Nehemiah Pritchett discusses Auburn's secondary

Originally posted on FanNation Auburn Daily
By Daniel Locke | Last updated 8/27/23

The defensive secondary is expected to be a strong point for the Auburn Tigers this season. Part of the reason why is senior cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett.

Pritchett, a native of Jackson, Alabama, is heading into his third season as a starter for the Tigers. He was voted to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC team which is an honor he does not take lightly.

"It's just a testament to my hard work," Pritchett said. "I just want to thank all the coaches that recognized me. It's just a blessing at the end of the day and I'll continue to work from there."

Pritchett has been with the Tigers through a lot of changes. He has played for three different head coaches and numerous assistant coaches.

Despite that, he never stopped developing his game and continued to improve.

"I think I developed pretty well," Pritchett said. "When I came in I weighed 160 pounds so I've put on a ton of weight. I've been around different coaches so I've wanted to grow mentally each and every day."

Pritchett, acknowledging he is a veteran now, wants to make a difference and play a big role this season.

"Leadership," Pritchett said on what specifically he wants to bring to the team. "We have a lot of younger guys that could play for us so we can be a depth-worthy secondary and I want to help bring those guys a long and lead the way for them."

Ron Roberts is the fourth defensive coordinator that Pritchett has played for as a Tiger, but he has not seen his role change much under the new system.

"He brings the same things that most other defensive coordinators bring in," Pritchett said. "The terminology just changes they call stuff different things. It's just defense at the end of the day so hopefully we can put it all together."

Pritchett and the rest of the Tigers do not have to wait much longer to show what they can accomplish in the first season of the Hugh Freeze era.