Auburn Football: Defensive Depth Chart Projections – Strong Side Outside Linebacker

Kris Frost

The most talented outside on the Auburn football roster is Kris Frost, and that makes him the prime candidate to step in on the strong side for his senior season.

Frost is athletic enough to drop into zone coverage when necessary (which is less of a responsibility for an SLB than a WLB when facing traditional pro-style teams like LSU, Arkansas and Georgia), but physical enough to play close to the line of scrimmage, work against a tight end and take on blocking backs and pulling guards that try to kick him out on power running plays.

More from Auburn Football

• Ex-star Auburn DL confronts ‘slant man’ in MNF post-game video
• Ex-Auburn star laments not getting to face fellow Heisman candidate
• Analyst expects third-year RB to take AU rushing lead from surprising transfer
• Hugh Freeze was the right hire to truly embrace Auburn
• Auburn football Jack LB: ‘We’ve got to earn our respect back’

He’s also one of the team’s best pass rushers, and most defenses utilize a SAM or SLB on blitzes more than their weak side counterparts.

The 6-foot-2, 234-pound North Carolina native finished third on the team last season with 87 tackles and was second with ten tackles for a loss. Frost tied for the team lead with 3.5 sacks, added an interception, a team-high three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, eight pass breakups and eleven quarterback hurries.

It was a solid overall performance that made Frost a candidate to leave early for the NFL, but he chose to come back for his senior season in 2015, at least in part to play for Muschamp.

“Being able to be coached by Coach Muschamp was definitely one of the biggest factors playing into this,” Frost said in early January. “It just seemed like all the stars were in line for me. I’m on track to graduate this summer, and talking to Coach Muschamp, and talking to him pretty much every day since he’s been back Auburn, he went to great lengths to really help me get all the feedback from NFL scouts.

“He’s showed me how much he knows and his knowledge about previous guys who have left, it seemed like he really cared.”

If it’s the role they want him to play, Frost has a chance to develop into a very good strong side linebacker under Muschamp and new position coach Lance Thompson.

Next: Anthony Swain