AL.com will be previewing each of nine position groups leading up to the start of Auburn's fall camp on July 31. The eighth installment in the series reviews the defensive backs.



Auburn lost two experienced members of its secondary but still returns several key veterans in 2017 as well.

Josh Holsey and Rudy Ford's departures leave openings at field cornerback and Nickel that the Tigers are already prepared to fill with Javaris Davis and Jeremiah Dinson, respectively, with Jamel Dean and Daniel Thomas also in the mix.

Greg Brown will be the fifth position coach in four years for a secondary that saw improvement in some areas last season but still allowed more passing yards than in 2015.

Having three senior safeties to keep the top on the coverage is a big help and Tray Matthews is the leader of the entire defense.

Departed: Josh Holsey, Rudy Ford, T.J. Davis, Marshall Taylor, Marlon Character Jr. (transferring)

Returning starters: Tray Matthews, redshirt-senior; Carlton Davis, junior; Stephen Roberts, senior;

Other returning players: Nick Ruffin, senior; Javaris Davis, redshirt-sophomore; Daniel Thomas, sophomore; Jeremiah Dinson, redshirt-sophomore; John Broussard Jr., sophomore; Michael Sherwood, senior; Jayvaughn Myers, redshirt-freshman; Malcolm Askew, freshman

Summer arrivals: Jordyn Peters, Traivon Leonard, Carlito Gonzalez

Post-spring DB analysis: Nickel | FCB | BCB | FS | BS

Outlook: Starting with leadership, Matthews is the key cog of the defense. He led the Tigers in tackles last season, he's already graduated, there's not much left for him to prove other than team goals.

On the coaching side of leadership, Greg Brown inherits a talented group from Wesley McGriff and while it's yet another change, the system and terminology stays with Kevin Steele as coordinator and that's the most important aspect. Brown has coached three Thorpe Award winners and several members of the Auburn secondary would like to the fourth.

Fall camp position preview: QB | RB | HB/TE | WR | OL | DL | LB | DB | ST

While passing yards allowed increased for Auburn last year, pass efficiency defense improved to its best in Gus Malzahn's tenure and ranked 22nd nationally.

The Tigers managed to do that with Carlton Davis having a sophomore slump, but were boosted by Holsey having the best year of his career.

It'll be up to Javaris Davis and Jamel Dean to raise their level at corner.

At Nickel, Thomas filled in when Ford was hurt late in the season but Dinson appeared to have the edge during spring practice.

Stephen Roberts is also a key returner at safety, where Nick Ruffin and Thomas will be competing for the third spot.

The three freshmen may not see the field too quickly with a veteran bunch ahead of them.

Battle to Watch: Field corner. Dean was in line to start prior to his ACL tear last fall camp and Javaris Davis is coming off a breakout year.

Keep an Eye on: Dinson. He's back after missing the season following his devastating injury in 2015 and was a projected starter to end spring.

Projected two deep:

Nickel:

Jeremiah Dinson (6-foot, 186 pounds)

Daniel Thomas (5-foot-11, 203 pounds)

Field corner:

Javaris Davis (5-foot-10, 186 pounds) OR

Jamel Dean (6-foot-2, 215 pounds)

Boundary corner:

Carlton Davis (6-foot-1, 203 pounds)

John Broussard Jr (5-foot-11, 172 pounds) OR

Jamel Dean (6-foot-2, 215 pounds)

Field safety:

Stephen Roberts (5-foot-11, 189 pounds)

Nick Ruffin (6-foot, 202 pounds) OR

Daniel Thomas (5-foot-11, 203 pounds)

Boundary safety:

Tray Matthews (6-foot-1, 209 pounds)

Nick Ruffin (6-foot, 202 pounds)