Auburn’s defense got another boost heading into 2021 with the reported return of one-time 5-star linebacker T.D. Moultry.

Moultry, a Birmingham, Alabama native, moved to the Buck position from a traditional linebacker spot as he bulked up to 253 pounds during his Auburn career, but now Auburn Undercover has reported that he will return. He’s contributed for four seasons, and in the 2020 season, Moultry had nine tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss. He also had one quarterback hurry. With Derek Mason coming on as defensive coordinator, there is an expectation that more linebackers would be on the field since mason has a 3-4 alignment background.

Moultry was once ranked the No. 18 ranked player in the country by 247Sports when he signed with Auburn out of Jackson-Olin High in Birmingham.

Auburn Undercover noted that the goal for Moultry is to work on getting his weight back down closer to where he was in high school, 225, from the 253 pounds he was listed on last season’s roster. Somewhere in between is likely the goal and if he can get in the 230 range it could be a true breakout season for one of Auburn’s most heralded signees in the last five years.

With Moultry’s return, Auburn now has a host of experienced linebackers set for the 2021 roster, including ZaKoby McClain, Owen Pappoe and Chandler Wooten. Then there are several freshmen in the mix, including Cameron Riley, Wesley Steiner and Desmond Tisdol entering the spring.