Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 17-16vs Baylor | 5 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 43-8vs Southern Miss | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 7 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
#17
Xavier Atkins
Xavier Atkins led the SEC in tackles for loss and became Auburn's first All-America linebacker since Karlos Dansby in 2003. He turned down the portal to do it again. The disruption is the whole story.
6′0″ · 210 lb · Houston, TX · Summer Creek
CFB Index 94 · #5 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceNational watchReturning to Auburn for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
9
tackles · 2026
2 TFL · 1 sacks
2 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 13 tackles · 4 TFL · 2 sacks -- top 1% tackles for loss game. -- Best game: 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sacks, vs Baylor
Swing playSwung Alabama from 42% to 64% to win.Alabama at Auburn · 27-20
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Xavier Atkins led the SEC in tackles for loss and became Auburn's first All-America linebacker since Karlos Dansby in 2003. He turned down the portal to do it again. The disruption is the whole story.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to LSU in 2024.
- Transferred from LSU to Auburn in 2025.
- Named Preseason All-America in 2026.
In Their Words
395 windows · 2026 fan posts
xavier×74.3melendez×110.1deas×108.3riddick×131.3linebacker×28.1tigers×42.2elijah×24.2demarcus×67.7
“Auburn picked to finish 12th in SEC Media Days preseason poll. Three Tigers voted All-SEC: LB Xavier Atkins (first team), DB Champ Anthony (third team) and K Alex McPherson (third team)”
reddit/wde · fan post, verbatim
The story
Atkins's 2025 put him in rare company: 84 tackles, an SEC-leading 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception -- first-team All-SEC and the first Auburn linebacker named an All-American since Karlos Dansby two decades ago. He's an off-ball backer who rushes like an edge, finishing top-five in the conference in tackles, TFL, and sacks at once. He declined the portal to return as Auburn's defensive centerpiece. The forward stakes are individual hardware and draft stock: with first-round buzz already building, 2026 is the encore that could make him a defensive-player-of-the-year candidate. For a linebacker who lives in the backfield, the ceiling is the best in the country.
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
Atkins is a downhill, backfield-disrupting linebacker -- the kind who blitzes like an edge and finishes like one. The signature numbers are the disruption: an SEC-leading 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks from an off-ball spot, which means he's beating blocks and pressure schemes to the ball constantly. By his own account he's obsessive about technique -- "can you keep doing those same little things" -- and the production reflects a player who wins with timing and effort, not just athleticism. He's a three-down disruptor: a run-stuffer in the box, a pressure threat on passing downs, with the ball production (a forced fumble, an interception) to finish plays. The complete modern linebacker, already most of the way to elite.
Written by our staff.
2024
- Signed with LSU4-star out of Summer Creek
202512 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
- All-SECfirst
2026
- Preseason All-AmericaFirst Team
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥇
ALL-AMERICA
Named All-American (2026)
1 selectors honored him
🥈
ALL-SEC · 1ST TEAM
All-SEC 1st team (2025)
Badges
- Honors Badge
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Auburn
Coaching transition mid-career: Hugh Freeze → Alex Golesh. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024LSU9-4HC: Brian Kelly · Pass-leaning
2025Auburn5-7HC: Hugh Freeze · Run-leaning
2026Auburn2-0HC: Alex Golesh · Run-leaning, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: sacks (87th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (85th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 4.5 TKL/g, 1.0 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Alex Golesh
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
All-Conference 1st team
First team in his league at the position.
our read the All-Conference 1st team honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #5 of 583 FBS linebackers by CFB Index Score.2025 profile
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
94 · #5 of 583 LBs
Former four-star. Now #5 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-SEC
Based on 2025: #2 of 76 SEC LBs
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Selector Grid · 2026
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 17–16
vs Baylor
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Atkins is a downhill, backfield-disrupting linebacker -- the kind who blitzes like an edge and finishes like one. The signature numbers are the disruption: an SEC-leading 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks from an off-ball spot, which means he's beating blocks and pressure schemes to the ball constantly. By his own account he's obsessive about technique -- "can you keep doing those same little things" -- and the production reflects a player who wins with timing and effort, not just athleticism. He's a three-down disruptor: a run-stuffer in the box, a pressure threat on passing downs, with the ball production (a forced fumble, an interception) to finish plays. The complete modern linebacker, already most of the way to elite.
Our classifier reads him the same way: ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
2026 Outlook
Auburn
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Linebacker · Auburn · editorial
Returning around him
- 5 Auburn players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +0 net (39 in / 39 out)
2026 Award watch
- Butkus
Auburn · Last season: 5-7 (AP #22) · Talent rank #18 · 2026 recruiting class #31
DNA match
Player DNA
Sideline-to-Sideline
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Chris Ojoh’s 2021 season.
51%match
Matches Chris on
Tackle volume
Differs from Chris on
Class year (lower)
Solo tackle rate (higher)
Height (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Harold Perkins's sophomore season at LSU (2023).
62%match
All-SEC
Matches Harold on
Tackle volume
Sack rate
Differs from Harold on
Class year (lower)
Solo tackle rate (higher)
PD rate (lower)
The linebacker corps · Auburn
- #17Xavier Atkins84 tackles · 2025
- #9Elijah Melendez30 tackles · 2025
- #6Demarcus Riddick13 tackles · 2025
- #16Bryce Deas12 tackles · 2025
- #42Coleman Granberry2 tackles · 2025
5 more on the roster · Auburn team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology