Filling Nickel, Dime spots

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Auburn Football

How Auburn is filling Nickel, Dime spots in reloading secondary

Updated 12:31 PM; Posted 12:27 PM

Auburn defensive back Jordyn Peters (15) tackles Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) during the second half against Ole Miss Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala.(Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

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By James Crepea

jcrepea@al.com

The biggest holes Auburn has to fill in the secondary in the secondary this offseason aren't the voids left by the departures of Carlton Davis, Tray Matthews and Stephen Roberts, but at the Nickel and Dime positions.

To be sure, the losses of a top corner and two starting safeties are significant but Auburn had the depth and experience to reload the top of its depth chart.

The Tigers have plenty of experienced options at Nickel and Dime, which were played by new starting safeties Jeremiah Dinson and Daniel Thomas and cornerbacks Javaris Davis and Jordyn Peters last season, but all of those players are projected in starting spots.

"What really helped us is the three young freshmen in (Christian) Tutt, (Jamien) Sherwood and (Quindarious) Monday coming in and picking things up very quickly," defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said. "It allows us to really move the checkerboard around, if you will, almost -- I don't want to say daily, but each week we've kind of configured it a little different ways almost like we had an injury and move guys certain places. So we've got some depth created there."

Those three early enrollees and the move of Noah Igbinoghene from receiver to defense creates the flexibility Auburn needs to play its best defensive backs against three and four receiver sets.

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The Peach Bowl was a reminder of how thin things started to get in the secondary. Carlton Davis didn't play, leaving Javaris Davis and Jamel Dean at corner, Jeremiah Dinson got hurt and so did Jordyn Peters, which made Nickel difficult and Dime almost impossible to fill late in the game.

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Peters is projected to take over as the starting Nickel and if need be, Javaris Davis can move inside and Auburn can call upon Tutt or Igbinoghene to play outside.

"Peters fits really well at the Star," Dinson said. "He can play safety as well. He's kinda one of the players we put in different positions. He was playing corner in the bowl week and he's a really good player, good speed, long. He'll be good in the Star position."

Steele said the defense just began working on Dime this week in spring practice and Dinson, who is first in line at the position, was out Tuesday with the flu. Thomas, who burst on the scene at Nickel in the 2016 Iron Bowl and Sugar Bowl, filled in at Dime on Tuesday with Sherwood and Monday at deep safety. On Thursday, Dinson was at Dime and Thomas was at deep safety with one of the freshmen.

The stability of being in the same defense for three years is helping more experienced players like Dinson learn and feel comfortable at multiple positions.

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"Knowing the defense in and out is really good," he said. "You can be a versatile player; you can play Nickel, play corner, play Money and play safety. That's what I'm doing right now and that's good."

James Crepea is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JamesCrepea.