Former Auburn star RB no longer supporting the Tigers is beyond disappointing

Former Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson held somewhat of an impromptu AMA on his X account this week, and it left some Tigers fans a little sad and confused.

Johnson, who is the current running backs coach for East Tennessee State, was asked if he was proud to be an Auburn Tiger, and he gave a response that would not be considered a full endorsement. 

Naturally, the response was typical of what we've come to expect from the social media platform. There were either trolls suggesting he was regretful for not going to another school or fans that took his comments as a personal attack and responded as such. 

Without much context, it's hard to know where Johnson is coming from. He didn't get into many details other than to say that it had nothing to do with the coaches that he played under, and he sees them annually.

Not all of Johnson's interactions with his followers were volatile. Some of them asked about the loudest stadiums he experienced back in college and his favorite places to eat while he was in Detroit.

Johnson rushed for 2,494 yards and 32 touchdowns over three seasons. He was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 when he rushed for 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns for a Tigers team that won 10 games and reached the SEC Championship Game.

He was drafted in the second round (43rd overall) by the Lions and was a big part of the Lions backfield in his first two seasons. Johnson spent three seasons total with the Lions before he was waived. He spent time on the practice squad with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers and was out of the league in 2021. 

Johnson began his coaching career in 2023 with the University of North Alabama and was hired as running backs coach at ETSU in March.

​There's no need to speculate on what Johnson's disconnect is with Auburn. It's not likely we'll ever know unless he just decides to tell us. So, it's easier to remember the good times, like a 26-14 win over then-No. 1 Alabama.