Michael Sherwood

[aubiefifty 16,746]

Auburn defensive back Michael Sherwood could have another productive A-Day

James Crepea | jcrepea@al.com

Michael Sherwood has seen a lot of action on A-Day before.

For all the attention paid to the first-team and returning stars, spring games are also a showcase for those lower on the depth chart.

With Auburn's depth at safety stretched thin, Sherwood should see plenty of time with the second-team defense on Saturday (1 p.m. CT, SEC Network) and may even get some reps with the top squad late in the action if Tray Matthews or Stephen Roberts come out early.

A former walk-on, "Dirty Mike" Sherwood is the utility player for Auburn's defense and one of the team's most colorful personalities.

"He's a fun guy, he comes to practice every day and gives you everything he's got," defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said. "He's a tough guy. He knows what he's doing; he knows how to play corner, he knows how to play safety, he knows how to play star, he knows how to play money (nickel) and he's a problem solver.

"He's going to tell you what to do even if he doesn't know what to do, so he gets everybody on the same page. That's not a bad thing sometimes. If you get everybody on the same page at least you can play the down out. He's kind of a coach on the field. It's fun to have a guy that you can just grab him if something happens if someone tweaks an ankle, 'Dirty go play this, go play that.'"

 

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Sherwood has played alongside Nick Ruffin as a second-team safety for most of the spring but has also taken reps at nickel and corner, usually when injuries happened.

Want evidence of Sherwood's toughness and willingness to take on a brutal challenge? Look no further than A-Day 2015, when the then walk-on was matched up on an island with D'haquille Williams for as long as the former wide receiver was on the field. Sherwood made a game-high seven tackles that day as Williams was regularly targeted in the mismatch but he didn't shy away from it and his teammates love his tenacity.

"He'll play to the best of his abilities," Ruffin said. "He might not always get it done, but he knows every position, which is a luxury for us. Heaven forbid, one of us has some sort of issue, then we know for a fact Dirty can always come in and he'll play well for us."

Steele said Sherwood, a senior, is a valuable player during the season because of his versatility. When the Tigers are on the road and have to pick who makes the travel roster, a veteran backup who can play at least five positions and special teams is a great commodity.

"Mike has done a great job," secondary coach Greg Brown said. "He's smart, he's intelligent, he works at it. He's kind of our jack of all trades."

Still, it would take a lot for Sherwood, who had three tackles in each of the past two seasons, to sees significant action during the season.

Until then, he's got one more chance to shine on A-Day.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I hope Sherwood has a productive season.

[bigbird 60,461]

1 hour ago, auburn4ever said:

I hope Sherwood has a productive season.