Marquis Burks' spring breakout could be one of Auburn's biggest 2021 developments

With so much change happening up front for the Tigers in 2021, the emergence of the former JUCO transfer as a potential starter is rather significant.

DT Marquis Burks (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)

When it comes to the defensive tackle position, Auburn’s 2021 spring practices can be split into two halves.

The first was dominated by talk of Jeremiah Wright, a former offensive tackle turned interior defensive lineman, rising up to the top of the depth chart in short order. Unfortunately, Wright tore his ACL before the mid-practices break.

After the Tigers returned from their week off, a new name was prominent in first-team drills during open viewing windows and scrimmages — Marquis Burks.

Burks, like Wright, might not have been the first name to come to mind when looking for a new starter option. A 3-star JUCO transfer who was a 2-star defensive end coming out of high school in Chicago, Burks didn’t have the recruiting ratings buzz of others on the roster. Former blue-chip prospects Zykevious Walker, Dre Butler, Lee Hunter and Jay Hardy were much more known commodities among the fan base.

But by the time Auburn’s A-Day Game rolled aroun…