Last year, Auburn's secondary had plenty of depth but experienced growing pains throughout the season, which resulted in giving up big plays. A veteran coach was hired in February to help eliminate the struggles the unit experienced in 2011.

Defensively, the Tigers surrendered a lot of points last year, especially against SEC opponents. Part of the reason was lack of a pass rush and the other part was due to the secondary giving up huge passing plays. Auburn finished last in the SEC in pass defense. Willie Martinez was brought in to coach both the safeties and the cornerbacks for the Tigers. The move reunites him with new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. The two coached together at Central Florida, Central Michigan, and Georgia. Martinez, the third new Auburn assistant for 2012, spent the last two seasons at Oklahoma, where he coached the secondary. Before that, he spent nine seasons at Georgia which included stints as defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator. Martinez's first priority will be finding a suitable replacement for the spot left by Neiko Thorpe, who was a senior last year. Thorpe was second on the team in tackles with 102 and led the team with three interceptions. Erique Florence (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) Erique Florence will likely take over at free safety now that Thorpe is gone. Florence played sparingly as a true freshman last year, finishing with 23 tackles, one sack, and a tackle-for-loss. The playing time that Florence did experience gives him an advantage over others on the roster to be Thorpe’s replacement. Sophomore Jermaine Whitehead saw playing time as a true freshman at cornerback last season where he made 31 tackles, broke up three passes, and returned an interception 25-yards for a touchdown in his only start against Florida Atlantic. Whitehead should start at strong safety after spending most of spring working with the first-team at the position. He's no stranger to playing safety since it was his primary position in high school. Juniors Ryan Smith and Demetruce McNeal will primarily be used as backups to Florence and Whitehead but will see the field when the defense uses certain formations. Smith made one start at free safety last year and finished the year with 23 tackles and three tackles-for-loss. McNeal missed crucial time in the spring with a kneecap injury, which caused him to fall on the depth chart. Last year he started all but one game at free safety and finished third on the team with 74 tackles, had two fumbles forced, and two interceptions. Chris Davis (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) Chris Davis, the defensive MVP in Auburn's bowl victory against Virginia, returns as a junior to start at one of the cornerback spots. He finished fourth on the team last season with 60 tackles and had four pass breakups. Davis' physical nature fits right in with VanGorder's system and he could be one of the SEC's top cornerbacks in 2012. Sophomore Robenson Therezie should get the nod at the other cornerback spot. While fellow cornerback T’Sharvan Bell missed spring drills because of an injury, Therezie took advantage of the extra reps by showing the coaches he's ready to be a playmaker in the secondary. Bell went down with a nasty injury to his left knee, tearing the ACL, MCL and the posterior oblique ligament against Georgia. Before the injury, Bell had 45 tackles, a sack, two interceptions and a team-high seven pass breakups. Junior Ryan White and sophomore Jonathon Mincy provide more depth and could make spot starts depending on Auburn's opponent. Phil Marion Next week: Special Teams Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers Running Backs Offensive Line Defensive Line Linebackers