Five best Auburn Tigers to wear No. 23 since 2000

To the long-time Auburn fans, I ask for your forgiveness…

My wheelhouse with Auburn football is from the year 2000 until now. Looking through every Auburn Tiger to don the number 23, these were the five best since the year 2000 in my opinion–and quite frankly, my favorites to showcase the number in orange and blue.

I am solely looking at each player’s time at Auburn, not their NFL careers. What did they do while wearing the number 23 jersey?

I’d like for you to educate me on the best players to wear the number 23 in Auburn history. Or, at least, who were your favorites?

This number has been a strong one for the Tigers since 2000…

No. 1 – Ronnie Brown (2000-2004)

Easy pick. My mind immediately goes to the great Ronnie Brown when I think about the No. 23 at Auburn. He took over the running back job in 2002 and went for 1,000 yards and led the SEC with 13 rushing touchdowns. No big deal. Then, of course, he contributed 913 rushing yards, 313 receiving yards, and 9 touchdowns in Auburn’s undefeated 2004 season. Brown had so many highlight runs. He could pretty much do everything, he was big, fast, and powerful. He’s one of the best running backs in a proud history of Auburn running backs.

CAREER STATS:
48 games
513 rushes
2,707 yards
29 touchdowns
58 catches
668 receiving yards
2 receiving touchdowns

No. 2 – Kenny Irons (2005-2006)

Kenny Irons put on the No. 23 jersey right after Ronnie Brown took off to the NFL via the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Irons, after sitting out a year from transferring from South Carolina, hit the ground running. In 2005, Irons led the SEC with 1,293 yards and 13 touchdowns. His production went down some in 2006 as he shared carries, but still nearly got another 1,000 yards. Irons was tough, his legs never stopped churning, and he would make something out of nothing consistently. He was a stud.

CAREER STATS:
23 games
454 rushes
2,186 yards
17 touchdowns
24 catches
242 receiving yards
1 receiving touchdown

No. 3 – Roger McCreary (2018-2021)

Lockdown corner. McCreary was one of the best coverage players I have seen at Auburn in my lifetime. The hype started when he intercepted Joe Burrow in the 2019 LSU game. He was a key player or Auburn’s defenses on teams that didn’t do much. In 2021, he led the SEC in pass breakups with 14. His stats may not match up with others on this list, but his impact was huge. He kept his side of the field locked down.

CAREER STATS:
42 games
135 tackles (111 solo)
32 pass breakups
10 tackles for loss
6 interceptions
2 fumble recoveries
1 forced fumble
1 defensive touchdown

No. 4 – Onterio McCalebb (2009-2012)

I did not realize McCalebb had as much production as he did. He is 10th in Auburn history in rushing touchdowns with 24. He had a role for Auburn: outrun defenders to the perimeter. He did that job so well that he averaged 6.4 yards per carry for his career. In 2010, McCalebb led the SEC with 8.5 yards per carry. He wasn’t good at breaking tackles, he wasn’t big at all.. but McCalebb was a big play waiting to happen. His game-winner against LSU in 2010 always comes to mind. Monster play. He has a fun highlight tape. I remember when Auburn picked him up that he would “catch squirrels” in his yard… Well, that training worked. He could absolutely fly.

CAREER STATS:
50 games
406 rushes
2,586 yards
24 touchdowns
63 catches
620 receiving yards
3 receiving touchdowns
53 kick returns
1,360 return yards
2 return touchdowns

No. 5 – Ryan Davis (2015-2018)

Tough call between Rudy Ford and Ryan Davis, but I loved Davis. He’s one of the most underrated playmakers in Auburn history, or at least since 2000. Davis had so many clutch plays during that 2017 season. His Iron Bowl performance will not soon be forgotten by me. His screen that he took to the house against Georgia was a dagger. Davis led the SEC in catches in 2017 with 84, and he broke the Auburn record for catches in a single season. Ryan Davis is the all-time leader in receptions in Auburn history. He was dependable, electric, and clutch.

CAREER STATS:
48 games
178 catches
1,555 yards
7 touchdowns
24 punt returns
259 return yards
3/4 passing
105 passing yards
3 passing touchdowns