Auburn football lands former Texas A&M, USC defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes from portal
AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze was telling the truth when he said the Tigers planned to target some big defensive bodies in the transfer portal.
Freeze and his staff picked up a commitment from former Texas A&M and USC defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes on Monday, Raikes announced in an Instagram post with Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports. The pledge comes just one day after Auburn grabbed another defensive lineman in Indiana transfer Philip Blidi, who had 30 tackles for the Hoosiers in 2023.
Raikes, who began his collegiate career with four seasons at Texas A&M, spent spring practice with the Trojans after he transferred to USC in January. He did not want to use his last year of eligibility at USC, though, as he hit the portal again earlier in the month.
The 6-foot-2, 320-pound Raikes left Texas A&M with 43 career tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also added a pass deflection and a forced fumble. He was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2020, rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 400 overall player in the country and the No. 41 defensive tackle.
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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: Isaiah Raikes: Texas A&M, USC transfer commits to Auburn football
