Auburn football's defensive coordinator DJ Durkin feels the development of a pair of sophomore defensive linemen will be critical for the Tigers.
Jourdin Crawford and Malik Autry returned to Auburn after their freshman seasons. Both played in nine games last season, with Autry finishing the season with eight tackles and Crawford wrapping up the year with two tackles.
Durkin likes how both defensive linemen are progressing ahead of the 2026 college football season.
"The life and transformation of any football player is typically like, you start out in a role, whatever that role is, it usually progresses and grows as you go along," Durkin said. "And so certainly with those guys, we're counting on that. We think they're very talented players. What we have seen as a coaching staff in them is maturity of that. I think they understand and they're grasping that new role of, okay, I was a, you know, maybe situational rotational guy that goes in and gets some snaps, to where now I'm being counted on to, you know, be the lead guy, whether it's a starter or play a much bigger role in the game in terms of amount of snaps. And they're embracing it and doing well and all the things you'd like to see in them."
Crawford and Autry both signed with the Tigers as members of the 2025 recruiting class. Both defensive linemen are Alabama natives. Autry graduated from Opelika High School in Opelika, Alabama, and Crawford graduated from Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama.
