Auburn Football: Top 3 All-SEC candidates for 2020 season

Christian Tutt is a solid cornerback, but he won’t make it 3-for-3 for Kevin Steele’s unit on this list. Instead, Tutt could receive All-SEC honors for his ability to return punts in 2020.

Tutt finished third in the nation in punt return yards in 2019 with 313. That came on 23 returns, giving him an average of 13.6 yards per return. Tutt’s return ability created 26 yards per game for the Tigers, good for eighth-best in the country.

His value to the Tigers is only increased by the effectiveness of that aforementioned defensive unit. In 2019, Auburn forced .09 punts per play, the fifth-best rate in the country. Opposing offenses converted on just 30.9 percent of third-down conversions, the nation’s 12th-lowest mark.

Tutt had the tenth-most punt returns nationally in 2019, and he shouldn’t move much this season. If the Tiger defense even partially reloads the defensive front, they’ll be dominant once again. It’s impossible to recreate the production of Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson and Nick Coe, but Auburn’s still got an extremely talented unit with the leadership of the two prior players on this list.

After finishing in the top 10 of nearly every punt return metric, the expectations are sky-high for Tutt in 2020. If he lives up to them, he’ll certainly get All-SEC recognition.