Auburn Football: Departure of Jonathan Rose Is a Blow to the Tiger Secondary

The Auburn Tigers' secondary took a hit on Wednesday afternoon, when it was announced that sophomore cornerback Jonathan Rose is no longer a member of the team.

Justin Hokanson of AuburnSports.com reported that Rose had been granted his release by Auburn and plans to transfer. He had been sent home for the summer by head coach Gene Chizik earlier in the summer for "personal reasons."

On the surface, his departure doesn't appear to be that big of a deal. His production as a freshman—two tackles in nine games—left a lot to be desired, but he had tremendous upside and could have been a key contributor down the road for the Tigers.

The 6'2", 170-pounder was a 4-star recruit in the Class of 2011 and ranked as the No. 112 player in the country. He enrolled at Auburn in January of 2011 with plans of contending for playing time last season.

Those plans never materialized.

Rose's departure will hurt depth this season, and depth is always a luxury no matter the team. But Rose is the kind of player that had the talent to work his way into a much bigger role for the Tigers this season and later in his career.

Plus, with new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder now on the Plains, every player on the roster essentially had a clean slate this spring.

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