Earlier Monday, coach Alex Golesh said linebacker Xavier AtkinsStatus was still undetermined after the All-American linebacker did not play and travel with the team for the 27-24 victory in Athens over the weekend. A source close to the program confirmed Monday evening that he had been fired, ending his time with the Tigers just 5 games into his second year with the program.
A preseason All-American, Atkins was away from the team all of last week following a suspension for undisclosed reasons by Golesh, who said those conversations would remain internal until Atkins’ status is reevaluated after the Georgia game. After things were unclear Monday morning following Auburn’s win over Georgia, things ended late Monday with a layoff.
A former LSU transfer, Atkins was a massive retention for DJ Durkin’s Auburn defense this offseason. He had 84 tackles, an SEC leading 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks last season en route to All-American honors by multiple publications. This year, Atkins has 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in just five games.
Without Atkins, fellow forward Elijah Melendez had nine tackles, a sack, an interception and an assist in the win over Georgia. Bryce Deas replaced Atkins in the starting lineup and made eight tackles while De’Marcus Riddick played a season-high against the Bulldogs.
“Bryce is just a great linebacker, man,” Melendez said. “He’s a great athlete, a great player, a great guy. We made a promise to ourselves: If we have to, we’ll die on this field today. We made a promise to ourselves to play harder than them.”
Auburn returns home this weekend to face No. 18 LSU (11 a.m. CT, ABC).
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