Jermaine Whitehead 'did everything' asked to return

AUBURN -- Jermaine Whitehead did all that was asked of him by Auburn coach Gus Malzahn to be reinstated and get back on the field on defense, where he made his triumphant return in Auburn's loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.

Malzahn said it was a "personal decision" to initially allow Whitehead back to the program in a special teams-only role after a reported verbal altercation with an assistant coach.

Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson said Whitehead "did everything he was asked" to do by Malzahn.

"I'm more proud of him for what he did than the way he played," Johnson said. "It's great to have him back as a player but I'm very proud of what he did over the last three or four weeks. He did everything that was asked of him and the players were in total support of it and it was good to have him back out there. I hope it helps him as a football player, but I hope it helps him in a lot of ways."

Cornerback Jonathon Mincy, also a senior, said the team was "always supportive of Whitehead" as he served his punishment.

"We know the hard work he's done over the years, and we know how bad he wanted to be out there and help us on the field and he did everything he was supposed to do," Mincy said. "We're excited to have him back."

Whitehead, who had 28 straight starts prior to his suspension, had two tackles and an interception against Texas A&M and is expected to have a bigger role this week.

"I think as long he has a great practice week, I think for sure," said Johnson, who plans to rotate players in an inexperienced secondary down the stretch of the regular season. "He's the only one that's played back there at safety with any experience. I hope the age and experience should be a big factor in that aspect."

Whitehead, who has not been available for interviews since the reported incident in mid-September, handled all the calls in the secondary prior to his suspension. With miscommunication a growing concern over the last four games, having a veteran back can only help to solve the problem.

"It helps extremely well," Mincy said, "just having somebody who's been back there, who knows the checks without having to think twice and can echo the call and communicate with everybody."