10 Former 4-Star Recruits Leaving Auburn Via NCAA Transfer Portal
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
As the old saying goes, “momma always said there would be days like this”, but if you are an Auburn fan, watching eight players on offense and eight on defense leave the program is difficult to watch happen. Mixed into the 16 players seeking greener pastures, 10 are former four-star players. To somewhat balance it out, Auburn has brought on five players via the transfer portal, four former three-stars, and all defensive players. The result of the comings and goings, that is a wait and see game.
The diehard Auburn fans can give plenty of reasons why it is “okay” to lose this player or that player; lack of playing time or perceived depth at a given position, but replenishing top players is easier said than done. Auburn wrapped the 2020 recruiting class ranked seventh in the nation. After the transition at the top from Gus Malzahn to Bryan Harsin at the end of the 2020 season, the changeover dropped the 2021 class to 19th overall, seventh in the SEC. Worth noting, the 2021 class included five four-star players.
The early outside look into Auburn’s recruiting efforts for the 2022 haul, recruits are in a wait and see mode. There is plenty of time to catch-up, but Auburn is currently ranked 48th in the nation, 13th in the SEC, with three commits. Within the SEC, one slot better than Ole Miss and one spot behind South Carolina. Once visits open up on June 1st, across the board in the SEC verbal commitments should start stockpiling giving a better indication of which teams are truly being successful with their early recruiting efforts. The current lag for Auburn could be a forgotten thing in the coming weeks.
With the losses to the depth chart, there may not have been enough of the pigskin to go around in the backfield, but Auburn did lose experienced backs in D.J. Williams and Mark-Anthony Richards. On defense, losing senior defensive tackle Daquan Newkirk to Florida is a bitter pill to swallow. End Jaren Handy looked like an eventual replacement for Big Kat Bryant. On the spectrum of frustration, watching 2020 four-star defensive tackle Jay Hardy and four-star safety Chris Thompson Jr., backup to Smoke Monday, take off before their career on The Plains even really began.
As the NCAA Transfer Portal takes on a new life of its own, Auburn has time to fill holes with top players seeking SEC opportunities. At some point, whatever Auburn has on the roster is what they’ll have to work with as they prepare to kickoff the 2021 season of Sept. 4 against Akron.
Auburn Tigers Transfer Portal Activity
Offense (8)
4-Star QB Cord Sandberg – Auburn to Eastern Kentucky
3-Star QB Chayil Garnett – Auburn to – undetermined
4-Star RB D.J. Williams – Auburn to Florida State
4-Star RB Harold Joiner – Auburn to Michigan State
4-Star RB Mark-Anthony Richards – Auburn to UCF
4-Star WR Matthew Hill – Auburn to South Florida
3-Star OL Kamaar Bell – Auburn to FAU
3-Star OL Justin Osborne – Auburn to SMU
Defense (8)
4-Star DT Daquan Newkirk – Auburn to Florida
4-Star DT Coynis Miller – Auburn to Jackson State
4-Star DE Jaren Handy – Auburn to Indiana
4-Star DE Jay Hardy – Auburn to – undetermined
3-Star LB Octavius Brothers – Auburn to Purdue
3-Star LB Josh Marsh – Auburn to – undetermined
4-Star DB Chris Thompson Jr. – Auburn to USC
3-Star CB Kamal Hadden – Auburn to Tennessee
Incoming Tigers (5)
3-Star DL Andrew Leota – Northwestern to Auburn
3-Star DT Tony Fair – UAB to Auburn
3-Star CB Dreshun Miller – West Virginia to Auburn
3-Star DB Donovan Kaufman – Vanderbilt to Auburn
DB Bydarrius Knighten – Southeast Missouri State to Auburn
Photo credit: AP News; Daquan Newkirk vs. Samford