Auburn Tigers Football: 7 Best Defensive Players for 2011

The Auburn defense will look similar to the offense on September 3^rd when kickoff hits, mostly unrecognizable. There are some standout players that fans will remember but they are scattered thinly across the defense as the majority of the starters and role players are gone for the Auburn Tigers.

There are names that earned statistics last year and have shown tremendous amounts of talent and potential. One of the most talented defensive returner’s will be Nosa Eguae. Neiko Thorpe is another player than fans will recognize but his position will be changed this year. Thorpe will move to safety this season, most likely a better fit for his talents.

How the defense follows leaders like Thorpe and Eguae will determine how the young and inexperienced talent pans out this season. Auburn will rely on newcomers, true sophomores and redshirt freshmen to fill the void left by the departing senior class and select juniors to the draft.

There are seven standout defenders that will be household names for Tigers fans this fall. These seven will lead this defensive unit and guide the ups and downs this coming year. 

Neiko Thorpe: DB

Neiko Thorpe is entering his senior season with the Tigers in 2011. Thorpe is one of the last members of the Tuberville era. In his four years he has earned his stripes facing a coaching change and one of the worst seasons in Auburn’s modern history.

Thorpe has also earned his fair share of criticisms in his career as a cornerback the past three seasons. It seemed that every big play happened on his side of the field. Corner was not the best position fit for Thorpe and moving to safety this season will free Thorpe up to see the entire field and make the big hits across the middle.

Thorpe will reach his full potential this season and will ensure that the Tigers have leadership in the defensive backfield. Thorpe will use his knowledge and experience to guide his fellow safeties to success and proper position. Thorpe had 84 tackles in ’09 and 62 in ’10 from the corner spot. His numbers will increase as will his reputation by seasons end.

Eltoro Freeman: LB

Freeman is the most passionate player on the Tigers team. Freeman is a unique talent that plays with speed and tenacity but often finds himself out of position. The light has reportedly come on for Eltoro this spring and summer however.

Freeman has the potential to be an All-SEC and possibly All-American talent from the linebacker position. His problem is that he has historically played on instinct and not as much on solid defensive scheme. That led to numerous high tackle games and great hits, but it also led to big plays for opposing offenses.

Coach Ted Roof raved about the progression that Freeman had made this spring and it is looking more likely that Freeman will move to an outside position opposite Jake Holland and Daren Bates. Freeman is currently listed behind Holland at the middle linebacker position.

If the talk is true and the light has come on for Freeman, he will be a force in 2011. Fans and coaches alike have been waiting for “The Bull” to break out and this should be his year.

Daren Bates: LB

Bates will play the other outside linebacker position this season for the Tigers and brings two years’ worth of starts with him. He was a two star diamond in the rough that Chizik and Co. discovered out of Mississippi in 2009.

Bates burst onto the scene as an explosive safety that was making plays from day one as a true freshman. With the return of Aairon Savage and Zac Etheridge in 2010 to safety and a lack of depth and experience at the linebacker position, the Tigers defensive staff moved Bates closer to the line.

Bates was injured throughout the 2010 season and played sparingly if at all at points in the season. He ended the season with just 47 tackles but 30 were solo. Look for his stats to increase drastically as the junior returns with more experience and a better understanding of the position.

Combining Bates, Holland, and Freeman in the middle third of the defense will be more dangerous than most expect in 20011.

Nosa Eguae: DE

Eguae is a rising redshirt sophomore this season for the Tigers. In 2009 he was set to start as a true freshman but a foot injury forced Eguae into a redshirt. Last season he earned the starting nod opposite of Antoine Carter in the Tigers defense.

Eguae is the most experienced defensive lineman that the Tigers return this season and will be a corner stone in the success that the Tigers find in 2011. Eguae earned 3.5 sacks a year ago but will need to grow those stats for the Tigers to be effective this season.

How effective Eguae is at reaching the quarterback and more importantly stopping the run will determine the flow of the defense early in the season.

Corey Lemonier: DE

Lemonier played consistently throughout his freshman season last year. Lemonier showed signs of brilliance off of the end and will be a pass rushing animal this season. Lemonier is likely to earn the start opposite of Eguae this season and will have earned every snap.

Lemonier was a surprise pickup in the 2010 class for the Auburn coaches as he was assumed to have been a heavy Florida State lean before signing day. His talent was widely recognized and he played as good as advertised a year ago.

Earning snaps in a national championship season was extremely beneficial for Lemonier as he was able to see success and learn from the best. Coach Mike Pelton is building a line virtually from the ground up and Lemonier will be a large part of the success of the line this season.

T’Sharvan Bell: DB

Bell was challenged by the Tigers coaching staff last season to get more aggressive. He did just that by seasons end and became one of the more dynamic players in the defensive backfield. He will be the veteran corner this season and has stepped into the leadership role this offseason.

Bell has been a driver in the film room for his teammates and has ensured that the younger and inexperienced players will be up to speed when the fall practice sessions roll around in August. Bell was in on 33 tackles and earned one interception a season ago.

He also earned a single sack in the 2010 season. That sack has become a pivot point in Auburn history and will forever be marked in time as a turning point in the Iron Bowls storied history. Look for Bell’s experience and leadership to lead Auburn’s young but surprisingly experienced secondary to success this coming season.

The Best of the Rest

There are numerous others that will make huge impacts this season for the Tigers on the defensive side of the ball. Jeffery Whitaker is a talent on the inside that is a rising sophomore and in need of a breakout season. Craig Sanders and Joel Bonomolo will be players to watch as they will be some of the most explosive defensive ends in the conference.

In the defensive backfield rising sophomores Ryan White and Chris Davis will be experienced corners and Ikeem Means should be an impact walk-on that may earn a scholarship this fall. Auburn has a wealth of incoming freshman that could play instantly on defense like Kris Frost and Angelo Blackson. The future is bright on the defensive side of the ball for the Tigers but the growing pains will come in 2011.

How quickly the young Tigers grow will determine the difference between 6-7 wins or 8-9 wins. Look for the Tigers to play fast and hard no matter the circumstance, always keeping Auburn in games.