Silly season is set to hit its peak for Auburn football.
Hugh Freeze and the Tigers will once again head into the NCAA’s winter transfer portal window, which opens Monday, looking for premium upgrades at premium positions. Freeze just wrapped up his second-consecutive top-10 signing class on the Plains, but like the past two offseasons, he’s got personnel needs that can only be remedied by adding quality players with veteran experience.
As Auburn looks to add transfers for its 2025 season, follow along here for live updates on the Tigers’ additions through the transfer portal.
Note: This is a live file and will continuously be updated.
What history shows us about Auburn football’s portal activity
Since becoming Auburn’s head coach, Freeze has added more than a dozen players through the portal in each of his two offseasons.
In trying to overhaul Bryan Harsin‘s 2022 roster, Freeze and his staff added 20 transfers during the 2023 offseason. It made Auburn one of just 11 FBS teams to added at least 20 players through the portal in that cycle, and 247Sports gave the Tigers’ 2023 transfer class a No. 5 ranking nationally. Coming into 2024, Auburn added 16 players in the portal. That class was ranked No. 27 by 247.
Here’s who the Tigers added during the 2024 cycle:
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CB Antonio Kite (Alabama)
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LB Dorian Mausi Jr. (Duke)
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LB Fa’Najae Gotay (Maryland)
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DL Gage Keys (Kansas)
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DL Isaiah Raikes (USC via Texas A&M)
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S Jahquez Robinson (Colorado)
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S Jerrin Thompson (Texas)
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WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Penn State)
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EDGE Keyron Crawford (Arkansas State)
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OT Percy Lewis (Mississippi State)
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DL Philip Blidi (Indiana)
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TE Rico Walker (Maryland)
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WR Robert Lewis (Georgia State)
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OT Ronan Chamber (Colorado via Akron)
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WR Sam Jackson IV (Cal)
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DL Trill Carter (Texas)
Auburn football’s biggest transfer portal needs
QB INCOMING: Auburn football will go after transfer portal quarterback, Hugh Freeze says
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Quarterback: With Payton Thorne’s eligibility expensed and Holden Geriner entering the portal, it was already evident the Tigers would need a new passer, and Freeze confirmed that much on Wednesday, saying the Tigers would target a passer in the portal. Should they lose another passer to the portal, it’s possible Freeze goes after more than one this offseason.
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Offensive line: Auburn’s biggest struggle during Freeze’s tenure has been finding consistent play on the offensive line. He’s finally given the Tigers some depth through recruiting the high school ranks, but they could be replacing as many as four starters this offseason depending on certain eligibility decisions.
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Kicking specialists: It’s certainly an uncommon need, but with Oscar Chapman out of eligibility, Auburn will need a punter, and depending on the health of All-SEC kicker Alex McPherson, it could turn to the portal for another placekicker.
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Tight end: Much like Auburn’s other needs, Rivaldo Fairweather’s eligibility-based departure means Freeze’s offense will need a new starter at the tight end position. Although longtime Auburn tight end Brandon Fraizer will return with his medical redshirt, he’s not the pass catcher Fairweather was. That’s what the Tigers will need to target.
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Defensive back: Safety Caleb Wooden‘s transfer plans re-emphasized that the Tigers need an influx of experience at both the cornerback and safety spots. Without Wooden, Auburn is currently slated to roster 18 scholarship defensive backs next fall. Just five of them will be upperclassmen.
NCAA transfer portal rundown: When does it open? How does it work?
The first of two NCAA transfer portal windows begins Monday, Dec. 9, and is open until Sunday, Dec. 28. The second window opens following spring practices but lasts just nine days. It’ll begin April 16 and close April 25.
The transfer portal is the way athletes interested in moving institutions can connect with other programs and their coaching staffs. If an athlete wants to transfer, they must submit a notice to their current school’s compliance office. The compliance office then submits that athlete’s name to a password-protected online database that’s run by the NCAA within two business days of the athlete’s notice.
The online database isn’t publicly accessible, with only coaches and administrators having access.
Entering a player to the database includes inputting their name, NCAA ID, contact information and answers to a list of questions, including whether that athlete is transferring as a graduate student or if they want to be contacted by other schools.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Live updates on the latest transfer portal additions
