Auburn’s new defensive coaching staff is exceptional.
Hugh Freeze’s first year as head coach at Auburn went by quickly, and we saw a lot of upheaval from last year’s staff.
Some coaches, such as defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett, went on to the NFL, while others left to pursue fresh opportunities in colleges. Auburn’s defensive coordinator from a year ago, Ron Roberts, went to coach the Florida Gators, leaving a vacancy in that job. Hugh Freeze went on to appoint DJ Durkin, the former Texas A&M defensive coordinator, to lead the defense.
Durkin’s defense at Texas A&M topped the SEC in sacks last season with 42, ranking seventh in college football overall. Auburn would like to put more pressure on the quarterback this season, and maybe Coach Durkin can help with that in his debut season on the Plains.
Freshman defensive lineman Malik Blocton had this to say about Durkin’s defense on the Locked On Auburn Podcast: “It’s an excellent defense.” We are doing a lot of moving. Lots many stunts. We’re going to be playing quickly. We’re going to move upfield. We’ll be making plays in the backfield. “That’s what I like.”
Movement across the defensive line and front seven can make it tough for the offensive line to get everyone blocked, which may have contributed to Durkin’s defense’s high sack total last season. If Auburn’s defensive line and entire defense can learn this quickly, they might rack up a lot more sacks than they did last year.
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