The Auburn Tigers will be without their best defensive player this week against the Georgia Bulldogs, according to head coach Alex Golesh.

After rumors began to surface late last week of a potential suspension for superstar linebacker Xavier Atkins, Golesh confirmed during his Monday press conference that Atkins would not play this week, though he declined to elaborate further on why that is the case.

“We’ll keep it in house. That’ll be the only piece of it that I will be addressing. He won’t be available for us this week for the game,” Golesh said via AuburnSports.

In the article, Justin Hokanson reports that his sources are indicating the suspension is a result of being late to team meetings or missing them entirely as well as issues with practice habits.

Furthermore, sources stated other defensive players even asked both Golesh as well as defensive coordinator DJ Durkin to hold Atkins accountable for his actions.

This is the second discipline against Atkins this season after he did not start against Southern Miss for similar reasons, according to the report.

Despite that, he has recorded 37 total tackles this season and is top-five in the conference in tackles for loss after being named first team preseason All-SEC. Atkins is a phenomenal player, but Golesh is sending a clear message that nobody is above the team and not buying in will not be tolerated.

While clearly it’s taking more time than folks had hoped, Golesh is building the foundation of what his culture and Auburn program are going to be, and Atkins missing the biggest game of the season is just the latest step in the process.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.