a phone call from Coach Scott.

“Coach Scott called me and asked, ‘Are you coming down here in the spring? We want you.’ My mom was telling me to just go,” Sigler said. “I had nothing else to do. I didn’t have a job. My mom paid for it all. It was like $5,000 to go to school there and that was the best $5,000 my mom ever spent on me in my entire life. That changed my whole life.”

That next season, Sigler knew he would have to fight for a spot. Competing against older players from the COVID era, Sigler was a young player who had to find his place. 

“My first true season was when all the COVID players were still around,” Sigler said. “We had guys on their sixth or seventh year. One of them was 26, another one was 24. I was a kid out there fighting for a spot and I found one. I had a little package on third down and then my sophomore year is when I really became the football player I knew I could be.”
 
Sigler continued to improve while he was at West Alabama and then looked to further his football career with another school following a successful 2024 season where he started all 11 games and was named first team All-Gulf South Conference. 

“I got the starting job as a junior and I had the year I wanted to and then I got in the portal,” Sigler said. “I went to South Florida on a visit, then went to Arkansas State. I ended up going to Arkansas State due to proximity to home and I had a great year there. It was a place of opportunity.”

Siger was named second team All-Sun Belt after a year with the Red Wolves and that taste of success in Division I led to another opportunity for change. He entered the transfer portal to make his way to the Plains. Auburn’s coaching staff was what tipped the scale in his decision.

“First of all, I would say the coaches,” Sigler said on why Auburn. “Coach Scott, our assistant defensive line coach here at Auburn, is the same defensive line coach when I was at West Alabama. He is the one who gave me an opportunity to start playing football again. Also, when I visited South Florida the previous year, I loved the coaching style. I loved Coach (Alex) Golesh.”

Now finally on the Plains, Sigler looks to his final collegiate season and hopes to play a big role in laying a new foundation at Auburn.

“I want to come in and not just be the most dominant in the country, but I also want to come in and help the younger guys be able to grow and be able to get a chance whenever it's their turn,” Sigler said. “There's no drop off or anything. I feel like that's how it's been ever since I got here. Every day is competing no matter who it is. I also just want to be the guy that, whenever, stuff's going south, I want to be able to go in there and get this team back to where it needs to be.”

With the opportunity to compete in the Southeastern Conference, he is eager to be part of the unmatched atmosphere and energy of gamedays.

“I’m excited for Jordan-Hare,” Sigler said “My first time running out there, I'm going to be blown away. I came to a game my freshman year and it was wild. It was against Texas A&M. The stadium was rocking. The environment was insane.

“But also, I’m excited to hit the dude in front of me. That's my biggest thing. I came here to dominate.”

Beyond football, Sigler credits his faith as a driving force for his journey and success.

“God is the reason why I'm here,” Sigler said. “My story has been fully designed by Him. When I first got here, I was kind of distancing myself from Him. I wasn't praying every night like I needed to. I needed to get back to Him. I'm really starting to see that, and I feel like this whole team bought in on that aspect of it. A team that's driven by God is a hard team to be beat.”

Sigler hopes to leave a lasting impact on Auburn and be remembered for how he played every down.

“A dude who went out there and dominated every snap,” Sigler said.

At the end of the season, he will set his eyes on the NFL Draft. But after his time playing football, he hopes to give back to the next generation of athletes.

“I hope to play in the league as long as I can,” Sigler said. “I also want to go coach and be able to help impact kids' lives, like all my old coaches did for me.”