Edge Eku Leota will play in Senior Bowl, will not return to Auburn
Auburn edge Eku Leota, formerly of Northwestern, has accepted his invite to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. If he is set to play in the game, that means he will be moving on from Auburn and looking for opportunities on the next level.
Leota was one of five Tigers who were given an invite to play in the presitigious all-star game along with Owen Pappoe, Derick Hall, DJ James, and Nehemiah Pritchett. So far, Leota is the only player who has made a decision.
Unfortunately, Leota’s season was cut short by an injury to his pectoral muscle suffered against LSU. The duo of Hall and Leota was as good a pass rusher duo as there wsa in the SEC before his injury.
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Leota in 2021
The Northwestern edge player was the first transfer portal pick up of the Bryan Harsin era. While at Northwestern, Leota totaled 25 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in two years.
During his first season at Auburn in 2021, Leota had 23 tackles, 7 sacks, and a forced fumble. In five games this season, Leota added 17 tackles and 2 sacks to his career totals helping earn an invite to the Senior Bowl.
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Auburn edge coach Roc Bellantoni helped Leota develop other skills as an edge player according to him.
“Going into camp, I was more of a finesse pass rusher,” Leota told the media during fall camp. “Coach Roc (Bellantoni) has been helping me go speed to power, long arms and stabs, so they respect the power and we can work more moves off that. If they don’t respect your power, it’s hard to do other moves.”
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Draft outlook
According to thedraftnetwork.com, Leota is listed as a “prospect” right now, meaning he has been scouted and impressed with his skill set. Now, he will need to test well in combine settings and prove he can make plays in settings such as the Senior Bowl in February.
