AUBURN, Ala. — Former First-Team All-SEC linebacker Xavier Atkins has been dismissed from Auburn’s football program, according to a report by On3’s Justin Hokanson. Atkins did not play for the Tigers in their upset of No. 1 Georgia on Saturday due to disciplinary issues, and is no longer listed on Auburn’s official roster.
Though Atkins has struggled with off-field issues multiple times this season, the word from within the program at Golesh’s Monday press conference seemed to be calmer than the eventual outcome later that same evening.
“We’re still working through it. I don’t have an update right now,” Golesh said.
Evidently, the issues could not be worked through, resulting in Atkins’ dismissal. The star linebacker had been suspended twice this season due to similar issues, the first instance being the first few drives of Auburn’s Week 2 game against Southern Miss, and the latter being the Tigers’ trip to Athens.
Atkins had recorded 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and an interception through his five games of action for Auburn this season, including three consecutive games with eight or more tackles to end his tenure on The Plains.
The timing of the dismissal will likely be tough for Atkins, as Auburn’s next game is against LSU, the program Atkins transferred away from after not receiving enough playing time in 2024. The post announcing that game has been pinned at the top of Atkins’ X profile with the caption “Say less” since Dec 11, 2025, when the matchup was made public
As for Auburn’s linebacking corps moving forward, the Tigers still have plenty of talent. Elijah Melendez has been a revelation at the position this season, and is coming off an outstanding performance against Georgia in which he racked up nine tackles, a sack, and an interception.
Melendez leads the Tigers in both tackles for loss and total tackles this season, and has been a true weapon for the Auburn defense. Stepping into the linebacker two role will likely be Bryce Deas, a sophomore linebacker with a high athletic ceiling who has played well when on the field this season. Deas is currently fifth on the team in total tackles thus far with 23.
The first test for Auburn’s new linebacker rotation will be the aforementioned LSU game, which is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CDT on ABC. This season has been notoriously unkind to SEC teams coming off big wins, and the Tigers will look to avoid a similar letdown spot on Saturday with a new face at the center of their defense.
