Auburn LB Eugene Asante announces decision to return to Tigers for 2024 season

Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante has made a decision on the 2024 NFL draft.

The Tigers leading tackler is returning for another season, he announced on Friday. Asante led Auburn with 84 tackles this season — 35 more than anyone else on the team.

He also had 8.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks.

“Being an Auburn Tiger has been nothing short of a blessing for me. The spirit, the tradition, the atmosphere is nothing short of amazing. It has been an honor and privilege to be a part of something so special,” Eugene Asante posted as part of a statement on Twitter.

“We not done yet. It’s time to handle unfinished business! I will be returning to Auburn for my final season. Auburn family, let’s work!”

Eugene Asante started his career at North Carolina, playing for the Tar Heels for three years. He recorded 62 tackles in 37 games at UNC, before transferring to Auburn.

Asante appeared in the first four games for Auburn in 2022, before redshirting. He had a breakout campaign for the Tigers in 2023 and will look to build on that in 2024. Asante was a four-star recruit and No. 238 overall player in the country when he signed with UNC out of Westfield High in Virginia, according to the On3 Industry rankings.

More on the 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Michigan, with the first round on Thursday, April 25, the second and third rounds on Friday, April 26, and the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday, April 27.

Players will have the opportunity to solidify their draft stock at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana from February 26 through March 4.

The three-day event will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility.

Last season, 69 players were granted special eligibility for the 2023 NFL Draft. 13 underclassmen who had completed their college degrees were also deemed eligible to be selected.

The deadline to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft is on January 15. NFL teams will receive a full list of eligible players in the class on January 19.