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Inside the Auburn Tigers "It all starts with Jeremiah Cobb . . . : "This is one of the most historic, blueblood programs in college football history. You come be the one to help us get back . . . His first Auburn class is led by Jaquez Wilkes and Shadarius Toodle, two four-star linebackers who opted to stay home in Alabama and honor their commitment to the Tigers . . . "So, there were certain points where you're like, 'Dude, are you going to be here or not? I'm good, just tell me, so I know if I've got to go get another guy.' . . . Auburn brought in 40 players from the portal after losing 37 . . . Auburn's special teams unit was pieced together by new special teams coordinator Jacob Bronowski, who spent the past two season at Pitt. There, he coached two Lou Groza Award semifinalists . . . When you look at Auburn's linebacker group, everything starts with the return of Atkins. One of the best players in the league last season regardless of position, the LSU transfer finished his first season on the Plains with 84 tackles, 9 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss. He also added 7 quarterback hurries along with an interception return that led to a touchdown . . . This year's transfer window will open from April 7-21 . . . The Tigers signed Australian punter Max Bourke, bringing its freshman signing class up to 21 . . . While Auburn needed experienced players who can contribute right away, Golesh is still excited about the young offensive linemen the Tigers have. Auburn signed five incoming freshmen up front and is returning three players who were freshmen last season . . . Shortly after being hired, Golesh talked about the importance of recruiting the 250-mile radius around Auburn. When speaking last week to reporters in Mobile, he echoed that point and spoke specifically about the state of Alabama . . . Everything starts with the group of veterans that Auburn added from USF, headlined by Keshaun Singleton and Chaz Nimrod . . . It would be a surprise if Best isn't the guy calling the shots for Auburn's offensive line this fall. Starting 23 games the last two seasons for the Bulls, Best was one of the leaders of the offense at USF and brings that veteran presence to the Plains . . . Transfers Bryson Washington (Baylor), Nykahi Davenport (USF) and Tae Meadows (Troy) bring multiple years of college experience and each have had more carries than Auburn's young running backs behind Cobb (16) . . . "There's some late May-out junior college guys, some late qualifier high school guys, we've left ourselves a little bit of room," Golesh said. "But for the most part, you feel like it's close to done . . . While the stats don't show it, getting Walker back is a big deal for the Auburn defensive line for the 2026 season . . . Golesh and offensive coordinator Tyler Hudanick brought in five incoming freshmen and eight transfers, replacing the 12 offensive linemen Auburn lost. Kail Ellis, Tai Buster and Jacobe' Ward, all true freshmen in 2025, are the only offensive linemen set to return . . . With Walker back in 2026, Auburn's interior defensive line is up to eight scholarship players . . . He's already garnered comparisons to legendary Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, so expectations are high for him on the Plains . . . The Tigers signed 13 players on defense out of the portal . . . Cobb has one year of eligibility remaining and will possibly be a team captain with the amount of turnaround on this year's roster. Auburn signed three more running backs out of the transfer portal . . . The transfer portal closed for players to enter last Friday, but players already in the portal can still sign with schools . . . The 2026-27 and 2027-28 football alignment places the 32 largest high schools in Class 6A . . . A revamped offensive and defensive line headline the biggest concerns for Golesh in his first year on the Plains . . . Matthews-Canty is the first transfer linebacker addition for Auburn this cycle. He's listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds . . . Hampton transfer Micheal Mathews-Canty is the latest player to sign with Auburn, a source confirmed to AL.com, becoming the program's 38th incoming transfer this offseason . . . Plazz announced his commitment to Auburn on Wednesday night, becoming the ninth offensive line Auburn has added this offseason. He also becomes the Tigers' 35th incoming transfer overall . . . The Tigers totaled 21 commitments on offense and three signees at tight end . . . He becomes the eighth portal addition on the offensive line . . . Jaquez Wilkes from Wadley and Shadarius Toodle from Cottage Hill Christian were both named the top players at their positions . . . Entering Monday, Auburn holds the No. 12 transfer portal class . . . McManus played in all 12 games for the Zips last season as a freshman, starting half of those games at left guard. He allowed one sack and 14 pressures in 271 opportunities . . . Shamar Arnoux was briefly committed to Auburn in high school and will now finally play for the Tigers . . . Implementing a new system is always a challenge when a coach takes over a program, but there will be someone from USF at every position on offense . . . Auburn Tigers safety Jacoby Mathews has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal and will be returning . . . Luttrell becomes the 31st transfer in Alex Golesh's first portal class, and he's also the fourth defensive back in the group . . . Listed at 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds, Proctor caught 30 passes for 604 yards and 11 touchdowns in his junior year at Miami Southridge . . . What every transfer on the defensive line brings to Auburn's defense this fall . . . Golesh said there are other spots they are looking to shore up before they are done adding to his first team on the Plains. "You've got to continue to enhance the offensive and defensive lines . . . Simmons spent the last four seasons at James Madison, making him an experienced piece of Auburn's retooled offensive line. He started every game in each of the last two seasons, playing all 13 games in 2025 at left tackle . . . Jeremiah Cobb announced on Friday that he will return for the 2026 season . . . A native of New Hope, Alabama, Sigler started his college career at Division II West Alabama before spending the 2025 season at Arkansas State. He had a breakout year with the Red Wolves, tallying 35 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six pass deflections and five sacks . . . "Byrum is a true leader and competitor . . . Working to build a roster through the transfer portal, the Tigers have also continued to add to the 2026 roster since arriving on campus . . . Ramil, a native of Alabaster and alum of Thompson High School, returns to his home state to play alongside high school teammates Jared Smith, Anquon Fegans, and Kaleb Harris . . . Ramil is the Tigers' 11th transfer signing of this cycle, but just the second transfer that hasn't played for Golesh before . . . Stanton Ramil, who started for Michigan State at left tackle last season, has signed with Auburn . . . "It feels like family here," he said. "Everybody showed me what it's about here. It feels like home . . . This is a massive keep for Alex Golesh, D.J. Durkin, and company . . . Brown has a deal that projects as one of the most lucrative in the NIL era . . . Byrum Brown, a record-setting quarterback, has officially signed with Auburn Football . . . Larry Scott, Auburn's new tight ends coach, was Newsom's head coach at Howard, and is a big reason for his transfer to the Plains . . . The Tigers now have 10 players committed out of the transfer portal . . . Over the weekend they had a dozen or more guys already on campus . . . Ellis actually graded out better as a pass blocker than a run blocker . . . The 6-foot-2, 207-pound product of Decatur, Ga., took to his own social media to announce that he wasn't going anywhere . . . Gaskin appeared in every game as a true freshman, totaling 12 tackles and an interception. He stepped into a much larger role in 2025, finishing the year with 53 tackles, two passes defended, an interception and a forced fumble . . . He's now the eighth player from USF to come to the Plains . . . The portal officially opened at 11 p.m. CT on Thursday, and things started to pick up . . . Auburn continues to hold onto some of the young talent for DJ Durkin's defense heading into next season . . . One of Auburn's first offers since the opening of the transfer portal has been extended to Charlotte cornerback Dwight Bootle II . . . New head coach Alex Golesh, associate head coach Kodi Burns, and company are already attacking the portal hard . . . Junior Eric Singleton Jr. announced on social media that he plans to forego his final season on the Plains to make himself eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft . . . With Deas set to return, he joins Xavier Atkins, Riddick and Melendez as Auburn linebackers who have confirmed that they will return in 2026 . . . The 6-foot-2 freshman becomes the sixth Auburn receiver expected to enter the portal and the 29th player overall . . . New head coach Alex Golesh is going to have his work cut out for him in adding new players out of the portal . . . Former USF quarterback Byrum Brown has already declared that he intends to enter the transfer portal, and Auburn is the heavy favorite . . . He becomes the 10th offensive lineman expected to depart the program, meaning a full rebuild up front will be in store for the Tigers . . . With Knight and Arnold both expected to leave, incoming freshman Rhys Brush is currently the Tigers' only scholarship quarterback . . . Marchese then flipped his commitment to the Wolverines and signed his letter of intent the same day. But with the firing of former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, he was released from his letter of intent. And now, Marchese is set to become an Auburn Tiger . . . Coleman's decision to enter the portal should be one of the most significant in the 2025-26 cycle . . . Auburn's new coaching staff had been hard at work in attempts to solidify Coleman on next season's roster . . . Alex Golesh will have to go back to the drawing board when it comes to next season's roster construction . . . Coleman is expected to be one of the most sought after players in the transfer portal . . . Chaplin started all 12 games at left tackle for the Tigers in 2025 . . . Auburn is not in the place it is because of lack of talent or lack of resources. It is in this position because of losing games it should have won . . . Crawford recorded 15 tackles in each of his first two seasons on the Plains while knocking down 11 passes and intercepting two. Crawford logged 18 starts with 22 total appearances, totaling 1,083 snaps. He allowed 33 of 65 pass attempts to be caught and gave up just six touchdowns during his time in Auburn . . . He's decided to hit the transfer portal and not return to the Plains for Alex Golesh's first season . . . Robert Woodyard Jr. announced his plans to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday, joining other defensive starters Jay Crawford and Malik Blocton . . . Negotiations between Auburn and Crawford were still ongoing and a return wasn't being ruled out. There's still time for Lee to return too, making the next 10 days equally as important as the 15 days during which the portal will be open . . . Auburn will be in search for an experienced quarterback following the decisions of both Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels to enter the portal . . . "I will always be a Tiger and Auburn will always have a special place in my heart. War Eagle! . . . Given Daniels' plans to transfer, it shows that the staff feels good about landing Brown or another quarterback out of the transfer portal . . . Kayin Lee is the latest who plans to enter the transfer portal . . . Williams is now the 19th Auburn player who's expected to enter the portal . . . As of Friday morning, 17 Auburn players are expected to enter the portal when it opens. That's on top of the 16 players who are out of eligibility, and star defensive lineman Keldric Faulk, who declared for the NFL Draft . . . The transfer portal is set to open on Jan. 2 . . . They could get very creative over the holiday break — or, at least, Pearl and his staff are considering it . . . They're still looking to see if it's possible to add a junior college transfer who could enroll mid-year . . . Blocton played in all 12 games and made eight starts in 2025, finishing the season with 18 tackles, four and a half tackles for loss and half of a sack. He was part of the group that helped Auburn finish the season 12th nationally in fewest rushing yards allowed per game . . . McGough becomes the 17th Auburn player who is expected to enter the portal when it officially opens on Jan. 2 . . . Auburn is losing many key offensive pieces to the transfer portal. But just as fast as you can lose players, you are now able to replace them in this new age of college football. Offensive linemen and wide receivers are the two biggest positions with question marks . . . "I love it here. I feel like this is home . . . Crawford becomes the first starter on Auburn's defense to announce his intentions to enter the portal . . . Fifteen Auburn players are already expected to or have announced their plans to enter the transfer porta . . . Northern Ireland swimmer Matthew Hamilton and Swedish diver Peder Saur Hubred have committed to Auburn University as members of the Tiger men's 2026 recruiting class . . . The portal has been vicious in the early stages for Auburn, with four receivers joining the three offensive lineman who have left The Plains . . . Jay Crawford is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal . . . Geriner, a four-star recruit in the 2022 class out of Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Ga., played in three games and attempted just one pass at Texas State this season . . .
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