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In its 120-plus years of illustrious football history, Auburn has claimed a number of all-time great defensive linemen. Upon being tasked with narrowing the list to just the five best in school history, a number of all-conference performers were cut from contention.
However, the finished product is a collection of five of the best defensive linemen not just in Auburn’s program history, but in the history of SEC football. Take a look at who made the cut and who just missed out on a spot on the list as we run down the five best defensive linemen in Auburn Tigers history:
Also Considered: Antonio Coleman (2006-09), Benny Sivley (1971-73), Dowe Aughtman (1979-83).
5. Reggie Torbor (2000-03): Torbor was quietly one of Auburn’s most impactful defenders of the BCS era, and although he was only recognized as a second-team All-SEC performer once during his career, he still managed to record 120 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks in only 22 career starts. His 9.5 sacks in 2003 rank in the top in Auburn history for a single season, and his career sack total ranks in the top 10 in Tigers’ history as far as career sacks are concerned. He went on to have an eight-year NFL career as a fourth-round draft pick, and was a member of the 2007 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, who upset the unbeaten New England Patriots in a historic showdown.
4. DE Quentin Groves (2004-07): Quentin Groves wasted no time in proving himself to be one of the most talented defensive linemen in Auburn history. As a true freshman in 2004, he logged 7.5 sacks for an undefeated Auburn team that suffered the cruel fate of the BCS in being left outside the national championship game. Nevertheless, he showed he was capable of making an impact on an all-time great team despite no prior collegiate experience, and he would continue to improve from there throughout the rest of his Auburn career. As somewhat of a pass-rushing savant, he logged 8 tackles for loss and 6 sacks as a sophomore despite starting only three games and recording only 21 total tackles. As a junior in 2006 he erupted for 9.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss after starting every game, earning first-team All-SEC honors in the process. He was a first-team All-SEC selection again in 2007 and finished his career tied for Auburn’s all-time lead in sacks recorded. He was also a member of the school’s all-time winningest senior class, which registered 50 victories during Groves’ four years on the plains.
3. DL Zeke Smith (1957-59): Smith starred for Auburn during an era in which no defensive statistics were logged by the NCAA. Without numbers to justify this spot on the list, we’ll just stick to his career accomplishments and accolades, and there are plenty of them to list. He was the star of Auburn’s 1957 national title team and was a two-time All-American during his career, including a consensus All-American in 1958. He became Auburn’s first Outland Trophy winner in ’58 — an award given annually to the nation’s best interior lineman — and the Zeke Smith Award is now given each year to Auburn’s best defensive player from the previous season. Although he’s not in the College Football Hall of Fame (yet) he was Auburn’s most impactful defender to that point in its program’s history, and he played a major role on one of the best Auburn teams of all time.
2. DT Nick Fairley (2009-2010): Fairley transferred to Auburn from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Miss., and only spent two years starring on Auburn’s defense. He started only two games in 2009, but had one of the best individual seasons by a defensive tackle in SEC history in 2010, leading Auburn (along with fellow one-year wonder Cam Newton) to an undefeated record and a BCS national championship. That season he logged 24 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and an interception in addition to 60 tackles from the interior of the defensive line. He won the Lombardi Award — given to the nation’s best defensive lineman or linebacker — and was named a consensus All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Fairley is one of only two Auburn players to ever win the Lombardi Award (the other is coming up next on this list), and he went on to be a top 10 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
1. DT Tracy Rocker (1985-88): Rocker was a USA Today High School All-American when he signed with Auburn prior to the 1985 season, and he not only lived up to that billing as a Tiger, but actually exceeded it. As a standout defensive tackle on the Auburn defense, he earned All-SEC honors three times during his career and All-America honors twice, including consensus All-America honors as a senior in 1988 after he recorded a whopping 100 tackles from his defensive tackle position. That senior season was the best of his college career, as he won the Outland Trophy as well as the Lombardi Award. He became the first SEC player to win those awards in the same season, and 16 years later he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He closed his Auburn career with 21 sacks and 48 tackles for loss.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
