Auburn sophomore Malik Miller and senior Paul James III were both granted medical redshirts allowing for an extra year of eligibility, announced by head coach Gus Malzahn at SEC Media Days on Thursday.
Miller, a tailback hailing from the same high school as Kerryon Johnson, suffered a knee injury in week five of this past season against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks.
James, a 6-foot-3 monster of an outside linebacker, sustained a knee injury in what was called a "freak" accident in the practices leading up to Auburn's showdown with LSU at Jordan-Hare.
Miller remains the favorite to capture the third runningback spot behind veterans Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson. As a freshman for the Tigers, Miller carried the rock 16 times to the tune of 69 yards and a score. Malzahn added that Miller has improved tremendously over the summer.
"Malik is a guy that's gotten bigger and gotten faster," Malzahn said. "It will be some good competition behind our two veteran guys."
With his spring game performance, James cemented himself as a crucial piece to Kevin Steele's defensive line puzzle. James recorded just a trio of tackles in as many games in 2016, however the linebacker dominated on A-Day, recording four tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss.
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