Remember the name: Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante turning heads at fall camp

Published Aug. 11, 2023, 10:16 a.m.
By Ainslie Lee |
Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said it himself — the Tigers’ defense is linebacker-driven. And in a perfect world, he and linebackers coach Josh Aldridge want options at that spot.
“At the same time, I’m not gonna put anyone out there that I don’t think is gonna help us,” Aldridge said. “If we’ve only got four, we’ll play with four. But I think it’ll help us win. I’d like to think we’ll have at least five, hopefully.”
Looking for depth at the position means Aldridge needed to see someone in the linebacker room step up and add competition. He found that in junior Eugene Asante, who returns to The Plains after transferring from North Carolina prior to last season.
As a sophomore last fall, Asante appeared in Auburn’s first four games of the season, but never could fully work his way into the rotation.
“I don’t want to air out anything about Eugene’s personal life, but Eugene had a tough year last year. He had a tough year,” Aldridge said. “I think he’s just cleared his head. They obviously signed him here for a reason, because they thought he was gonna be a great player. He’s just really caught on.”
In Thursday’s media viewing window, Asante was taking reps with what’s believed to be the starting defense. Together, he and Ole Miss transfer Austin Keys make up the Tigers’ pair of inside linebackers.
Coming into fall camp, Asante’s name wasn’t one you heard a lot.
Then again, the linebacker room was a “ball of clay” in the words of Aldridge. It didn’t return much production and, like the rest of the roster, there was no shortage of new faces at the linebacker spot.
And even though Asante is technically a returner, considering there wasn’t much film on him and Aldridge is in his first season at Auburn, little was known about the former 4-star prospect out of Virginia.
It was hard to not take notice of Asante’s energy, Aldridge says, along with the changes he’s made to his body. At 6-foot-1, Asante weighs in at just over 220 pounds — a bump up from his previous weight.
“He’s really what we like at a will linebacker that can cover and do multiple things. He’s not the longest guy, but he’s big enough,” Aldridge said. “He just doesn’t have a bad day in terms of his attitude, ever. He plays the next play when he screws up. I think he’s made those guys around him better. Because Eugene brings it every single day, those guys have no choice but to bring it every single day too. It has been a really good domino effect with Eugene.”