Three weeks ago, true freshman Shadarius Toodle was on the practice squad.
Saturday afternoon, he was the best player on defense for Auburn in his first college game. Toodle totaled 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in the 26-23 victory over Arkansas.
“For a guy that was on the practice squad three weeks ago, we intentionally moved him so that we felt like he was getting close to ready at this point,” said head coach Alex Golesh. “For him to go have the game that he did, man — three sacks, TFLs all over the place. Did not look like a freshman. Maybe waited too long to play him, but sometimes, that's how it shakes.”
Toodle’s debut originated from injuries to the Tigers’ linebacker room, which lost Bryce Deas this week to a season-ending injury. De’Marcus Riddick started in his place, and after Riddick tweaked his ankle early in the game, Toodle had his number called.
“It was amazing,” Toodle said. “Blessed to be on the field. Blessed that the coaches believed in me to go out on the field and perform.”
With his three sacks, Toodle became the sixth Auburn player to record three sacks in a game since 1995, and the first freshman to accomplish the feat. It began in practice for Toodle, who kept his head down and did the work.
“I knew I needed to work on things,” Toodle said. “Just believing and trusting in my coaches that they were going to get me right and develop me.”
Toodle came to Auburn from Mobile, Ala., where he played high school football for Cottage Hill Christian Academy. Making the jump from Class 1-A high school football to the SEC can be a challenge, but for Toodle, he attacked it head on.
“Just coming in every day and putting my head down and working,” Toodle said. “Earning the trust of the coaches by coming in every day and following the leaders like Elijah (Melendez). He’s one of the best players in the country. Just coming to work and following him.”
His time on the scout team impressed veteran starting offensive lineman Cole Best, who started going against Toodle in the regular season.
“From a scout team perspective, surprising as a freshman,” Best said. “It wasn't really until we got to the regular season that I went against that guy. He's a guy that doesn't play like a freshman. To see him go do what he did today, I was fired up for him. I told him, I think in the third quarter, I said, ‘Dude, you're playing out of your mind in the best way possible, keep swinging.”
As Toodle continued to make plays, so did the Auburn defense as a whole. And with it, the crowd of Jordan Hare Stadium did, too.
“It felt great hearing the crowd get loud on third downs,” Toodle said. “Just messing with the offense and messing with the quarterback.”
Auburn’s defense tallied six sacks and 12 tackles for loss as a unit, their best performance this season in both categories. It led to their third SEC win of the year, as the Tigers are now one win away from bowl eligibility.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
