Auburn football defense hoping for sophomore surge in 2026

AUBURN — In the offseason shuffle of Auburn football’s transfer portal turnover, it was easy to lose sight of the retention. Yes, Cam Coleman’s a Texas Longhorn. Deuce Knight’s an Ole Miss Rebel. But there are several youngsters still suiting up on the Plains.

Auburn‘s 2025 signing class may have seen some departures as Alex Golesh‘s staff took over, but it retained 21 of its 26 signees — 11 of which were on the defense. It’s a bunch that’s poised to take a leap in 2026, and the Tigers will as much to see a dependable defense reach further heights.

“I’ve seen those guys grow a lot — all of us, including myself,” sophomore safety An’Quon “Newboy” Fegans said Tuesday, March 31. “It’s really just the details of the game. The game is more mental than it is physical. If you have that mental awareness of how things are going around you, you’ll be in a fine position.”

Fegans was the fourth-highest-rated signee in Auburn’s 2025 class and a top-100 player nationally. Among his fellow returners are plenty of similar prospects, including top-50 defensive linemen Jared Smith and Malik Autry.

They’re a among a slew of former four-star prospects who are back, with safety Eric Winters, cornerbacks Blake Woodby and Devin Williams, linebackers Elijah Melendez and JJ Faulk and defensive lineman Jourdin Crawford still in the fold.

While they were highly-touted prospects, they were also oft-used freshmen. Auburn’s first-year defenders combined to play 1,351 snaps in 2025, with Fegans, Melendez and Winters each playing more than 200. According to Fegans, that group came back for a reason.

“We didn’t get the job done like we were supposed to do last year,” he said. “I just wanted to come back this year and put some better stuff on tape.”

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football defense hoping for sophomore surge in 2026