When an unfortunate circumstance happens to a player in football, whether that be through injury or another means, players do not have time to soak around. Simply put, it’s the next man up.
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That situation became a reality for sophomore Bryce Deas just a couple of weeks ago, as he found out his role in the linebacker room would be expanding exponentially.
A few days prior to Auburn’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs, Head Coach Alex Golesh announced that they would be without star linebacker Xavier Atkins that weekend, keeping things “in house” beyond what was said.
It meant that in a sudden move, Deas went from being a true rotational piece for the Tigers defense to being a starter, and while he had gotten a fair amount of snaps in the first five games up to that point, his reps were about to be a lot more plentiful.
So when the day came for Auburn to take on Georgia, many eyes were on Deas. Those eyes widened when the Tigers took down the Bulldogs, a game that Deas had a significant role in.
Defensive Coordinator DJ Durkin said that ever since the role has become more magnified for the sophomore out of St. Frances Academy, he has noticed one big thing with Deas’ play.
“Really big thing is with his eyes,” Durkin said. “He is incredibly gifted. He's athletic, talented, all that it's learning the position of your eyes. When you're playing middle linebacker, like you're in the center at all, and you better look at the right thing. You're going to get out of place really fast. He was not like a linebacker in high school. So his career at linebacker is short, but he's very smart.”
Deas has recorded 31 total tackles for Auburn this season, just more than half of which came in the last two games against Georgia and LSU.
The linebacker says getting those reps with his work in the film room has been paramount in his improvements.
“I think I have been able to see things been able to take the film and use it,” Deas said. “Using my pre-snap keys and just knowing what I’m going to get, situational football. I think that progression and just getting those reps is important and will be a big part of my development.”
Deas has not always been a linebacker though, as he was a talented running back when he was playing high school ball.
That created a lot of challenges for him in transitioning positions, but it has been a fruitful one at that.
“He learned all three of those positions,” Durkin said. “He knows how to play them all, and he now has got his eyes trained up. And the biggest thing I've seen the past couple games is he's where he's supposed to be. He's looking at the right thing. He's fitting runs the right way. He's been really, really solid for us. He's played well.”
Deas himself noted fitting the run as being the biggest challenge for him in the change over, but even through that, he has learned a lot of things from being put on the defensive side of the football.
“That’s being an inside-out, spill type of guy,” Deas said. “It’s pretty natural for me. I have had to learn how to use my hands and just being physical. Coming to college in the SEC, I have to learn to use my hands. I have and it’s worked out pretty well.”
He said that process in improving on fitting the run though has been assisted by his time at running back.
The sophomore can see inside the mind of the ball carrier, having an instinct on where he needs to be and what he needs to do to create a minimal gain.
“No doubt. Knowing when the back is trying to press and bounce out of a gap, for sure,” Deas said.
Deas will get his third consecutive start on Saturday when the Tigers take on Ole Miss in Oxford. That game is set to kick off at 11:45 a.m. CST on the SEC Network.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
