National analysts still appear hesitant to buy into Auburn despite the Tigers’ roster overhaul under Alex Golesh. While linebacker Xavier Atkins earned top-20 recognition in On3’s player rankings, stars like Byrum Brown and Jeremiah Cobb were left out despite elite production entering 2026 season.
Even with the massive change this offseason, the Auburn Tigers still have a national perception problem.
On Thursday, On3 released their top 100 players entering the 2026 season, and only one player from the Auburn Tigers was mentioned.
Tigers star linebacker Xavier Atkins landed at number 19 on the list. By no surprise, was Atkins seen as one of the best players in college football entering the season? The issue wasn't Xavier Atkins making the list. It was who didn't.
Atkins is an all-American product, the centerpiece of the Auburn Tigers' defense, and will likely find himself being selected as early as the first round in next year's NFL draft. The conversation about these rankings centers on who was missing from the list.
The rankings completely ignored Byrum Brown's past resume. The incoming transfer for the Tigers had an excellent season last year at USF, passing for over 3,000 yards and rushing for 1,000 yards himself, something not many players have ever done in the history of the game. And yet, the dual-threat quarterback who looks to take the next step in his game inside the SEC was nowhere to be found in the rankings.
Some of the quarterbacks that were listed were question marks themselves. If one of the biggest arguments for keeping Brown off the list was his step up in competition and arrival at a new team, the Auburn bias clearly took precedence. New LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt came in at number eight on the list, the top quarterback in the rankings. Leavitt, who had a somewhat decent career at Arizona State before transferring to Lane Kiffin's new squad, had nowhere near the past production that Byrum Brown has had in the college ranks.
There is also an argument that running back Jeremiah Cobb could be seen as a snub to this year's top 100 rankings. Last year, Cobb finished second in the SEC as a rusher, only behind Missouri's Ahmad Hardy. He nearly rushed for 1,000 yards. He had three games against SEC opponents rushing for over 100 yards and yet was nowhere to be seen. Hardy was ranked as one of the top running backs on the list, and if he's ranked, Cobb should at least be discussed.
It's clear that national evaluators still undervalue Auburn's roster, and that's probably something that's going to continue the rest of this offseason. Truthfully, until Alex Golesh proves that he can win on the Plains
