Coach Gus Malzahn shared his thoughts on the Auburn Tigers losing some depth on their defensive line with the departure of Coynis Miller.

Miller was a backup along the defensive line last year and had a tackle and a pass breakup vs. Mississippi State, and a tackle for a loss and pass breakup at Arkansas. He also had 2 tackles against Ole Miss. In 2018, he saw action against Alabama State and Texas A&M.

The 6-foot-2, 315-pounder from Decatur, Alabama played at Jackson-Olin High in Birmingham.

Malzahn told reporters on Saturday that, “We wish him nothing but the best.”

It was a colorful departure for Miller, who, according to 247Sports, was ordered off the practice field on Wednesday and decided to opt out on Thursday.

Coming out of high school in 2018, Miller was a 4-star prospect. He was the No. 10 defensive tackle and the No. 3 overall recruit from the state of Alabama in the 2018 cycle, per the 247Sports composite rankings.

The report added that Miller’s work ethic and consistent effort had been issues since he arrived at Auburn. He was expected to be a backup behind seniors DaQuan Newkirk and Tyrone Truesdell going into the season. Wednesday’s incident, sources said was not unprecedented.

H/T Christian Clemente.