Auburn Football: Daren Bates Moves From Safety To Linebacker

As a true freshman, Daren Bates shined at free safety for the Auburn Tiger defense but in 2010, he will have a whole new set of responsibilities. On Tuesday, Auburn released its first depth chart in eight months and to the surprise of many, Daren Bates has been named as the starting outside linebacker.

With the return of Zac Etheridge and Aairon Savage to the Auburn defensive backfield, the decision was not all that difficult for Auburn coaches to make. Savage has missed the last two seasons with Achilles' and knee injuries and was fortunate enough to be given an additional year of playing eligibility. Etheridge suffered a neck injury last season but made a surprisingly quick recovery to rejoin the team for 2010.

Had Tommy Tuberville remained the coach at Auburn University, it is very unlikely that Daren Bates would have become an Auburn Tiger. Bates was all set to go to Arkansas State before Chizik and his staff of coaches came calling and ironically, he would have been preparing for a game against Auburn on September 4th. Instead, Bates is preparing for his first game at his new position and it will be against old friends.

"Most of my friends were going there (Arkansas State)," he said. "I knew a bunch of them and played against them in high school."

After playing one season at free safety, Bates admits that he still has safety tendencies; however, veteran linebackers Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens will surely be there to offer assistance whenever needed.

"Anytime I have a question, I know I can ask Josh. Craig is the same way," Bates said. "Anytime I have a question, they have an answer, and it's the right answer, so I know I can depend on them."

Daren Bates freely admits that he is trying to remain disciplined at his new linebacker position. The responsibilities will now be different for this second year starter as he will primarily look to stop the run.

Bates said, "That's the first thing that's different from safety. It was pass first; now I've got to be a run-stopper."

In 2010, Auburn's defense will rely heavily on its linebacker corps. Look for Daren Bates to be a key factor throughout the season for the Auburn Tigers.