Top 25 Auburn Athletes since 1995

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#25. Wes Flanigan:

  • 22nd leading scorer in program history
  • All-SEC in 1996 with 6.7 assists per game
  • Son, Allen, is a sophomore on 2020-21 Auburn team
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#24. Karlos Dansby:

  • 84 tackles and 5.5 sacks in his senior season in 2003
  • Second round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2004
  • Named as Auburn’s 2019 SEC Legend
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#23. Casie Ramsier:

  • Casie Ramsier left Auburn soccer in 2016 as the all-time career shots leader and leader in game-winning goals
  • Ramsier also shared her entire Auburn career with her twin sister, Brooke
  • In 2017, Auburn presented Ramsier with the Leah Rawls Atkins award for modeling leadership, integrity, and courage in academics and athletics
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#22. Jason Dufner:

  • Dufner was a true walk-on when coming to Auburn in 2000. With plenty of Division II offers, Dufner had dreams of playing Division I golf
  • The highlight of Dufner’s career came in 2013 when he won his first major title: the 2013 PGA Championship
  • Dufner remains an avid Auburn Tigers fan and hosts his foundation’s Celebrity Classic Tournament in Auburn each year to raise support against childhood hunger
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#21. Emily Carosone:

  • Carosone was a cornerstone for the Tigers’ team in back-to-back trips to the Women’s College World Series
  • She might be best known for hitting a walk-off grand slam in Game 2 of the WCWS finals – one in which Auburn was once down seven runs
  • After ending her Auburn career as the all-time leader in batting average, hits, runs, OBP, and HBP, Carosone played four years professionally before returning to Auburn as an assistant coach
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#20. Tre Mason:

  • Mason, with Nick Marshall at QB, helped lead Auburn to an incredible turnaround; after finishing 3-9 in 2012, Auburn finished 12-2 in 2013
  • Mason was named SEC Championship Offensive MVP after a 304 yard, four touchdown performance in a 59-42 Auburn victory over Missouri
  • Mason would finish the 2013 season with 1,816 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns, both all-time season records at Auburn
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#19. Dee Ford:

  • Ford was the Auburn defense’s breakout star during their 2013 magical season

  • His 10.5 sacks during the 2013 season are good enough for fifth all-time in the Auburn single season record books

  • Dee played his way into a first round draft pick in 2014, going 23rd overall to the Kansas City Chiefs; Ford played five seasons for the Chiefs before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers

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#18. Carlos Rogers:

  • Rogers was part of the undefeated 2004 Auburn football team and goes down in Auburn history as one of the best defensive players to come through the program
  • A four year starting career at cornerback culminated with Rogers winning the 2004 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back
  • Rogers would be drafted ninth overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2005 NFL Draft. In 2011, he signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers where he was named a Pro Bowl starter in 2011 and played in Super Bowl XLVII in in 2012
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#17. Nick Marshall:

  • Marshall ran first-year head coach Gus Malzahn’s fast, zone-read offense with Tre Mason to perfection and will best be remembered for quarterbacking Auburn’s memorable and miraculous 2013 championship run
  • Marshall was only the third player in program history to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 more in his Auburn career. In his final regular season game, Marshall threw for 505 yards in the 2014 Iron Bowl
  • When he left Auburn, many didn’t consider him all that special. Looking back now, Nick Marshall could easily be a top five quarterback in Auburn program history
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#16. Kirsty Coventry:

  • Kirsty Coventry came to Auburn as a native of Zimbabwe and led the Tigers Swimming & Diving team to two NCAA Championships in 2004 and 2005
  • Coventry won three medals in the 2004 Olympics in Greece, including a gold in the 200 meter backstroke. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Coventry would go on to win four more
  • She credits Auburn for helping her achieve that: “Coming over and getting a scholarship to come to Auburn was the biggest thing that could have ever happened to my swimming career.”
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#15. Daniel Carlson:

  • Daniel Carlson came to Auburn and assumed the kicking duties his freshman year. He would leave as the all-time leader in points scored for Auburn and the SEC
  • Known for his big leg and reliability, Carlson was a three-time Lou Groza award finalist, given out to the nation’s best kicker each year
  • After finishing his record-setting career at Auburn and the SEC, Carlson was drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He would later be cut and join the Las Vegas Raiders where he set the single-season scoring record in 2020
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#14. Kerryon Johnson:

  • Kerryon Johnson was a fan favorite and running back for the Auburn Tigers from 2015-2017. Johnson finished his Auburn career with 32 rushing touchdowns

  • Johnson led the Tigers to an SEC Western Division crown in 2017 and ultimately was named the 2017 SEC Offensive Player of the Year after 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns

  • Johnson did have one passing touchdown during his tenure at Auburn… a 3-yard touchdown to Nate Craig-Myers to open the scoring in the 2017 Iron Bowl, one the Tigers would go on to win 26-14 over #1 Alabama

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#13. Nick Fairley:

  • Nick Fairley came to Auburn prior to the 2009 season and would leave after the 2010 season a national champion and one of the best to play for the Tigers
  • Totaling 10 sacks during the 2010 season, Fairley led himself to a Lombardi Award – the second in Auburn program history – and led the defensive side of the ball en route to Auburn’s 2010 national championship
  • Fairley would leave Auburn after the undefeated season and, along with QB Cam Newton, would be a 1st round draft pick after being drafted 13th overall by the Detroit Lions
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#12. Kasey Cooper:

  • Kasey Cooper might just have been best player in Auburn softball program history during her four years on the Plains
  • Cooper holds nearly every offensive record in the program’s history, including home runs, career RBIs, games started, and games played. Additionally, Cooper holds the SEC record for career RBIs with 270
  • Cooper graduated with two SEC Tournament Champion rings and a mechanical engineering degree. In 2016 and 2017, she was selected to play for the U.S. women’s national softball team
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#11. DeWanna Bonner

  • DeWanna Bonner is one of, if not, the most decorated women’s basketball players in the last quarter century for the Auburn Tigers
  • A consensus All-American and 2009 SEC Player of the Year by coaches and media, Bonner led the Tigers to the 2009 SEC Regular Season Championship and a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament
  • Later in 2009, Bonner was selected 5th overall in the WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, where she played the first 10 years of her career. The Mercury traded the 3-time All-Star and 2-time WNBA champion to the Connecticut Sun last year
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#10. Bryce Brown

  • Bryce Brown came to Auburn as a 3-star recruit out of Georgia, but left a decorated and beloved member of the 2019 Auburn final four team
  • He evolved from just a three-point specialist in his four years as a Tiger, but graduated as the all-time leader in three-pointers made and with two SEC Championships
  • After a successful season with the Maine Red Claws, the Boston Celtics’ G-League Affiliate, Brown reunited with former Auburn teammate Jared Harper when both were signed to the Westchester Knicks for the 2021 NBA G-League season
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#9: Derrick Brown:

  • Derrick Brown, a former 5-star recruit out of Georgia, might go down as one of Auburn’s greatest defensive players in the program’s history
  • As a three-year starter, Brown amassed 170 tackles and 13 sacks in his career. Brown was a force that consistently required double-teams and made an incredible 1-2 punch with Marlon Davidson 
  • The Carolina Panthers chose Brown 7th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. Brown became the highest defensive draft pick by the Tigers since Aundray Bruce was selected first overall in the 1988 NFL Draft
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#8. Jared Harper

  • As a four-star recruit out of Atlanta listed at 5-10, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said Harper would be “worth the price of admission.” In a three-year career for the Tigers, he was all that and more
  • Leading the Tigers to two SEC championships, Jared Harper picked apart countless defenses with lethal shooting and blazing speed. After a career with 1,427 points, 511 career assists, 122 steals, and a Final Four berth, Harper declared for the NBA Draft
  • Harper would go undrafted but would be picked up by the Phoenix Suns’ G-League team. In a surprising move, Harper was let go by the Suns and ultimately acquired by the Westchester Knicks, where he was named to the All-NBA G-League First Team in 2021
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#7. Josh Donaldson:

  • Josh Donaldson spent three years on the Plains before leaving as one of the best catching prospects in all of college baseball. The Chicago Cubs selected him in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft and later traded him to the Oakland A’s
  • In 2014, Oakland traded Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he would win the American League MVP. After one year stops at Cleveland and Atlanta, Donaldson signed a four-year, $92 million deal with the Minnesota Twins in 2020
  • Still an avid supporter of the Auburn Tigers, Donaldson says on his time as a Tiger: “Auburn holds a special place in my heart… Auburn gave me my opportunity to become the player I am today.”
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#6. Jason Campbell

  • Jason Campbell is one of the Auburn Tigers’ most remembered quarterbacks in the program history. Known most for an undefeated 2004 season with an SEC Championship, Campbell was also named the 2004 SEC Player of the Year and Sugar Bowl MVP
  • Campbell had a different offensive coordinator each of his four years at Auburn, and was even benched after starting games in his freshman season. He put it all together in his senior season by totaling 2,700 yards and 20 touchdowns
  • A big senior season turned into being picked 25th overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2005 NFL Draft. Campbell played with four other teams before retiring in 2015. He now works with the Auburn Sports Network pregame show during the seasons.
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#5. Casey Mize

  • Casey Mize cemented himself as an Auburn great during his time as a starting pitcher on the Plains. A 3-star out of Springville High School became the Tigers’ ace over his three years playing for Butch Thompson and the Tigers
  • Mize was selected by the Detroit Tigers first overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, becoming the first Auburn player to be selected first overall and just the fifth to be selected in the first round
  • The Tigers called Mize up to the big leagues to make his MLB debut on August 19, 2020 against the Chicago White Sox. He struck out seven batters in 4 1/3 innings and has remained a piece of the Tigers starting rotation ever since
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#4. Ronnie Brown:

  • Ronnie Brown, with Cadillac Williams, formed one of the most dominant 1-2 punches college football has ever seen during Auburn’s 13-0 2004 season. Brown played all four years as a Tiger totaling nearly 3,400 total yards and 30 scores
  • Brown found success playing alongside Williams as coach Tommy Tuberville called them “the best backfield in the past 30 years.” Brown’s most remembered play might be against Tennessee in 2004 when he found the end zone after trucking Jason Allen at the goal line
  • Brown would declare for the 2005 NFL Draft after his Auburn career ended and was selected 2nd overall by the Miami Dolphins before also playing for the San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Houston Texans. Brown now serves as the sideline reporter for the Auburn Sports Network 
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#3. Cadillac Williams

  • Carnell “Cadillac” Williams left his mark after a four-year career on the Plains. With 46 total touchdowns and over 4,000 yards, Williams is remembered as one of the best Auburn running backs of all-time alongside his running mate, Ronnie Brown
  • Just three spots after Brown was taken by the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Williams with the fifth overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. Williams was named NFL Rookie of the Year after a 1,178 yard 2005 season and went on to play six more NFL seasons
  • In January 2019, after stints at IMG Academy and the Birmingham Iron, Williams was named the running backs coach at Auburn and was retained by Bryan Harsin earlier this year. The 2021 season will be Williams’ third season coaching and recruiting players at his alma mater.
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#2. Tim Hudson

  • When Tim Hudson transferred from Chattahoochee Valley Community College, the Auburn Tigers had no idea how great an athlete they were getting. Hudson would go on to become one of the greatest two-way players in Tigers program history
  • After just two years on the Plains, “Huddy” amassed 20 total wins on the mound while also batting .379 in his collegiate career. The Oakland A’s would draft Hudson in the sixth round of the 1997 MLB Draft. He was later traded to the Atlanta Braves and signed with the San Francisco Giants in 2013
  • Hudson would win his only World Series ring as a member of the Giants in 2014 season, becoming the oldest pitcher to make a World Series debut at age 39. Hudson retired in 2015 and joined Butch Thompson’s Auburn staff in 2020 as a pitching coach
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