Auburn LB Eugene Asante will return for one more season after contemplating NFL Draft

AUBURN — Eugene Asante, the leading tackler for Auburn football in 2023, seriously contemplated entering the NFL Draft. Instead, Asante plans to return to the Tigers’ football program for one more season.

Asante made the news official on Friday via a social media announcement. Sources also tell Auburn Live that other college programs gauged Asante’s interest in transferring since the season ended.

“We’re not done yet,” he said. “It’s time to handle unfinished business. I will be returning to Auburn for one final season. Auburn family, let’s work!”

Career production: The former North Carolina player who later transferred to Auburn prior to the 2022 season finished with 71 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks this season. Asante will look to build on his career 143 total tackles.

Prospect history: Asante was a 4-star prospect in the 2020 class. The On3 Sports Consensus player rankings placed him No 238 overall, No. 30 linebacker and No. 7 player in Virginia.

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Asante lost his father in early 2022 and struggled through his first season at Auburn under Bryan Harsin and co. Midway through the 2022 season, Asante was relegated to the scout team and seriously thought about transferring. Instead, he remained. The arrival of Hugh Freeze and co. was a a breath of fresh air for the charismatic Asante, who made the phrase “Let’s work!” a popular saying amongst his teammates and Auburn fans alike during fall camp. All Asante did was follow up a fantastic fall camp with a breakthrough season, finishing sixth in the SEC in total tackles.

In August, this is what linebackers coach Josh Aldridge said of Asante:

From the time I got hired, I don’t know that anybody had better energy than he did, maybe on our whole team. He works so hard in the weight room, changed his body. Someone told me he was like 205-ish, he’s over 220 now. He’s what we like in a will linebacker that can cover and do multiple things. He’s big enough. He doesn’t have a bad day in terms of his attitude ever. He plays the next play. He’s made those guys around him better. Because Eugene brings it every single day, those guys have no choice but to bring it every single day. It’s been a good domino effect with Eugene.

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What does Asante returning mean to Auburn?

Eugene Asante came into his own during the 2023 season and his return is a big, big deal. He will join Austin Keys, Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner (assuming Steiner stays until he says otherwise) as experienced veterans slated to return. Larry Nixon III is moving on, as he’s out of eligibility after transferring from North Texas. Asante and a healthy Keys should form one of the SEC’s best duos. Keys finished with 29 tackles in just five full games, playing sparingly in two others. Auburn will now develop who they have, potentially dip into the transfer portal for a linebacker or two, and expect plenty from incoming freshmen Demarcus Riddick, Joseph Phillips and D’Angelo Barber. Impact of Asante’s return? Major.

Hugh Freeze opines on handling the transfer portal

What will Auburn’s roster look like next season? How many players will Freeze and co. sign in the 2024 class? The transfer portal? Freeze still isn’t sure how it will all play out.

“I don’t think there’s any possible way any coach can sit here and tell you how he’s going to come up with his 85. I’d love to sit here and tell you we’re going to build it with high school kids…I’d love to say that, but this week if I have 10 guys walk in and say they’re going to transfer and I haven’t been recruiting enough high school kids, it’s impossible to say that. I have no idea how the makeup of the 85 will look in what we have to replace. Do we have to replace just 22? Do we have to replace 32? None of us know. I think that’s become the biggest challenge for us coaches is how do we even manage the 85.

“It will take you all the way through spring and summer to figure that out because of the way the portal windows are set up. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that this portal window we’re getting ready to have is as long as it is. It makes no sense. We have to go through Christmas worrying about people tampering with players on your team. Either they know they are going or they’re not. Give them December 1 through the 10th, make your decision and move on. This idea of this long portal window, it wasn’t made by anybody having to live it, I can assure you.”

And on the topic of re-recruiting your own roster, how will Freeze handle those conversations?

“Only way I know how to be is totally transparent. Tell them the truth. The truth for some is your chances to play here are probably slim. The truth for others is there’s an element of patience that needs to be involved in your decision. If you could just be patient and not listen to the voices that want immediate gratification or certainly, you have the money aspect that’s involved in all of this now. You should choose the place and the culture and environment that’s going to shape you for the long term, the long haul. I think everything is better when you are in that environment yourself. Some need to have patience and other discussions will be truthful with how we see you fitting into this roster.”