Football News: 12-19-2025
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Dudley Dent
Dec 19, 2025, 7:49:56 AM (7 days ago) Dec 19
to Tiger Tracks
Auburn Football News: 12-19-2025
5 biggest positions of need for Auburn in the transfer portal:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2025/12/5-biggest-positions-of-need-for-auburn-in-the-transfer-portal.html
The Two Most Critical Positions on Defense for Auburn to Address in the Portal:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/recruiting/the-two-most-critical-positions-on-defense-for-auburn-to-address-in-the-portal-01kcsq0hh6j0
Auburn starting DT Malik Blocton to enter the transfer portal:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-football-transfer-portal-tigers-2025-malik-blocton-266959773/
Auburn kicker announces plans to enter the transfer portal:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2025/12/auburn-kicker-announces-plans-to-enter-the-transfer-portal.html
5 biggest positions of need for Auburn in the transfer portal
By Peter Rauterkusal.com
Just under two weeks still remain before the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, but Auburn’s list of needs seems to be getting longer by the day.
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.
That leaves the Tigers with plenty of needs in the transfer portal, but some positions are thinner than others.
With that said, here are Auburn’s five biggest positions of need in the portal.
Offensive line
Even before three different players up front announced their intentions to enter the portal, Auburn was facing a rebuild on the offensive line.
Four of Auburn’s starters from the final stretch of the season are out of eligibility, and Connor Lew and Xavier Chaplin both have decisions to make regarding the NFL Draft. Even if they stay, Auburn would only have two starters on the offensive line returning next season.
With rotation and reserve players such as DeAndre Carter, Favour Edwin and Seth Wilfred expected to enter the portal, the depth has also taken a hit. Auburn signed four freshman offensive linemen in the early signing period, but freshmen offensive linemen typically don’t play right away.
The Tigers need to replace at least three starters. Freshman center Kail Ellis was the only backup to play significant snaps in 2025, meaning many of those replacements will likely come from the portal.
Defensive line
This is another position that was going to lose many of its top players to graduation, but the situation became even more dire after Malik Blocton announced his plans to enter the portal on Thursday.
Blocton was the only interior defensive lineman consistently in the rotation who was eligible to return next season, meaning a full rebuild now seems likely. That’s not abnormal for Auburn, though, as it signed three defensive line transfers last offseason and four the year prior.
Faulk’s departure also means the Tigers will need to find someone new at defensive end, but Amaris Williams could be the answer at that spot if he stays. Regardless, between defensive end and the interior defensive line, Auburn will likely need to sign at least three to four players up front to rebuild the rotation.
Wide receiver
The big development to follow here is what Cam Coleman decides to do, and any transfer portal strategy at wide receiver will likely be built around his decision. But whether he stays or not, Auburn will need to add at least a player or two at receiver.
Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson and Horatio Fields have already announced their intentions to enter the portal, making Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr. the only major contributors at receiver this season who have not yet declared their intentions to leave.
Auburn signed two freshmen at the position, but will likely look to supplement with at least one or two proven players out of the portal, and that number could rise if more players leave.
Tight end
Tight end was a position of weakness for Auburn in 2025, and it’s already set to lose multiple players from that room. Brandon Frazier, the Tigers’ most consistent tight end, is out of eligibility, and freshman Hollis Davidson III is planning enter the transfer portal.
Auburn signed incoming freshmen DJ Broughton, but could use an experienced tight end who can contribute right away. Preston Howard hasn’t indicated publicly that he plans to leave, but he struggled with drops throughout the 2025 season.
Even if Howard and freshman Ryan Ghea stay, Auburn needs more depth at that position. Coaching tight ends is part of Alex Golesh’s coaching background, and Auburn will hope he and new tight ends coach Larry Scott can turn that position group around at Auburn.
Buck linebacker
An effective edge rusher will be a major need for Auburn in the transfer portal. Faulk’s departure leaves a hole at defensive end, but Keyron Crawford and Chris Murray are out of eligibility, leaving another hole at buck linebacker.
Crawford was arguably Auburn’s most effective pass rusher in 2025, leading the team in pressures. Jared Smith, JJ Faulk and Jamonta Waller are all young players looking to break into the rotation at the position, but Auburn could use at least one experienced buck linebacker who can contribute right away.
Auburn had success recruiting that position out of the transfer portal under Hugh Freeze, signing Crawford and Jalen McLeod. Golesh and the staff will hope for a similar pickup this offseason.
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The Two Most Critical Positions on Defense for Auburn to Address in the Portal
By Dre Gaines
Auburn Daily
The Auburn Tigers have had a list of defenders enter the transfer portal. This leaves many gaps needing to be filled on the defensive side of the ball.
The transfer portal is set to open on Jan. 2. Auburn Tigers on SI examines the two most critical positions needed from the transfer portal on the defensive side of the ball for the Auburn Tigers.
Defensive line/Edge rushers
Auburn is losing both of its starting edge rushers to the NFL Draft, with Keldrick Faulk and Keyron Crawford being the two players entering the draft. The players leave a large void in the front seven for the Tigers. Auburn did sign edge rusher Chris Wells on early signing day, but one player could not fill the void left behind by Faulk and Crawford.
Auburn is also set to lose Malik Blocton, who announced his intention to enter the transfer portal Thursday morning, and defensive lineman Antonio Coleman, who stated that he was entering the portal soon after Alex Golesh was hired.
The defensive line and linebacker core were one of the most stout units on the Auburn defense, holding teams under their usual rushing average for the entire season and finishing with the 12th best rushing defense in the country during the 2025 season.
The entire defensive line will likely have a new look coming into 2026, and it will be up to Golesh and his staff to replace the outgoing players with players leaving the program with players that are in the transfer portal.
Cornerbacks
Starting Auburn cornerback Jay Crawford announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday afternoon, leaving a void in the cornerback room. Rayshawn Pleasant was often the cornerback that stepped in for Crawford when he was injured, but now there is no depth behind Pleasant. Pleasant will likely be the starting corner beside Kayin Lee, should Auburn not bring in any cornerbacks.
Crawford only recorded 15 tackles, one interception, and 4 pass defenses. For a cornerback, not having a lot of tackles and pass defenses means you are not often targeted. That factor alone makes Crawford hard to replace.
Auburn will have to, at a minimum, find a depth cornerback to fill the void being left by Crawford. Expect Lee and Pleasant to be the starting cornerbacks for the Tigers next season, with new faces sitting behind them on the depth chart.
In all, Auburn is losing key pieces on the defensive line and the cornerback room. These two position groups are one of the gears of the Auburn defensive machine that made it elite last season. Expect Auburn’s defense to potentially take a step back from the level it was at last season, but still compete at a high level.
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Auburn starting DT Malik Blocton to enter the transfer portal
By Nathan King
Despite retaining position coach Vontrell King-Williams, Auburn has suffered a big loss on its defensive line.
Sophomore defensive tackle Malik Blocton shared on social media Thursday that he intends to enter the transfer portal. The Montgomery, Alabama, native has been the Tigers' most productive interior defensive lineman for the past two seasons.
Blocton had 18 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in 2025. He played 413 snaps, the most among Auburn's defensive tackles.
A 3-star recruit in the 2024 class, Blocton is the younger brother of former Auburn All-SEC defensive tackle Marcus Harris.
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Auburn kicker announces plans to enter the transfer portal
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn reserve kicker Towns McGough is the latest player to announce his plans to enter the transfer portal.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
https://twitter.com/townsmcgough/status/2001722195987571138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2001722195987571138%7Ctwgr%5E62e57a8593f4fc70b6de36bb9cd95de0908c4ed9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnfootball%2F2025%2F12%2Fauburn-kicker-announces-plans-to-enter-the-transfer-portal.html
McGough spent two seasons at Auburn, redshirting in 2025 after only playing in two games. He started the season as Auburn’s kickoff specialist and long-range placekicker, but was replaced by Connor Gibbs.
In 2024, McGough was Auburn’s starting placekicker and kickoff specialist to start the season, filling in for Alex McPherson while he was sidelined with ulcerative colitis. During that season, McGough went 5-for-12 on field goals and was benched late in the season for Ian Vachon.
McGough becomes the 17th Auburn player who is expected to enter the portal when it officially opens on Jan. 2.
5 biggest positions of need for Auburn in the transfer portal:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2025/12/5-biggest-positions-of-need-for-auburn-in-the-transfer-portal.html
The Two Most Critical Positions on Defense for Auburn to Address in the Portal:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/recruiting/the-two-most-critical-positions-on-defense-for-auburn-to-address-in-the-portal-01kcsq0hh6j0
Auburn starting DT Malik Blocton to enter the transfer portal:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-football-transfer-portal-tigers-2025-malik-blocton-266959773/
Auburn kicker announces plans to enter the transfer portal:
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2025/12/auburn-kicker-announces-plans-to-enter-the-transfer-portal.html
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By Peter Rauterkusal.com
Just under two weeks still remain before the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, but Auburn’s list of needs seems to be getting longer by the day.
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.
That leaves the Tigers with plenty of needs in the transfer portal, but some positions are thinner than others.
With that said, here are Auburn’s five biggest positions of need in the portal.
Offensive line
Even before three different players up front announced their intentions to enter the portal, Auburn was facing a rebuild on the offensive line.
Four of Auburn’s starters from the final stretch of the season are out of eligibility, and Connor Lew and Xavier Chaplin both have decisions to make regarding the NFL Draft. Even if they stay, Auburn would only have two starters on the offensive line returning next season.
With rotation and reserve players such as DeAndre Carter, Favour Edwin and Seth Wilfred expected to enter the portal, the depth has also taken a hit. Auburn signed four freshman offensive linemen in the early signing period, but freshmen offensive linemen typically don’t play right away.
The Tigers need to replace at least three starters. Freshman center Kail Ellis was the only backup to play significant snaps in 2025, meaning many of those replacements will likely come from the portal.
Defensive line
This is another position that was going to lose many of its top players to graduation, but the situation became even more dire after Malik Blocton announced his plans to enter the portal on Thursday.
Blocton was the only interior defensive lineman consistently in the rotation who was eligible to return next season, meaning a full rebuild now seems likely. That’s not abnormal for Auburn, though, as it signed three defensive line transfers last offseason and four the year prior.
Faulk’s departure also means the Tigers will need to find someone new at defensive end, but Amaris Williams could be the answer at that spot if he stays. Regardless, between defensive end and the interior defensive line, Auburn will likely need to sign at least three to four players up front to rebuild the rotation.
Wide receiver
The big development to follow here is what Cam Coleman decides to do, and any transfer portal strategy at wide receiver will likely be built around his decision. But whether he stays or not, Auburn will need to add at least a player or two at receiver.
Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson and Horatio Fields have already announced their intentions to enter the portal, making Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr. the only major contributors at receiver this season who have not yet declared their intentions to leave.
Auburn signed two freshmen at the position, but will likely look to supplement with at least one or two proven players out of the portal, and that number could rise if more players leave.
Tight end
Tight end was a position of weakness for Auburn in 2025, and it’s already set to lose multiple players from that room. Brandon Frazier, the Tigers’ most consistent tight end, is out of eligibility, and freshman Hollis Davidson III is planning enter the transfer portal.
Auburn signed incoming freshmen DJ Broughton, but could use an experienced tight end who can contribute right away. Preston Howard hasn’t indicated publicly that he plans to leave, but he struggled with drops throughout the 2025 season.
Even if Howard and freshman Ryan Ghea stay, Auburn needs more depth at that position. Coaching tight ends is part of Alex Golesh’s coaching background, and Auburn will hope he and new tight ends coach Larry Scott can turn that position group around at Auburn.
Buck linebacker
An effective edge rusher will be a major need for Auburn in the transfer portal. Faulk’s departure leaves a hole at defensive end, but Keyron Crawford and Chris Murray are out of eligibility, leaving another hole at buck linebacker.
Crawford was arguably Auburn’s most effective pass rusher in 2025, leading the team in pressures. Jared Smith, JJ Faulk and Jamonta Waller are all young players looking to break into the rotation at the position, but Auburn could use at least one experienced buck linebacker who can contribute right away.
Auburn had success recruiting that position out of the transfer portal under Hugh Freeze, signing Crawford and Jalen McLeod. Golesh and the staff will hope for a similar pickup this offseason.
*************************
The Two Most Critical Positions on Defense for Auburn to Address in the Portal
By Dre Gaines
Auburn Daily
The Auburn Tigers have had a list of defenders enter the transfer portal. This leaves many gaps needing to be filled on the defensive side of the ball.
The transfer portal is set to open on Jan. 2. Auburn Tigers on SI examines the two most critical positions needed from the transfer portal on the defensive side of the ball for the Auburn Tigers.
Defensive line/Edge rushers
Auburn is losing both of its starting edge rushers to the NFL Draft, with Keldrick Faulk and Keyron Crawford being the two players entering the draft. The players leave a large void in the front seven for the Tigers. Auburn did sign edge rusher Chris Wells on early signing day, but one player could not fill the void left behind by Faulk and Crawford.
Auburn is also set to lose Malik Blocton, who announced his intention to enter the transfer portal Thursday morning, and defensive lineman Antonio Coleman, who stated that he was entering the portal soon after Alex Golesh was hired.
The defensive line and linebacker core were one of the most stout units on the Auburn defense, holding teams under their usual rushing average for the entire season and finishing with the 12th best rushing defense in the country during the 2025 season.
The entire defensive line will likely have a new look coming into 2026, and it will be up to Golesh and his staff to replace the outgoing players with players leaving the program with players that are in the transfer portal.
Cornerbacks
Starting Auburn cornerback Jay Crawford announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday afternoon, leaving a void in the cornerback room. Rayshawn Pleasant was often the cornerback that stepped in for Crawford when he was injured, but now there is no depth behind Pleasant. Pleasant will likely be the starting corner beside Kayin Lee, should Auburn not bring in any cornerbacks.
Crawford only recorded 15 tackles, one interception, and 4 pass defenses. For a cornerback, not having a lot of tackles and pass defenses means you are not often targeted. That factor alone makes Crawford hard to replace.
Auburn will have to, at a minimum, find a depth cornerback to fill the void being left by Crawford. Expect Lee and Pleasant to be the starting cornerbacks for the Tigers next season, with new faces sitting behind them on the depth chart.
In all, Auburn is losing key pieces on the defensive line and the cornerback room. These two position groups are one of the gears of the Auburn defensive machine that made it elite last season. Expect Auburn’s defense to potentially take a step back from the level it was at last season, but still compete at a high level.
*************************
Auburn starting DT Malik Blocton to enter the transfer portal
By Nathan King
Despite retaining position coach Vontrell King-Williams, Auburn has suffered a big loss on its defensive line.
Sophomore defensive tackle Malik Blocton shared on social media Thursday that he intends to enter the transfer portal. The Montgomery, Alabama, native has been the Tigers' most productive interior defensive lineman for the past two seasons.
Blocton had 18 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in 2025. He played 413 snaps, the most among Auburn's defensive tackles.
A 3-star recruit in the 2024 class, Blocton is the younger brother of former Auburn All-SEC defensive tackle Marcus Harris.
**************************
Auburn kicker announces plans to enter the transfer portal
By Peter Rauterkus
al.com
Auburn reserve kicker Towns McGough is the latest player to announce his plans to enter the transfer portal.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
https://twitter.com/townsmcgough/status/2001722195987571138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2001722195987571138%7Ctwgr%5E62e57a8593f4fc70b6de36bb9cd95de0908c4ed9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al.com%2Fauburnfootball%2F2025%2F12%2Fauburn-kicker-announces-plans-to-enter-the-transfer-portal.html
McGough spent two seasons at Auburn, redshirting in 2025 after only playing in two games. He started the season as Auburn’s kickoff specialist and long-range placekicker, but was replaced by Connor Gibbs.
In 2024, McGough was Auburn’s starting placekicker and kickoff specialist to start the season, filling in for Alex McPherson while he was sidelined with ulcerative colitis. During that season, McGough went 5-for-12 on field goals and was benched late in the season for Ian Vachon.
McGough becomes the 17th Auburn player who is expected to enter the portal when it officially opens on Jan. 2.
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