The Auburn Tigers will be without one of its top defensive players when the Tigers face the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday after head coach Alex Golesh announced linebacker Xavier Atkins will not play.
Golesh confirmed Monday that Atkins has been suspended for the game. The coach, however, declined to explain the reason why he was punished.
“We will be without Xavier Atkins this week,” Golesh said. “We’ll revisit it next week when we meet again on Monday here. We’ll keep it in-house in terms of anything beyond that—that’ll be the only piece of it that I will be addressing. He won’t be with us this week for the game on Saturday, won’t be available, and then we’ll revisit early next week when we meet again here.”
With Golesh confirming Auburn will revisit Atkins’ status next week, it’s fair to assume the Georgia absence is the lone confirmed punishment for Atkins at this point.
Atkins has been one of Auburn’s most productive defenders this season. Through five games, he has recorded 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one interception.
The linebacker entered the season with multiple preseason All-America honors and was named to the preseason All-SEC first team after a standout 2025 campaign. Atkins led Auburn last season with 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and he added one interception to that.
This is also not the first time Atkins has faced internal discipline this season. According to AuburnSports, Atkins did not start against Southern Miss because of an internal disciplinary matter.
Per the AuburnSports report, Atkins’ issues have primarily involved being late to or missing mandatory meetings, along with practice habits. Golesh, however, did not confirm any of those details on Monday.
Without Atkins, sophomore Bryce Deas is expected to take on a larger role alongside Elijah Melendez, while De’Marcus Riddick could also see additional snaps.
ALSO SEE: College Football Playoff 12-Team Projections After Week 6
The Tigers face No. 1 Georgia on Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
