Auburn football dismisses All-American LB Xavier Atkins | Reports

AUBURN — Xavier Atkins, the linebacker who terrorized backfields en route to an All-American campaign last season, has been dismissed from the Auburn football program, according to multiple reports.

Atkins himself addressed the news in the early morning Tuesday, Oct. 20, posting to his personal X account that he would enter the transfer portal.

"I have nothing but respect Auburn University and will continue to support my teammates this season," Atkins said in his post. "My focus is on my health, my family, and on finishing up the academic semester strong."

I have nothing but respect Auburn University and will continue to support my teammates this season. My focus is on my health, my family, and on finishing up the academic semester strong, and I’ll be entering the transfer portal at the appropriate time.

— Xavier “DEEBO” Atkins (@XavierAtkins8) October 20, 2026

Auburn head coach Alex Golesh said Monday that the program was "continuing to work through" the matter of Atkins' absence, a week removed from Golesh announcing that Atkins was away from the team and would not play in Auburn's eventual 27-24 upset of then-No. 1 Georgia.

Golesh still has not addressed why Atkins was away from the team and why he did not play against Georgia.

Atkins entered this season with two All-America nods and four All-SEC honors. In five games, he posted 37 total tackles, 7½ tackles for loss and 3 sacks, as well as 3 quarterback hurries and an interception.

After spending his freshman season with LSU, playing 34 snaps, Atkins transferred to Auburn the following offseason and posted a team-leading 712 snaps in 2025. He led the Tigers in tackles (84), tackles for loss (17) and sacks (9). He led the SEC in tackles for loss and his sack total was also a top-three mark in the conference.