Auburn football senior cornerback Jaylin Simpson is making waves this season. 2023 is Simpson’s fifth year on the Plains, but the Brunswick, GA, native has been seeing game action since he was a true freshman in 2019.
After playing in four games his freshman season, Simpson made several starts at the cornerback position in 2020, before playing reserve in 2021. Last season, he was a rotating starter, and this season he has been a key member of the Auburn football defense.
Simpson’s fourth quarter exit against the Georgia Bulldogs two weeks ago due to calf injury really hurt the Tigers, according to head coach Hugh Freeze, who referred to the cornerback as “our best bracket guy.” Freeze also called Simpson an “energy leader” for the team, and his return against LSU will be a major plus for the defense in Baton Rouge.
Over his four years in orange and blue, Simpson has been part of two wins over LSU and two losses, so this final matchup with the Bayou Bengals is important to him, per AL.com:
"“Man, since I been here in 2019, I’m 2-2 (vs.) LSU,” Simpson said. “So this is like a tie break for me. I’m trying to win that tie breaker.”"
Throughout the first five games of this season, Simpson has already intercepted four passes, and he will be looking for more turnovers this weekend, especially with the playmaking receivers he’ll be going up against on the field. However, at the end of the day, the cornerback said he’d rather have a win than another interception.
LSU and Auburn football will kick off from Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge this Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. central time. The Auburn Tigers will be looking for their first SEC win of the season after narrowly losing to the #1 Georgia Bulldogs at home two weekends ago.