Preseason camp is coming to a close as Friday was the final media availability for the press to get quotes from coaches and players on their thoughts from the two-and-a-half week period.
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The Auburn Tigers now get ready to go into a mock game week next week, with just a few more days until the kick of their 2026 season against the Baylor Bears
It’s another day of revealing Auburn Undercover’s top 20 impact players watch list, detailing players who our staff believes will have the biggest effect on the field this season.
As a disclaimer, the poll was tabulated by rankings sent in from four people on the Auburn Undercover staff—Tyler Raley, Ryan Bartow, Caleb Jones and Jay Douglas. The rankings each person sent in were averaged, with the lowest score going at the top of the list.
The No. 16 spot is being filled by a versatile secondary athlete that has received high praise in some areas during preseason camp. It’s why Eric Winters could be a vital piece to the defensive success of the Tigers.
General information:
Year: Sophomore
Position: Safety
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 215 pounds
Hometown: Enterprise, Alabama
Performance in 2025:
Winters played in all 12 games in 2025 as a true freshman and recorded one start at the safety position, making his mark early on in the orange and blue.
In his outings, Winters put up 33 total tackles with two tackles for loss, one sack and one pass breakup. He recorded multiple tackles in every game except the 10-3 loss to Kentucky at the beginning of November.
The Enterprise native’s most productive game in terms of tackling came in the 31-15 victory over South Alabama, when he notched five tackles. His one sack came in a 16-10 loss on the road against Texas A&M.
Winters’ tackle total placed him sixth on Auburn’s defense and second-highest in the safety room, only behind Kaleb Harris, who also returns to the defense. However, he did lead all freshmen.
Winters is one of three sophomores in the safety room for the Tigers, in addition to AnQuon Fegans and Cade Carlson.
Preseason camp intel:
Despite being just a sophomore, Winters is already beginning to take the role of a veteran leader among the secondary, even in a room where there has not been too much separation.
Early on in preseason camp, safeties coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks complimented Winters’ willingness to step up and always be better, even with his bigger size for his position.
“(Eric) is starting to be a little more vocal,” Banks said. “He’s a big kid. He’ll be one of the bigger safeties in the country and he’s playing that way.”
Being of bigger size at 6-foot, 215 pounds gives him an advantage in matchups, allowing him to size and patrol the deep part of the field well if a ball goes up.
Banks notices that, and especially notices the physicality that has gone up with him.
“He’s playing with some violence,” Banks said. “A slot blocking him should be a mismatch for us, and you’re starting to see that. I’m excited for him.”
His effort has also been recognized by Fegans, who Winters shares a tight bond with and gets to work with on a daily basis at practice.
“He’s very smart, physical, big, a guy that can make crazy plays and he comes up and shows up to work every day,” Fegans said.
Winters will now look to capitalize on those qualities and put up a stellar sophomore season in a secondary that has been touted for its versatility and depth.
Impacting Auburn ranking
No. 16 - Eric Winters
No. 17 - AnQuon Fegans
No. 18 - Omar Mabson II
No. 19 - Jake Johnson
No. 20 - Sylvester Smith-Reed
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Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
