Auburn Football Needs These Cornerbacks to Step Up in 2026

The Auburn Tigers will look to get answers to their secondary beginning this week. 

As fall camp is set to begin for the first year under new head coach Alex Golesh, many position battles are still in full swing with multiple talented players competing for the starting job. 

One may not be any more important than the question marks surrounding the secondary entering the final training sessions before Auburn takes the field in Week 1 against the Baylor Bears in Atlanta. 

The cornerback room and the players fighting for playing time are something that will deserve a close eye on the rest of the month. 

It will be an almost new cornerback room in 2026 when it comes to production. However a few remaining faces will find themselves with very crucial roles under DJ Durkin, who also remains as the Tigers defensive coordinator despite the coaching change. 

Rayshawn Pleasant should see a good amount of reps as one of the starting corners to begin the season despite likely being the team's main returner. Pleasant makes the jump to a potential starter after being a solid depth piece last season for Auburns defense.

He will likely be paired with Andre Jordan Jr., who transferred to Auburn this past offseason from UCLA. Arguably seen as the best defensive back on the roster based on playing experience in the Power Four, Jordan should give the cornerback room a boost heading into the season, and hopefully be able to lock down his side of the field. 

Following that, for the corners, players such as Gavin Jenkins, who Alex Golesh was very vocal about during SEC Media Days, should have a chance to win a starting spot potentially. Golesh believes that Jenkins is an "NFL Caliber player," and based on what we have found out about the new Auburn head coach, he is not one to throw around words without believing in their meaning. 

If this group can provide depth that both Golesh and Durkin can trust, this could open up the Tigers defense to become an even more dominate force then they were a year ago. With an elite linebacker core and a defensive line with believed high upside, trust in the secondary could open up a lot for an aggressive defensive scheme. 

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