2024 Transfer Portal Thread (Merged Zeek's New Thread)

[JDUBB4AU 5,121]

AU is beginning to be ran like an nfl team. Love the recent back office moves. Just gotta win now . 

[Chaotic_zx 1,044]

 

While not a big deal overall, I'd bet we Auburn fans would be freaking out about this. 

[toddc 13,194]

Hopefully this becomes the norm!

3 Auburn signees win awards at Alabama Mr. Football banquet

By 

Matt Cohen | mcohen@al.com

Central-Phenix City's Cam Coleman celebrates his touchdown during the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com)Vasha Hunt | vhunt@al.com

Three Auburn signees won awards at the 2023 Alabama Mr. Football awards presented on Tuesday in Montgomery.

Five-star wide receiver recruit Cam Coleman out of Central-Phenix City was named the Class 7A Back of the Year, four-star linebacker recruit Joe Phillips out of Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee was named the Class 4A Lineman of the Year and three-star linebacker recruit DJ Barber out of Clay-Chalkville was named the Class 6A Lineman of the Year.

Auburn signees Perry Thompson and Malik Blocton were nominated as well but did not win their categories. Thompson lost to Coleman and Blocton lost to Barber.

Alabama commit and five-star receiver Ryan Williams from Saraland was named the state’s overall Mr. Football. He made history as the first-ever two-time winner of the award. 

Coleman was the last of the three winners to be announced.

“War eagle,” Coleman said as he walked off the stage in the front of the ballroom at the Rennaissance hotel in downtown Montgomery.

When he walked up on stage, Auburn wide receivers coach Marcus Davis, who was in the crowd, smiled in his seat.

Davis led the way to Auburn signing the best wide receiver class in program history with Coleman, Thompson, four-star receiver Bryce Cain and four-star receiver Malcolm Simmons.

“First off, it takes a village with the help of Coach Freeze and the rest of the staff,” Davis told AL.com after the awards ceremony. “It takes a village to get those guys. You’ve got a couple guys that’s the best in the state that want to compete and get better. That’s a big part of it as well. It’s a testament to those guys and what they want to build as players.”

Davis wasn’t able to talk explicitly about Auburn’s recruiting goals ahead of the Feb. 7 National Signing Day, especially after Williams re-committed to Alabama last week. He said the plan at this point is to “finish strong.”

“You’ll see as you go,” Davis said.

Coleman is currently on campus going through workouts at Auburn. Thompson hasn’t arrived yet. Davis said Coleman has gotten better throughout winter workouts and gotten acclimated to college since his January arrival.

“That’s going to be fun,” Davis said of when he can get all his receivers on campus. “It’s a process. Those guys are going through this process right now. We’re looking forward to it with them.”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

[Tigger1985 807]

Anyone know if we are looking to add any Michigan players or maybe a DLine coach? 😳

[AUatHeart 624]

11 hours ago, Tigger1985 said:

Anyone know if we are looking to add any Michigan players or maybe a DLine coach? 😳

I’m not sure if there will be a mass exodus from UM.  They seem to have made a hire that didn’t upset many folks.

[1auburn1 1,120]

41 minutes ago, NWALA Tiger said:

Look for 2 highly recruited defensive players at Bama from the class of 2023 to hit the portal in April. AU heavily recruited both.

I hope they do and I hope we get em

[wareaglefan444 83]

43 minutes ago, NWALA Tiger said:

Look for 2 highly recruited defensive players at Bama from the class of 2023 to hit the portal in April. AU heavily recruited both.

Russaw and Mitchell?

[AuburnNTexas 7,148]

6 hours ago, wareaglefan444 said:

Russaw and Mitchell?

If those two and we get them that would be huge an Edge and a Safety. We also need some interior D-line.

[CameronCrazy 1,062]

7 hours ago, NWALA Tiger said:

Look for 2 highly recruited defensive players at Bama from the class of 2023 to hit the portal in April. AU heavily recruited both.

We’ve heard this before. I’ll believe it when I see it.

[bigbird 60,529]

56 minutes ago, NWALA Tiger said:

 

When did I say it before?

 Talking about Smith and Russaw or about Mitchell reaching out? 

 

[Zeek 16,650]

Today the transfer portal has officially opened. I will track the incoming and outgoing players in this second wave of the portal. Auburn is expected to lose a handful and to be relatively aggressive looking for starting defensive tackles, production at receiver, and depth elsewhere. This original post will be for confirmed names only and not rumors.

Incoming (9):

• DB Antonio Kite from Alabama
• TE Rico Walker from Maryland
• DB Jerrin Thompson from Texas
• LB Dorian Mausi from Duke
• WR Robert Lewis from Georgia State
• OT Percy Lewis from Mississippi State
• QB/WR Sam Jackson from Cal
• DL Gage Keys from Kansas
• DL Trill Carter from Texas
• 
   

Outgoing (18):

• ED Brenton Williams -> ???
• LB Cam Riley -> NCST
• DB Donovan Kaufman -> NCST
• QB Robby Ashford -> South Carolina
• DL Wilky Denaud -> Mississippi State
• DB Austin Ausberry -> LSU
• DL Enyce Sledge -> Illinois
• QB Sawyer Pate -> ???
• DB Tony Hunley Jr. -> ???
• Malcolm Johnson Jr. -> Bowling Green
• WR Jyaire Shorter -> Memphis
• WR Omari Kelly -> Middle Tennesee
• WR Ja'Varrius Johnson -> ???
• TE Tyler Fromm -> Georgia Southern
• DB Marquise Gilbert -> ???
• DL Stephen Johnson -> ???
• ED Stephen Sings -> ???
• DL Enyce Sledge -> ???

Possible Targets (names in bold have a visit scheduled):

• Ohio State RB Dallan Hayden -> ???
• Penn State WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith -> my pick is Texas A&M
• USC IOL Jason Zandamela -> ???
• Indiana DL Philip Blidi -> my pick is Auburn
• USC DL Isaiah Raikes -> ???
• Arkansas State LB/Buck Keyron Crawford -> my pick is Auburn
• Pitt LB/Buck Dayon Hayes -> ???
• USC DB Tre'Quon Fegans -> my pick is Auburn

[Zeek 16,650]

Brenton Williams is the first Auburn Tiger to hit the portal in this spring cycle. Auburn signed Williams out of Opelika High School in the 2023 class as a 3* edge prospect needing to add some mass. Michigan State, Missouri, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, and others had offered Brenton Williams out of high school.

This does sting a little because of Auburn's lack of depth at the edge position. During the spring game BW looked like he was doing a decent job sealing the edge and tracked one outside run really well while evading a blocker. However, when he was signed relatively late in the 2023 class it was a well felt that Williams was added simply because there was still room and Freeze was filling spots; plus you don't want to miss on a guy in your own backyard.

I wish him luck moving forward and I think this is probably a good decision for him and his career. This will add a spot that Auburn will likely fill with an edge from the portal. Maybe not a splash pickup but possibly a productive player from a smaller school to add to the rotation.

[Zeek 16,650]

Auburn recruited him out of high school and we currently expect one of our running backs to hit the portal soon. There is definitely interest between the two programs. I am not sure that would be an upgrade from the player that is expected to leave however, I know high school recruiting position has been tough and we don’t particularly love a lot of the backs in this class. 

[Zeek 16,650]

I figured someone might ask about this potential target. Just don’t see it. He burned a lot of bridges with the way he handled his recruitment the first time. 

[Zeek 16,650]

Talented player but I don’t think Auburn is looking for a 1 and done at this position. He would likely have to sit behind McLeod. If he’s okay with rotating in like that then sure but I don’t suspect Auburn will make a push. 

[Zeek 16,650]

Auburn is very interested, but so is literally every single other team. While we will shoot our shot it’s not clear if Auburn is willing to spend what it will take to get him here. Quite frankly our quarterback play might not be all that attractive to him.

[Auburn93 539]

32 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Brenton Williams is the first Auburn Tiger to hit the portal in this spring cycle. Auburn signed Williams out of Opelika High School in the 2023 class as a 3* edge prospect needing to add some mass. Michigan State, Missouri, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, and others had offered Brenton Williams out of high school.

This does sting a little because of Auburn's lack of depth at the edge position. During the spring game BW looked like he was doing a decent job sealing the edge and tracked one outside run really well while evading a blocker. However, when he was signed relatively late in the 2023 class it was a well felt that Williams was added simply because there was still room and Freeze was filling spots; plus you don't want to miss on a guy in your own backyard.

I wish him luck moving forward and I think this is probably a good decision for him and his career. This will add a spot that Auburn will likely fill with an edge from the portal. Maybe not a splash pickup but possibly a productive player from a smaller school to add to the rotation.

Brenton leaving doesn't sting. It says there are better players and he wasn't going to make the rotation. All of those schools that originally offered are mediocre. 

Hard to find a good player in the shuffling of these mediocre players. It is like going to the thrift store. You might find something that could do you some good and/or you can get it for cheap. 

Edited April 16 by Auburn93

[Zeek 16,650]

11 minutes ago, Auburn93 said:

Brenton leaving doesn't sting. It says there are better players and he wasn't going to make the rotation. All of those schools that originally offered are mediocre. 

Hard to find a good player in the shuffling of these mediocre players. It is like going to the thrift store. You might find something that could do you some good and/or you can get it for cheap. 

Yeah I think Marcus Harris is a good example of a small school guy that outperformed what I think a lot of people would have expected at the time. It is definitely a gamble but it's better than just being stuck until the 2025 class shows up.

[Win4AU 4,052]

51 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Auburn recruited him out of high school and we currently expect one of our running backs to hit the portal soon. There is definitely interest between the two programs. I am not sure that would be an upgrade from the player that is expected to leave however, I know high school recruiting position has been tough and we don’t particularly love a lot of the backs in this class. 

This is the first I’ve heard a RB is leaving?  Hopefully not Cobb?

[Zeek 16,650]

21 minutes ago, Win4AU said:

This is the first I’ve heard a RB is leaving?  Hopefully not Cobb?

I expect at least one to leave. There is a possibility of two.

[AUBwins 10,075]

22 minutes ago, Win4AU said:

This is the first I’ve heard a RB is leaving?  Hopefully not Cobb?

Cobb would be most devastating to me personally.

[weagl1 1,784]

8 minutes ago, AUBwins said:

Cobb would be most devastating to me personally.

I hope he wouldn’t consider it.  He is going to get touches this year like he did last year then he will likely be the starter next year.  That gives him a year to really show his stuff before hitting the pros as a top draft pick and not a worn out one.  These guys who want to start at RB for 3-4 years in college are looking at it all wrong.  You don’t want to take 3-4 years of beating and injuries in college.  Get one good year in showing your best stuff then get top money in the draft.  NIL changes the dynamic somewhat but what they stand to get in college is not much compared to the $20-40 million contracts top RBs are getting in the pros.  

[AUBwins 10,075]

9 minutes ago, weagl1 said:

I hope he wouldn’t consider it.  He is going to get touches this year like he did last year then he will likely be the starter next year.  That gives him a year to really show his stuff before hitting the pros as a top draft pick and not a worn out one.  These guys who want to start at RB for 3-4 years in college are looking at it all wrong.  You don’t want to take 3-4 years of beating and injuries in college.  Get one good year in showing your best stuff then get top money in the draft.  NIL changes the dynamic somewhat but what they stand to get in college is not much compared to the $20-40 million contracts top RBs are getting in the pros.  

His usage would have to increase, and it should increase. He is the best back on the team.  He won't stay if only getting what he got last year. 

[Win4AU 4,052]

1 hour ago, Zeek said:

I expect at least one to leave. There is a possibility of two.

Sean Jackson would make sense if he actually wants to get playing time.  
 

Maybe Battie?  I’m not sure he’s going to get many more touches than he got last year.
 

 

[Hank2020 3,199]

2 hours ago, Zeek said:

I figured someone might ask about this potential target. Just don’t see it. He burned a lot of bridges with the way he handled his recruitment the first time. 

Bridges are easily rebuilt if AU wants to.