Well, that certainly didn’t take long.
Mere hours after reports surfaced of the arrest of Demetruce McNeal, Auburn announced that the starting defensive back has been abruptly and somewhat surprisingly dismissed from the football program. The decision to dismiss the safety came less than 12 hours after McNeal was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
McNeal received the boot during a meeting with first-year head coach Gus Malzahn.
McNeal was the Tigers’ leading returning tackler, having been credited with 90 during AU’s woeful 2012 season. He also tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with seven.
The dismissal served as the latest hiccup for the senior. He missed the latter portion of spring practice due to what was only described as “personal reasons,” then was sidelined for the start of summer camp with a staph infection.
Joshua Holsey, who started six games at cornerback in 2012, is expected to take over the starting spot vacated by McNeal.