Getting defensive

For a defense to be a feared unit, it must have a calling card, a reputation, a personality to hang its hat on.

Alabama's defense is renowned for having athletes with freakish size and speed combinations at each position. An LSU defense is characterized by superior speed all over the field.

For the past three years Auburn's defensive identity under Ted Roof was a unit that was sloppy, routinely misaligned and missed tackles upon tackles. Though opportunistic, the defense set records--the bad kind of records--during Roof's stint from 2009-11.

That will change in 2012. New defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder will bring back the defense that Auburn fans have yearned for since Will Muschamp's 2006-07 defenses. VanGorder's defensive schemes will mesh better with coach Chizik's mentality than Roof's, and hopefully the unity of philosophies will improve the results on the field.

The main reason to hope for improvement in 2012 will be the lack of departing contributors from the 2011 team. Starting linebacker Eltoro Freeman and starting safety Neiko Thorpe will be the only Tigers absent from the field next year.

In defensive line coach Mike Pelton's first year, Corey Lemonier became the speed rusher every defensive coordinator covets and was voted All-SEC First Team in his sophomore year. Lemonier joins sophomore defensive end Nosa Eguae and sophomore defensive tackles Jeff Whitaker and Ken Carter to give Auburn an experienced front four.

Freshmen Gabe Wright and Angelo Blackson were thrown into the fire this season and give the Tigers four strong options at defensive tackle in 2012.

Junior Dee Ford, sophomore Craig Sanders, redshirt freshmen Justin Delaine and LaDarius Owens and freshman Devaunte Sigler give Auburn as deep a defensive end rotation its had in recent memory.

This will undoubtedly be the main area of improvement next season.

The linebacker core will be more of a wait-and-see approach. Auburn will miss Freeman's reckless abandon when it came to finding whoever was carrying the ball and will instead rely on rising junior Jake Holland to take full command of the defense.

Holland was riddled with various injuries that caused him to give up his starter status to Freeman midway through the season, but Holland's speed at the middle linebacker position is an ideal fit for Chizik's Cover-2 defense.

Juniors Darren Bates and Jonathan Evans will be pushed by youngsters Jawara White, Kris Frost, Chris Landrum and Justin Garrett for playing time.

The secondary also will sport many familiar faces. Junior T'Sharvan Bell is already off his crutches and is on schedule to make a full recovery from the knee injury he suffered against Georgia last November. Chris Davis, defensive MVP of the Chik-fil-A Bowl, will start opposite Bell.

Behind both starters lie younger, but perhaps more talented, players in Jonathan Rose, Robenson Therezie and Jermaine Whitehead.

The experience gained from this season will pay dividends for the Tigers in 2012. Even after being physically dominated this season, the snaps against SEC offenses will turn these highly ranked players' potential into results on the field.

Another advantage VanGorder has is that his defense won't be handcuffed by the frantic pace of a Gus Malzahn offense.

VanGorder will have an abundance of talent at his disposal. We'll just have to see how he uses it.