While playing arguably his best season of football yet last year, Auburn Tigers safety Champ Anthony suffered a gruesome broken leg halfway through the season. Anthony missed the rest of the 2024 season and spent the offseason working hard to return to action for the Tigers this fall.
Unfortunately, Anthony suffered a broken thumb in Auburn's season opener against Baylor, and after the game, it was reported that the safety was expected to be out "indefinitely." According to Auburn Undercover, Anthony underwent surgery earlier this week and the Tigers are hopeful that he will return to action sooner than later.
Head coach Hugh Freeze said Anthony could potentially play before his cast even comes off.
"The procedure went well; he's got a big cast on right now," Freeze said. "Next week, they'll re-evaluate and see. The hope is he'll be able to play in a cast after two weeks. That's the goal."
The Tigers have two weeks until they begin conference play on the road against Oklahoma, and will face Ball State and South Alabama on the Plains before then. In Anthony's absence, former Colorado safety transfer Jahquez Robinson will likely take over the starting role, and true freshmen Eric Winters and Anquon Fegans will serve as backups.
Anthony, who was voted team captain in the offseason, is in his third year with the Tigers after transferring from Tyler Junior College prior to the 2023 season. In his first two years on the Plains he totaled 17 tackles, 12 of which were recorded in the four games he played in the 2024 season before his injury.