Biggest remaining needs for Auburn football as spring portal window closes
AUBURN — The spring transfer portal window has officially been shut.
That doesn't mean teams like Auburn football can't make additions, though. The portal is simply closed to new entries. If a player is already in the portal, he can take all the time he wants finding a new program to play for next season, as long as he chooses in time to enroll for the fall semester.
The Tigers escaped the spring window with only six departures, the most notable exit being redshirt freshman cornerback Colton Hood, who had lined himself up as the No. 3 CB on the depth chart behind starters Kayin Lee and Keionte Scott. Jay Fair, Auburn's leader in receptions at receiver in 2023, also left. Hood landed at Colorado with his brother, three-star recruit Brandon Hood, and Fair ended up at USC.
With some holes to fill and seven open scholarship spots remaining, here are a few positions of need the Tigers may target over the next few weeks:
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Linebacker
Maybe not the most glaring need in the world — Auburn already has veterans Eugene Asante, Austin Keys, Dorian Mausi Jr. and Robert Woodyard Jr. on the roster to go along with freshmen Demarcus Riddick and DJ Barber — but adding one more linebacker could make sense after fifth-year senior Wesley Steiner hit the portal in April.
The Tigers rotated four players at LB last season, and would like to do so again in 2024. Asante, Keys and Mausi seem to have three of those spots locked down. A portal LB could at best provide some competition with guys such as Woodyard, Riddick and Barber for that fourth spot and at worst give Auburn some added depth.
Wide receiver
The personnel at receiver has been nearly completely overhauled since coach Hugh Freeze arrived in November 2022. Only one player at the position predates Freeze — junior Camden Brown — and Caleb Burton III is the only other WR who was on the roster last season who is poised to return in 2024.
Auburn has nine scholarship receivers rostered after losing Fair and Koy Moore to the spring portal and adding Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who led the Nittany Lions with 673 receiving yards on 53 receptions in 2023. Teams typically roster about 10 scholarship WRs. With four freshmen (Bryce Cain, Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson) and a converted quarterback (Sam Jackson V) set to be in the fold, one more veteran option at receiver could serve the Tigers well.
Cornerback
From cornerbacks Jay Crawford and JC Hart to safeties Terrance Love and Kaleb Harris, Auburn has no shortage of blue-chip talent in the secondary. Options such as Alabama transfer Antonio Kite and former junior-college standout Champ Anthony are in the mix, too.
But losing Hood hurt.
Kite could step up into a main reserve role behind Lee and Scott, but the Tigers would likely benefit from brining in at least one more cornerback. The staff seems to agree, as San Jose State transfer cornerback Jayvion Cole is set to take an official visit to Auburn from May 7-9, he announced in a social media post Thursday.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Highlighting remaining needs as portal window closes
