Auburn's defensive line could be turning an offseason concern into a major strength. Darrion Smith has already proven he can rush the passer, but Vontrell King-Williams is challenging the sophomore to become an every-down weapon and potentially one of the Tigers' biggest breakout players in 2026.
What seemed like a big concern heading into the spring may be one of the Auburn Tigers biggest strengths, entering week one against the Baylor Bears in Atlanta.
The pass rush.
And Darrion Smith has already proven he can rush the passer for Auburn. Now Vontrell King-Williams wants to see more.
Smith enters his second season with the Tigers after showing flashes as a pass rusher during his freshman year. But instead of allowing Smith to settle into being a situational player, King-Williams recently mentioned that he has challenged him to become something much more valuable for Auburn's defensive line.
"You want to just be a third-down guy, or you want to be an every-down guy?" King-Williams said.
The sophomore seems to be taking the challenge on well, as he has gotten his weight up to around 270 pounds and has spent the offseason becoming more physical against the run.
His teammate, Jourdin Crawford, has also noticed the improvement, pointing out that while Smith has always been a fast and twitchy pass rusher, he's starting to put things together against the run as well.
That's a pretty big development for Auburn. And it also says plenty about their position coach.
King-Williams doesn't have the experience of some of the other coaches on Alex Golesh's staff, but he's quickly becoming one of the more interesting assistant coaches to watch. He became Auburn's defensive line coach in 2024 following one season as an analyst. He began his coaching career at UTSA as a defensive line intern following his playing days.
He has made it clear that his defensive line is young, but there's a lot to like.
Dallas Walker has taken another step as a leader after receiving another year of eligibility. Cody Sigler has brought a competitive mindset that King-Williams believes has made everyone around him better. Buddy Mathis is becoming more comfortable with the playbook after transferring from LSU.
Then there are players such as Crawford and Malik Autry, who Auburn needs to become more consistent, but the upside of those players could turn the room from one of the biggest offseason concerns into one of the strongest in the conference overnight.
King-Williams' goal is eventually to have six, seven, or even eight defensive linemen ready to play, and it appears he is well on his way. Getting Smith to become an every-down player would make that rotation even more dangerous.
And King-Williams told the media that he seems to know exactly how to push him.
Smith is apparently the type of player who responds when someone tells him he can't do something. So King-Williams keeps challenging him.
If he can be trusted as a mainstay in the rotation, Smith could become one of Auburn's biggest breakout players this season.
And it would be another example of why King-Williams is starting to look like a pretty important piece that remained at Auburn following the coaching change. He fits exactly what Alex Golesh is trying to build on The Plains.
