Freshmen battling in AU secondary

AUBURN — Even before his first practice as an Auburn Tiger, D’Antoine Hood smelled opportunity.

The freshman cornerback, a former star at Central, knew Auburn’s depth chart. He knew the Tigers needed help in the defensive backfield, where they returned just four experienced players.

And from the start of preseason practice, Hood has done his best to take advantage of that opportunity. Head coach Tommy Tuberville and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads both singled him out for praise in the early days of the preseason.

When junior Aairon Savage went down with a season-ending knee injury early in the preseason, the Tigers’ need in the secondary became even more acute. Since then, injuries have multiplied in the defensive backfield, with freshmen Marcus Jemison and Harry Adams sidelined indefinitely by injuries.

And Hood’s opportunity?

“It gets bigger every day,” he said.

“The better I play in practice, the more plays I make, my opportunities get better and better. Basically, I’ve got to stay on top of my game.”

Auburn currently has 10 healthy scholarship defensive backs.

Four — Hood and Neiko Thorpe at cornerback and safeties Drew Cole and Christian Thompson — are true freshmen. Another, sophomore Ryan Williams, played in just six games last season and has practiced sparingly in the preseason because of what Tuberville has implied are academic issues.

Junior cornerback Walter McFadden likes the freshmen’s potential.

“They’re a special class,” he said. “When it’s their time to be juniors and seniors, they’re going to be special.”

But can they help right away?

“They’re going to have to,” McFadden said.

Tuberville isn’t concerned with the idea of playing rookies in the secondary.

“They’re not freshmen after a few games,” he said. “If they have got enough ability to be here and to get a scholarship, then they can play.”

Starting cornerback Jerraud Powers, Auburn’s most experienced defensive back, isn’t worried about many freshmen end up in the rotation when AU opens the season Aug. 30 against Louisiana-Monroe. He’s determined that the defensive backfield won’t be the weakness many observers perceive it to be, no matter how many rookies play this year.

Asked if Monday if the secondary was a “question mark,” he didn’t hesitate.

“We’re not going to be a question mark,” Powers said. “We’re going to be ready to go on Aug. 30. We’ll be ready to go, all of us.”