• DE Antonio Coleman, Sr., 6-3, 257
• DE Michael Goggans, Sr., 6-3, 257
• DE Antoine Carter, Jr., 6-4, 255
• DT Jake Ricks, Sr., 6-4, 296
• DT Zach Clayton, Jr., 6-3, 285
• DT Mike Blanc, Jr., 6-4, 288

• DT Derrick Lykes, rFr., 6-2, 287
• DL Cam Henderson, rFr., 6-5, 230
• DT Jomarcus Savage, rFr., 6-2, 287
• DL Andre Wadley, rFr., 6-2, 300

• DE Luke Farmer, So. 5-11, 246
• DE Chris Humphries, rFr., 6-2, 215
• DE Robert Hill, So., 6-1, 234
• DL Ryan Burse, Jr. 6-1, 229

With the departures of Tez Doolittle (graduation) and Sen'Derrick Marks (left early for NFL), the Tigers had an enormous hole to fill on their interior line, one that produced 60 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. But new line coach Tracy Rocker, an Auburn legend, didn't concern himself with who he didn't have on the roster. Buoyed by the return of Coleman, who opted not to follow Marks to the NFL, Rocker has gone about trying to instill a play-hurt mentality in his linemen that has worked at every other one of his coaching stops, even if it might take a while to ingrain on the Plains. "I woke up the next morning and I had that look on my face, that frown," Rocker said after the first day of practice. "My wife said, 'Hey, remember it was the first day.' You can't build a house in a day.' It takes work. You know that. But in this time a lot of times we want that microwave success. I understand that process, but everyday we've got to get better and approach practice with the right state of mind."

AC is back, and after a minor tiff with the coaching staff about having to get treatment during practice, seems to be embracing the leadership role Auburn craves on the defensive side of the ball. He had at least two sacks during one scrimmage that was dominated by the defensive line and should be a force next year if he can avoid the minor bumps and bruises that limited him last season. If nothing else, Rocker established a nice rotation on the line, with Coleman, Goggans and Carter rotating at the ends and Ricks, Blanc and Clayton working at the tackles.

Despite Rocker's play-hurt mind set, plenty of players were injured to the point that they could not practice. A leg injury kept Carter out of the final week of practice and A-Day, while Savage (shoulder) and Henderson (ankle) both missed significant time as well. Rocker said he saw spurts out of the redshirt freshmen — Savage, Henderson and Lykes — but wanted to see more consistency from the trio.

Auburn has a giant defensive line class arriving in the fall, including Terrance Coleman (AC's nephew), Nosa Eguae, Nick Fairley, Jamar Travis, Dee Ford and Josh Jackson. Fairley, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound tackle figures to be one that could jump in early, simply because he is two years removed from high school, having redshirted in 2007 and played at Copiah-Lincoln Community College last year. Those years make a big difference in strength, which usually prevents freshman linemen from coming in and playing immediately. It will be interesting to see if Coleman, who also has the physical attributes, can get on the field too.

If you're looking for another Doolittle, who finally thrived in his final season, it might be Ricks. "I’ve seen a lot of things out of him that I didn’t know he had in him," Coleman said. "He’s stepping up big time and making plays that I’ve never seen from him before. He’s not in anyone’s shadow any more and he understands that this is his senior year and he needs to step up and make plays. Everyone’s counting on him to get out there and make plays for us."

Playing time on the inside will be interesting. Ricks, Blanc and Clayton have worked in a three-man rotation, so it's not clear how playing time will be divvied up between the three of them, or if they'll lose any reps to youngsters Lykes and Savage.

"Once I get it going, everybody will follow me, and that's what happened."

— Coleman, after a two-sack scrimmage

7.5 and 4.5 — tackles for a loss and sacks last year by Clayton, which ranked fourth and second on the team.

This unit appears to be one of the more solid ones on the defense. Any line with AC on it is going to be tough, but Goggans is often overlooked at the other side and Carter has shown promise. The real question is if the Tigers can shore up the middle. Clayton's contributions were very under the radar last season, and the junior could be an answer at one of the spots. If Ricks, Blanc or any of the redshirt freshmen can step up, the loss of Doolittle and Marks might not be as daunting. Most likely it's going to be a combination of plenty of players up front. Rocker has made it known that he wants 100 percent effort on every play his linemen are on the field, otherwise he'll put someone else out there. In that case, the more bodies the better.