Xavier Atkins’ time at Auburn has apparently come to an end.
The Tigers dismissed their star linebacker on Monday night, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Atkins had missed last week’s upset win over Georgia due to a disciplinary issue. While specifics of the incident are not yet known, head coach Alex Golesh clearly opted to just move on.
Atkins was an All-American last season while racking up 84 total tackles and an SEC-best 17 tackles for loss. He had 37 total tackles and three sacks through the Tigers’ first five games this season.
But last week, Golesh announced that Atkins had been suspended and wasn’t going to be available for their matchup with the Bulldogs. It’s unclear what happened before that suspension was announced, and Golesh simply said that they were going to “keep it in house.”
“We’re still working through it,” Golesh said on Monday afternoon, via On3. “I don’t have an update right now.”
Despite not having Atkins available, the Tigers still managed to stun then-No. 1 Georgia in Athens on Saturday. Auburn kicker Alex McPherson drilled a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift them to the 27-24 win. That pushed the Tigers to 4-2 on the season.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.