12.16.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

Auburn leading receiver JaVarrius Johnson enters transfer portal

Nathan King

3–4 minutes

The fifth-year senior led Auburn's receivers in yards (347) and touchdowns (three) this season

Auburn is bringing in a bevy young talent at receiver next season, but it will also be losing its most experienced wideout to the portal.

Ja'Varrius Johnson entered the transfer portal Friday afternoon, Auburn Undercover has been informed, after the fifth-year senior led Auburn's receivers in yards (347) and touchdowns (three) this season.

Johnson is likely the biggest transfer loss so far for the Tigers, as Hugh Freeze's team is now up to 12 outgoing transfers this cycle. Johnson emerged as a preferred target for Payton Thorne midway through the season and had 296 yards and three touchdowns over Auburn's last five games of the season.

A former 4-star recruit from Trussville, Alabama, in the 2019 class, Johnson was nagged by injuries for most of his Auburn career but was still able to produce eight touchdowns and more than 1,100 yards over the past three seasons.

Johnson also entered the portal ahead of the 2022 season but opted to withdraw and return to Auburn.

The Tigers' receiving corps will undergo a facelift next season, with a pair of 5-star commitments, two other 4-stars and one transfer at the moment: Georgia State's Robert Lewis, who could very well take over Johnson's spot at slot receiver. Jay Fair, Camden Brown and former Ohio State transfer Caleb Burton III are set to return.

Auburn now has 12 players who have either entered the portal or declared their intentions of doing so: Johnson, quarterback Robby Ashford, defensive end Wilky Denaud, defensive back Austin Ausberry, safety Marquise Gilbert, tight end Tyler Fromm, receivers Malcolm Johnson Jr., Jyaire Shorter and Omari Kelly, pass-rusher Stephen Sings V, and defensive tackles Stephen Johnson and Enyce Sledge.

Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante to return in 2024

Auburn is getting its leading tackler back next season

Eugene Asante announced his intentions for next season as only he could.

"Let's work."

The Tigers' leading tackler will return to the team in 2024 in favor of the NFL draft, he shared on social media Friday afternoon. Set to be a sixth-year senior, the middle linebacker posted 84 tackles this season, plus 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a scoop-and-score touchdown against Texas A&M.

A former North Carolina transfer, Asante made the move to Auburn ahead of the 2022 season, though he didn't take a defensive snap all season and was unable to work his way into the linebacker rotation. This past preseason, though, it became clear that Asante was in position to be a  breakout player for Auburn's defense, and he ended up being one of the unit's most valuable players.

At the moment, Auburn is expected to get both its starting linebackers back next season, as former Ole Miss transfer Austin Keys has a couple years of eligibility remaining.

The roster dominoes continue to fall into place for Auburn's 2024 defensive outlook. Defensive tackle Marcus Harris announced earlier this week that he's heading to the NFL draft after a first team All-SEC campaign. The defensive back trio of D.J. James, Nehemiah Pritchett and Jaylin Simpson are also turning pro, while Keionte Scott announced he's coming back for his final college season in 2024 as the leader of the secondary.

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si.com

 

Auburn LB Eugene Asante is back for another season

Andrew Stefaniak

~2 minutes

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Eugene Asante is back for another season playing for the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn just received some huge news as Eugene Asante announced he will come back for another season on the Plains. 

Asante came out of nowhere and was right up there with Marcus Harris as Auburn's best defensive player this season. 

The linebacker led Auburn in tackles with 84, had five sacks, which was third on the team, and had a fumble recovery for a touchdown against Texas A&M. 

To sum it up, Asante had a really good season for the Tigers and even had a few games where it felt like he single-handedly kept Auburn in it, like the Cal game where the Tigers came out on top. 

Auburn has a lot of talented defenders who will be making the move to the NFL so having a player like Asante back is huge for this Auburn team that will be young next season. After a great 2023 season, Asante will likely be considered one of the best linebackers in college football for the start of the 2024 year. 

One of the most exciting gets for a coaching staff is finding out one of your talented veterans will return, and that is what Asante just brought to Coach Freeze and the staff.

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saturdaydownsouth.com

Auburn loses key wide receiver to transfer portal, per report

Spenser Davis | 13 hours ago

2–3 minutes

Auburn reportedly suffered a major loss to the transfer portal on Friday afternoon.

Starting wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson will enter the transfer portal, according to a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer. Johnson was one of Auburn’s top wide receivers in 2023.

Auburn wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @247sports.

Has 64 career catches.https://t.co/6Cw7NKmknb pic.twitter.com/pBRiZulhZN

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 15, 2023

Johnson has been a consistent contributor in Auburn’s offense for the past 3 seasons. In 2023, he recorded 19 catches for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns. He led all Auburn wide receivers in yardage and touchdowns in 2023.

Johnson departs Auburn with 64 receptions for 1,114 yards and 8 touchdowns during his career with the Tigers. He’ll likely have plenty of potential suitors in the transfer portal this offseason.

The veteran receiver appeared in 35 games for Auburn during his career. He was a member of Auburn’s 2019 recruiting class and has stayed with the Tigers through multiple head coaching changes. Johnson was a 4-star prospect in the class of 2019 out of Trussville, Alabama.

Johnson is the 10th player from Auburn’s 2023 roster to enter the transfer portal so far this offseason. The Tigers are expected to be aggressive in using the portal to acquire more talent ahead of the 2024 campaign as well.

Auburn will face Maryland in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

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athlonsports.com

Former 4-Star Auburn Quarterback Enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Zach McKinnell

~1 minute

Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford announced his entry into the NCAA transfer portal on Friday. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. 

Over two seasons at Auburn, Ashford completed 49.5% of his passes for 1,758 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, 927 rushing yards, and 12 rushing touchdowns. He transferred to Auburn after spending two seasons at Oregon, but did not see any action for the Ducks.

Ashford signed with Oregon as a four-star prospect out of Hoover High School in the class of 2020. He was the No. 23 quarterback and No. 14 player in Alabama, according to the On3 industry rankings. 

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247sports.com

 

Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante to return in 2024

Nathan King

~2 minutes

---

Auburn is getting its leading tackler back next season

Eugene Asante announced his intentions for next season as only he could.

"Let's work."

The Tigers' leading tackler will return to the team in 2024 in favor of the NFL draft, he shared on social media Friday afternoon. Set to be a sixth-year senior, the middle linebacker posted 84 tackles this season, plus 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a scoop-and-score touchdown against Texas A&M.

A former North Carolina transfer, Asante made the move to Auburn ahead of the 2022 season, though he didn't take a defensive snap all season and was unable to work his way into the linebacker rotation. This past preseason, though, it became clear that Asante was in position to be a  breakout player for Auburn's defense, and he ended up being one of the unit's most valuable players.

 

At the moment, Auburn is expected to get both its starting linebackers back next season, as former Ole Miss transfer Austin Keys has a couple years of eligibility remaining.

The roster dominoes continue to fall into place for Auburn's 2024 defensive outlook. Defensive tackle Marcus Harris announced earlier this week that he's heading to the NFL draft after a first team All-SEC campaign. The defensive back trio of D.J. James, Nehemiah Pritchett and Jaylin Simpson are also turning pro, while Keionte Scott announced he's coming back for his final college season in 2024 as the leader of the secondary.

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247sports.com

College football bowl season 10 teams that could use their games to springboard into a big 2024

Kevin Flaherty

11–14 minutes

Meaningless bowl games? Not for these teams that will try to use their final game of 2023 to set up bigger things next year.

For all the talk about how the College Football Playoff has ruined bowl games, for the right teams, bowl games can serve as jet propulsion. First, there are the added practices, which can be huge, particularly early in a coach's tenure or for teams with a bevy of young talent. And then there's the momentum that a bowl game itself can provide. Even the right kind of loss can serve as motivation through the dog days of June, July and August. And a big win can do even more, imbuing players with a confidence that can last all offseason.

So which teams can stand to benefit the most? Bowl games are more important to some teams than others, particularly with the existence of opt-outs and the transfer portal.

For some teams, those decisions almost remove some of the importance and provide a convenient excuse for not playing well. But opt-outs or transfers can also present opportunities for players who will play major roles next year.

RELATED: Final bowl predictions for all 41 games.

Here are 10 teams that could use a strong bowl performance as a jumping off point for a big 2024:

Auburn

(Photo: Brett Rojo, USA TODAY Sports)

There’s no substitute for getting extra practice time for a coach early in the program-building process. And so while Auburn going 6-6 and 3-5 in the SEC might not have seemed like a big deal, it’s a world of difference between going 5-7 and missing out on the postseason. The Tigers are adding quite a bit of new talent, whether it’s through Auburn’s recruiting class or the damage that Hugh Freeze is likely to do in the portal. But for the players who are returning that will supply Freeze’s foundation, the added practices and the potential to end the year on a high note against Maryland is invaluable.

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[SaltyTiger 7,853]

Good to see Asante returning. Love his style and knack for being around the ball. Had a weekly guest segment/interview during my cocktail hour radio show this past fall. He seems like a very sharp young man.

Disappointing that things did not work out for RA and Auburn. I love a Nick Marshall type running threat at QB.