The Auburn Tigers will be without a key defensive piece for the rest of the 2026 season, as junior linebacker Xavier Atkins was dismissed from the program on Monday night, according to Pete Thamel. This dismissal follows Atkins’ suspension for the Tigers’ upset win over Georgia. 

The most recent Atkins-related statement shared by the program came from head coach Alex Golesh in his press conference earlier that day, when asked about Atkins’ status.

“We're still working through it,” Golesh said. “We're continuing to work through it. I don't have an update right now.”

Atkins has been a key part of Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s defense for two seasons, emerging last season as a sophomore after transferring to the Tigers from LSU. In his first season with the Tigers, Atkins led the team in tackles, solo tackles, sacks and forced fumbles, while leading the SEC in tackles for loss.

For his efforts in the 2025 season, Atkins earned a host of awards, including Second Team All-America honors, First Team All-SEC honors, a nod as a Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalist, a nod as Monday Morning QB Birmingham Club’s SEC Most Valuable Lineman and a SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Tigers’ matchup with Arkansas.

This season, Atkins ranked second on the team in solo tackles with 26, second in assists with 11, second in total tackles with 37 and second in sacks with three. His absence will surely be felt in the Tigers’ defense, but it will have to be a ‘next man up’ mentality for the Tigers, who have a few solid linebacker options to turn to in Atkins’ absence. 

The leading option for the Tigers is breakout sophomore Elijah Melendez, who has been having a stellar year for the Tigers so far. Melendez currently leads the team in total tackles with 52, solo tackles with 35, assists with 17, sacks with four, and pass deflections with five. 

As mentioned, Atkins was suspended from the team during the Georgia game, and Melendez stepped up in his stead, leading the team in total tackles, sacking Gunner Stockton and intercepting a pass in the Tigers’ 27-24 upset over the No. 1 team.

The Tigers, now without Atkins, will take on the LSU Tigers this weekend in a matchup that is scheduled to kick off at 11:00 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN.

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