It’s hard to talk about the last two years of Auburn football without talking about Eugene Asante.
He wasn’t an All-American, he wasn’t going to give you 100 tackles in a season, but he quickly became a leader during a time that Auburn needed leadership.
Asante transferred to Auburn from North Carolina before the 2022 season, but his first year on the plains was filled with adversity. Merely weeks after he arrived on campus, he lost his father to kidney disease.
The loss weighed heavy on Asante, and he admitted before the 2024 season that there were times he thought about ending his football career.
Despite the hardships, he stayed the course and went on to become the vocal leader of Auburn’s defense and arguably the whole team. His “Let’s work!” catchphrase become a staple on Auburn’s defense, and he led the team in tackles during the 2023 season with 86.
His production dipped in 2024, but his leadership didn’t go anywhere. Now, he’s preparing to try and make an impact at the pro level, already impressing at various pre-draft events.
He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at the NFL combine, turning heads as someone who didn’t finish the season on many draft boards. Asante’s time ranked second among linebackers in the combine, only trailing UCLA’s Kain Medrano, who clocked in at 4.46.
That came after a solid showing at the Senior Bowl, where Asante impressed in drills and in live snaps.
When asked what he’s shown the most during the draft process, Asante mentioned a number of on-field things line running sideline to sideline, covering, rushing the passer and block shedding.
He described it as showing scouts he can do all those different things well to separate him from other players at his position in the class.
Auburn’s Pro Day was a chance for Asante to reflect on his career in orange and blue, reunited with his former teammates and coaches one last time before the draft. When talking about his time at Auburn, he said he’ll remember more about how his time shaped him off the field than on it.
“I think it shaped me into a great man,” Asante said. “I always sit here and always think about how my father would think and how he would look at me and what I broke into. I consistently think about that just trying to be a good example to the youth and to people that support Auburn football.”
Asante said he wants to take his same mindset from college into the NFL, now looking to prove himself again like he did when he first arrived in Auburn.
“I’m going to come in every single day and compete given whatever role I have,” Asante said. “Just like any role in life, you’re put in a role, and then you can improve upon that role based on hard work and all the things you show to your boss. So, I’m certainly somebody like that. Come in, put my head down. It’s just kind of like college all over again.”
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at@peter_rauterkus or email him atprauterkus@al.com