Auburn DC Ron Roberts’ all-in demand for his defense
Auburn football defensive coordinator Ron Roberts has an all-in demand from his entire defense: having 25 guys that are prepared to step in at a moment’s notice and not have the unit miss a single beat.
“While Faulk may not be one of them yet, Roberts said in spring practices that he wants around 25 guys on the defense ready to contribute at a moment’s call,” AL.com’s Matt Cohen prefaced before saying, “Eventually, Roberts will have the options he wants, but right now, Roberts said that number is closer to 15 or 16.” Roberts believes that within the first month, his goal could be achieved.
“We’ve got a ways to go, but we’ve got the time to do it,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if it’ll be by game one, but hopefully it’s by game two, three, four, somewhere in there, we’ll get to that mark where we’ve got guys that can play the game and we’re not losing anything.”
Auburn football looking to get 4-star freshman DL on the field ‘quickly’
Keldric Faulk, one of Hugh Freeze’s early recruiting flips on a trail he has exquisitely blazed, could be hot-shotted to a bigger role in the Auburn football defense according to Cohen — who believes the program could work to get the 4-star freshman DL on the field “quickly.”
“Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts called the SEC ‘a man’s conference’ during his first press conference of the preseason — a distinction that says a lot already about how he’s used Keldric Faulk, the highest-rated recruit of Auburn’s freshman class,” Cohen prefaced before saying, “Faulk doesn’t look like a freshman. He’s listed at 6-foot-6, 288 pounds on Auburn’s roster. He looks ready-built for the SEC, and Auburn is looking for ways to get him on the field quickly.”
As veteran upperclassman DL Marcus Harris put it, Faulk is doing the things necessary to get those reps; mainly, not just trying to figure things out on the fly but rather learning how to do things the right way.
“He’s just a raw talent,” Harris said. “He’s just learning how to play within the defense. That’s a big thing he did during the offseason. He learned how to fit into the defense and not just freelance.”