After an eventful week for Auburn football, the program is now back on track and the Tigers are locked in on preparing for the 2022 season. Now that there is clarity as to who will be the head coach–surprise! It’s still Bryan Harsin!— the team is back to focusing on work, hard work.
The Auburn Strength Twitter account announced the Iron Men of Week 4 this morning, a weekly award that goes to one offensive player and one defensive player to recognize their hard work and applaud them for raising the bar in the offseason.
Last week, the Iron Men were running back Jarquez Hunter and defensive lineman Marcus Harris. This week, the honors go to graduate transfer EDGE Eku Leota and sophomore tight end Luke Deal:
Week 4 Iron Man of the Week goes to @ekuleota and @lukedeal86 . Both dominated the training program and raised the level of competition! #TEAM #WDE 💪🦅 pic.twitter.com/tRaEfn3aF7
— Auburn Strength (@AU_Strength) February 13, 2022
Eku Leota transferred to Auburn football from Northwestern last season and quickly made an impact for the Tigers on the field. In 2021 he racked up 23 total tackles and a whopping 10 tackles for loss in addition to seven sacks, one forced fumble, and six quarterback hurries. Leota first saw game action versus Akron, but earned his first start versus LSU.
The offensive Iron Man of the Week is sophomore tight end Luke Deal, who redshirted after only playing three games as a true freshman in 2019. He earned his first career start in 2020 versus Arkansas and spent 2021 as a reserve tight end while also playing a role on special teams. Deal recorded nine receptions for 65 yards and one touchdown last season and served as a game captain for both the Georgia State and South Carolina games.
Both athletes were key pieces on the roster last season and will continue to make an impact for Auburn football in 2022.