Auburn football's freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle had a debut one could only dream of against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Toodle was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after he had 11 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks against the Razorbacks. The freshman was thrust into the game after De'Marcus Riddick went down with an injury against Arkansas, and he more than made his presence felt.
“That was, obviously, an incredible performance with the circumstances of it," Auburn's defensive coordinator DJ Durkin said. "Those were his first snaps all year. Really, credit to him and his preparation. He does a great job of that every week, then especially this week knowing there was a chance he was going to get some snaps, so I think he cranked it up a little bit. He's such a unique personality. Going into the game, he is just a quiet guy. I went to him several times like, 'Hey man, make sure you're good,' and all that, and you just get a response back like, 'Yeah, I’m fine.' Nothing really, and then he goes out and plays that way. It's just exciting to see. It was really cool if you watch his teammates how excited they were for him, too. He's a great teammate, great in our room, and, obviously, we are very, very proud of him.”
Toodle's breakout performance came at a great time for Auburn. The Tigers are banged up at the linebacker position and are suddenly really thin at the off-the-ball spot.
The Alabama native now has an opportunity to end his freshman season very strong with a likely expanded role.
