4.24.24 Football Articles

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si.com

Auburn Lands Another Top Defensive Lineman From The Transfer Portal!

Brian Smith

~2 minutes

The Auburn Tigers stay hot with the Transfer Portal

In this story:

Auburn just landed former Indiana University defensive tackle Philip Blidi from the Transfer Portal and the Tigers are not done!

Now the Tigers are gaining the signed letter of intent from Arkansas State edge rusher Keyron Crawford. From CFBStats and his 2023 statistics, Crawford's 44 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks showcase his natural talent off the edge. He's still developing, however.

Growing up a basketball player, Crawford is relatively new to the game of football. He's no place near his full potential. He will have two years of eligibility in an Auburn uniform.

Look for Crawford to be the backup to Jalen McLeod and could even play some strong side defensive end as well. Crawford is listed at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds according to ESPN. Pro Football Focus has him with 611 snaps played last year, which is a great sign of durability.

Crawford also came away with 27 quarterback pressures and 22 stops, i.e. tackles that constitute a failure for the offense. He's a player who should make an immediate impact for a defense in need of more experienced help on the edge.

Overall, Crawford is an excellent addition to the Auburn football program.

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al.com

 

Reports: Auburn linebacker Wesley Steiner to enter transfer portal

Updated: Apr. 22, 2024, 2:59 p.m.|Published: Apr. 22, 2024, 2:58 p.m.

~2 minutes

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Wesley Steiner: Vulnerable Strength

Auburn senior linebacker Wesley Steiner is expected to enter the transfer portal, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported.

Steiner’s decision to test the transfer waters comes after spending four seasons at Auburn, first arriving as a freshman in 2020.

However, despite his experience on The Plains, Steiner has struggled to work his way into a starting role.

In 2020, Steiner appeared in nine games and tallied three tackles. During his sophomore campaign, Steiner’s role grew as he appeared in 13 games and tallied 21 tackles. Steiner’s biggest year in terms of production came in 2022 as he played in 12 games and logged 46 tackles.

However, Steiner was reeled back in a bit last fall as he recorded 16 tackles across 13 games.

Between being primarily used as a reserve linebacker throughout his career and Auburn bringing in veteran Duke transfer Dorian Mausi, as well as adding a pair of freshman with high ceilings in Demarcus Riddick and DJ Barber, Steiner’s path to a starting role wasn’t going to be any easier come the fall.

A native of Warner Robbins, Ga., Steiner was a 4-star prospect out of high school.

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this was just posted on tigerland today and it is two days old.

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al.com

After surprising transfers, what to make of Auburn’s future secondary

Published: Apr. 24, 2024, 6:40 a.m.

4–5 minutes

Highlights from Auburn's A-Day where the offense defeated the defense 28-27 #WarEagle

Auburn was hit with a pair of surprising losses to its defense Tuesday with the transfer portal departure of both redshirt freshmen cornerbacks Colton Hood and Tyler Scott.

Both were four-star high school recruits. Both were redshirted because Auburn thought highly of them and both and wanted to maintain their eligibility for the future. Both were among the first names out of their teammates’ mouths when asked about which young defensive players fans should be keeping an eye out for.

Their future at Auburn was promising and set to, in time, have a significant amount of playing time.

Early reports suggest the two could look at Houston, which hired former Auburn secondary coach Zac Etheridge, and UCF, which hired former Auburn staffer Trovon Reed.

But barring Auburn coaxing them back out of the portal, those two bright pieces are gone. And it means Auburn is going to have to re-adjust to its long-term plan in the secondary.

Returning cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff and new co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Charles Kelly now have a developmental question on their hands.

Below is a list of all Auburn defensive backs with sophomore eligibility or younger:

Kayin Lee

Terrance Love

Antonio Kite

Sylvester Smith

C.J. Johnson

JC Hart

A’Mon Lane-Ganus

Jalyn Crawford

Kensley Faustin

Kaleb Harris

Lee is the only one from that group who is guaranteed to be in line for significant playing time this season. Sylvester Smith was another big riser during spring practices. Auburn brought in two older safeties out of the transfer portal in Laquan Robinson from junior college and Jerrin Thompson from Texas, both with junior eligibility or older.

They were needed after Auburn lost four starters in its secondary from last season: Jaylin Simpson, Zion Puckett, Nehemiah Pritchett and DJ James.

Auburn’s secondary also lost Marquise Gilbert, Austin Ausberry, JD Rhym and Donovan Kaufman.

And now losing Scott and Hood, Auburn’s depth at cornerback in the short term takes a real hit.

Keionte Scott and Lee are likely to be Auburn’s starting cornerbacks. Champ Anthony had a strong spring and could be in line to be Auburn’s nickel corner.

Behind them?

Kite came to Auburn from Alabama and is talented enough to join the depth quickly. So could incoming freshman Jalyn Crawford and, upon his arrival on campus, A’Mon Lane-Ganus.

This was an Auburn secondary that already needed to reload and now lost pieces of its short-term depth and long-term future.

Auburn has been committed to rebuilding this team for the long term through high school recruiting instead of looking for quick fixes in the transfer portal. In the short term, Auburn may need to bring in another cornerback out of the transfer portal purely to offset what it just lost.

But it may also put an added emphasis on recruiting defensive backs in 2025 that Auburn might not have previously felt it needed before Tuesday. Auburn currently has one committed defensive back, four-star cornerback Devin Williams from Buford, Georgia, in its 2025 class.

What the secondary looks like after 2024 is largely uncertain as a result.

Keionte Scott is gone after the upcoming season. Lee will be an expected starter in 2024 but needs to take a step forward as he’ll then be in line to be Auburn’s No. 1 corner in 2025.

The 2024 season will be a proving ground for someone to get in line to be a 2025 starter. And that’s barring Auburn making further personnel additions out of high school or the transfer portal.

Without Scott and Hood, the so-called next guy up doesn’t seem so obvious anymore.

Who is next now? That might take some time to find out.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

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al.com

Pair of young, highly touted Auburn defensive backs enter transfer portal

Updated: Apr. 23, 2024, 3:04 p.m.|Published: Apr. 23, 2024, 2:59 p.m.

3–4 minutes

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 30 - Auburn Defensive Back Colton Hood (24) during the TransPerfect Music City Bowl game between the Auburn Tigers and the Maryland Terrapins at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. Photo by Zach Bland/Auburn TigersZach Bland/Auburn Tigers

Highly regarded young Auburn defensive backs Colton Hood and Tyler Scott have entered the transfer portal according to several reports from On3 and 247Sports.

It’s a somewhat stunning move for players who were thought of extremely highly by their teammates and coaches and in line to be key parts of Auburn’s secondary in the future.

At Auburn’s Pro Day, former Auburn defensive backs Jaylin Simpson and DJ James immediately mentioned Hood and Scott when asked who was next up for Auburn among its wide array of young defensive backs.

Hood was in competition this spring for a starting spot, but appears to be behind both Keionte Scott and Kayin Lee on the depth chart.

Tyler Scott was another one of the bigger risers of spring practice.

The combined losses are easily Auburn’s most unexpected of the offseason. Both former four-star recruits have clear paths to future playing time, but may not find it consistently in 2024.

Neither Hood nor Scott had significant playing time in 2023 — both redshirted because of Auburn’s desire to keep them around for its long-term outlook.

In the short term, it limits the depth of Auburn’s secondary but neither were likely to start just yet. It does mean Auburn now almost assuredly has to go find another cornerback at least in the transfer portal.

Auburn’s secondary after the departure of four starters from last season’s team — Simpson, James, Nehemiah Pritchett and Zion Puckett — is defined by its youth.

Without Scott and Hood, Auburn still has 10 defensive backs with sophomore or younger eligibility. That young wave is highlighted by Lee. Auburn also added four incoming freshmen out of high school as well as sophomore Antonio Kite as a transfer from Alabama.

As things stand now, Auburn is not going to be able to withstand many injuries in the secondary, and certainly lacks experience.

After adding two defensive tackles and an edge rusher over a 24-hour stretch between Sunday and Monday, head coach Hugh Freeze now has a new transfer portal question.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

[Mikey 16,643]

Another example of how badly the open transfer portal sucks. I'm reaching the "Who gives a damn" stage. Just wait until the season starts and root for whoever is wearing orange and blue. Recruiting, depth charts and so forth are now meaningless.

[SaltyTiger 7,820]

43 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I'm reaching the "Who gives a damn" stage.

I have been in that stage. 

[JuscAUse! 1,433]

1 hour ago, Mikey said:

Another example of how badly the open transfer portal sucks. I'm reaching the "Who gives a damn" stage. Just wait until the season starts and root for whoever is wearing orange and blue. Recruiting, depth charts and so forth are now meaningless.

I try not to be negative about our program and college ball in general. But that's fair, Mikey. When I allow myself to think about it, I remember the crowds at NASCAR races a couple of decades (or less?) ago. 

 

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Auburn transfer Philip Blidi among college football’s ‘best transfer fits’

Taylor Jones

Tue, April 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM CDT·1 min read

Auburn football has worked diligently to fill needs along its defensive line for the 2024 season and has landed a solid addition in Philip Blidi.

Blidi joins Auburn’s roster after making 30 tackles last season at Indiana. Auburn will need to replace outgoing star Marcus Harris on the front, and Blidi will look to develop into a solid contributor to the Tigers’ defense.

The spring transfer portal window remains open through the end of this month, but CBS Sports is already calling the Blidi-Auburn connection one of the best “fits.”

Will Backus of CBS Sports has listed the six best fits within the transfer portal, including Blidi’s commitment to Auburn.

Defensive tackle is a huge position of need for a lot of hopeful contenders in the spring window, so props to Auburn for going out and getting one of the best before another program could swoop in. The Tigers are looking to replace All-SEC performer Marcus Harris and — while Blidi isn’t a ready-made successor — he’ll certainly help in that regard. Blidi spent the first three years of his career at Texas Tech before transferring to Indiana in 2023 and emerging as a starter. He graded out as one of the Hoosiers’ best run-stuffers while tallying 30 tackles and four tackles for loss from the interior.

Auburn has added two more defensive linemen from the transfer portal, Isaiah Raikes and Keyron Crawford. The Tigers are looking to add more defensive aid and another wide receiver to its spring transfer haul.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire