Auburn dismisses linebacker Xavier Atkins days before hosting LSU, his former team

Auburn dismissed linebacker Xavier Atkins on Monday night, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported, citing sources. Atkins had sat out Saturday's 27-24 upset at No. 1 Georgia on a suspension, and the program had not said whether he would be back.

It had not decided as of earlier Monday. First-year coach Alex Golesh told reporters the program was "still working through it," according to ESPN. Golesh announced the suspension a week before the dismissal and gave no reason, saying the matter would be handled in house. On3 also reported the dismissal, crediting Thamel. ClutchPoints noted that Atkins had also been held out of the start of the Southern Miss game earlier this season for internal discipline.

Auburn is losing one of the best defensive players in the league. Atkins was first-team All-SEC in 2025, when he led the conference with 17 tackles for loss and led Auburn with 84 tackles and nine sacks. This season he started four games and had 37 tackles, three sacks and an interception. ClutchPoints counted 7.5 tackles for loss, fifth in the SEC and second on the team behind Elijah Melendez. Atkins is a third-year player and would be eligible for the NFL draft, ESPN noted.

The defense in Athens showed what Auburn has left. Melendez had nine tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and an interception. Bryce Deas, who started, added eight tackles. Georgia ran for only 113 yards. ClutchPoints expects Melendez, Deas and Demarcus Riddick to absorb Atkins' snaps for the rest of the season.

What it means for LSU

The timing adds an odd note to Saturday's game. Atkins began his college career at LSU, and the No. 18 Tigers come to Jordan-Hare Stadium on ABC this week.

Auburn is 4-2, and every game has been close except one. Before the Georgia win it lost 24-14 at No. 17 Tennessee. Its wins over Vanderbilt (21-15) and Baylor (17-16) came by one score, and it gave up 44 points in a loss to Florida. LSU is 5-2 and has looked like two different teams. It shut out No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0 last week and beat No. 23 Texas A&M 35-6, but it lost 35-34 at Kentucky and 32-24 at No. 8 Ole Miss.

The market has not given Auburn much credit for the Georgia result. LSU is favored on all 12 venues on this site's board. Novig lists LSU at -270 on the moneyline and Auburn at +257. The spread is LSU -7.5, which Novig prices at +106, while Auburn +7.5 sits at -111. The best Auburn number anywhere is +8 at -120 on BetRivers. Novig's total is 51.5, with the over at +106 and the under at -108. Hard Rock Bet has the lowest over, 50.5 at -110, and theScore Bet has the best under price, -105 at 51.5. The venues are close on this game. Sportsbook hold runs 4.0% to 6.2% on the moneyline and as high as 6.7% on the spread and total.

Auburn just held a top-ranked offense in check without Atkins. Saturday will show whether it can do that two weeks running against the team he started his career with.