Auburn dismisses linebacker Xavier Atkins after Georgia game suspension

Auburn dismissed linebacker Xavier Atkins from its football team on Monday night, October 19, after suspending him for Saturday’s win over Georgia, ESPN reported, citing sources. The decision ends uncertainty over a player who had started four games for the Tigers this season. The reason for his suspension and dismissal has not been disclosed.

Atkins missed Auburn’s 27-24 upset of then-No. 1 Georgia. Earlier Monday, coach Alex Golesh told reporters Auburn was ‘still working through it,’ according to ESPN. ESPN later reported the dismissal; it attributed that development to unnamed sources rather than an on-record announcement from Auburn.

What Golesh said about Atkins’s suspension

The win over Georgia was Auburn’s first against a team ranked No. 1 this season. Atkins’s absence during that result gave the Tigers a game without one of their leading defenders; the reported dismissal extends that absence beyond a single matchup.

Xavier Atkins’s Auburn record

Auburn’s official 2025 roster lists Atkins as a sophomore linebacker whose previous school was LSU. ESPN reported that he remained with the Tigers through the coaching change from Hugh Freeze to Golesh. His production in 2025 made him one of Auburn’s leading returning players entering this season.

Atkins recorded 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2025, according to Auburn’s roster. He earned first-team All-SEC honors, and ESPN reported that his 17 tackles for loss led the conference. The conference’s coaches selected him for their preseason All-SEC team for 2026.

In four starts this season, Atkins had 37 tackles, three sacks and an interception, ESPN reported. Those figures show the contribution Auburn would lose if the reported dismissal stands. ESPN also identified him as a third-year player eligible for the NFL draft if he chooses to leave school.