Auburn football named Bryce Cain, Byrum Brown, Jeremiah Cobb, Elijah Melendez and Sylvester Smith-Reed captains for Week 2 against Southern Miss. Cain earns the honor after making an impact in multiple roles, while Melendez continues to emerge as a leader.
Bryce Cain has been through plenty already during his Auburn career.
And now he'll be one of the players representing the Auburn Tigers as a captain against Southern Miss.
Auburn announced its five captains for Week 2, with Cain joining Byrum Brown, Jeremiah Cobb, Elijah Melendez and Sylvester Smith-Reed.
But Cain is probably the name that stands out the most.
Cain moved from wide receiver to defensive back during the offseason, and yet Auburn still found a way to use him offensively against Baylor. He picked up a nice gain on an end-around, while also making an impact on special teams in Auburn's 17-16 victory.
Now he's being rewarded with captain status.
And considering Alex Golesh has been pretty clear about what it takes to earn that opportunity, I think that says something about the way Cain is viewed inside Auburn's building.
Golesh decided against naming permanent captains before the season. Instead, Auburn is selecting five players each week based on who has earned the opportunity to represent the team.
Cain apparently did enough in Week 1 to earn that recognition.
Then there's Elijah Melendez.
Melendez was one of Auburn's five captains against Baylor, and he'll have that role again against Southern Miss. In fact, Melendez and Brown are the only two players who have been selected as captains in each of Auburn's first two games.
That's probably not a coincidence.
Melendez finished the Baylor game with 12 tackles, and Golesh revealed afterward that the entire defense cheered when the staff announced Melendez as a captain.
And while Golesh is still challenging the sophomore to become more vocal, it's pretty clear Melendez has already earned the respect of the people around him.
"He works just like Eric [Winters], man, Elijah's a worker. Physically, obviously, he's a complete freak show, but he's a worker. He does it the right way," Golesh said.
Brown being selected for a second consecutive week isn't exactly surprising either. He's Auburn's quarterback and was already one of its most prominent leaders entering the season.
Cobb gets his first opportunity after scoring Auburn's first touchdown against Baylor, while Smith-Reed will represent the defense alongside Melendez.
Auburn's rotating captain system gives Golesh an opportunity to reward different players throughout the season.
After Week 1, Cain earned his first opportunity.
And Melendez continues to show that he might be becoming something closer to a permanent fixture.
