Auburn football names five captains for its SEC matchup against undefeated Vanderbilt at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Byrum Brown, Elijah Melendez, Cole Best, Cody Sigler and Sylvester Smith-Reed will lead Alex Golesh's Tigers as they look to rebound from their loss to Florida.
The Auburn Tigers will look to bounce back after their SEC-opening loss this past Saturday against the Florida Gators.
The team will host the Vanderbilt Commodores at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday with a 3:15 pm Central kickoff. Vanderbilt enters the Plains undefeated after a last-minute victory over NC State.
As the Auburn Tigers look for their first SEC win, they also look to add more consistency to their program under new head coach Alex Golesh. With that, the five captains that were named for the game Saturday have all held the honor at least one other time so far this season.
Byrum Brown, quarterback.
For the fourth straight week, Alex Golesh has chosen his quarterback to lead his team as a captain. This should come as no surprise, as Byrum Brown has been seen as a leader this entire offseason since arriving from South Florida in the transfer portal.
Byrum Brown didn't have the best game last week in their loss against Florida, but still managed to put 39 points on the board for the Tigers.
Cole Best, center
Best being added as a captain this week is a message for the rest of the offensive line.
After allowing seven sacks in the loss against the Gators, the team needs a confidence boost, especially in the pass protection department, to ensure a victory over Vanderbilt and to not let this season fall apart before the halfway mark.
Best has been seen as a leader on this squad since. Also heading to Auburn from USF, and this could be a message from Golesh to his players that he believes in his offensive line.
Elijah Melendez, linebacker.
The sophomore linebacker is once again a captain for the fourth straight week and has become the "quarterback of the defense."
Melendez has been the most consistent and dominant defender throughout all games this season for the Auburn Tigers and is well on his way to raising his stock for potential All-American candidacy, as well as his future when it comes to playing on Sundays.
Cody Sigler, defensive lineman.
The Auburn defensive lineman gets the call as captain for the second straight week and will look to boost the defensive line after allowing over 250 yards rushing by the Florida Gators.
Under DJ Durkin, defensive coordinator for Auburn, only two running backs have rushed for over 100 yards in his tenure on the Plains, one coming last week when Jadan Baugh rushed for 162. Adding Sigler as captain could be another sign of Golesh's confidence that the team can improve and get better for this game against Vanderbilt.
Sylvester Smith-Reed, defensive back.
The Auburn safety will get his second crack at becoming a captain this season.
The team is looking for leadership in the backfield of the defensive room as it tries to overcome 24 missed tackles in Saturday's loss to the Florida Gators.
A win Saturday will snap a two-game winning streak for Vanderbilt against the Tigers and bring the all-time series back to .500. Auburn is looking for the first win against the Commodores at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2016.
