Bret Bielema seems to be upset that Avery Jones flipped from Illinois to Auburn
Auburn Football snagged its’ 10th athlete from the transfer portal on Tuesday when former ECU center Avery Jones announced that he would be joining the Tigers roster.
Jones’ commitment was the third from the transfer portal since Monday joining former Cincinnati wide receiver Nick Mardner and former USF running back Brian Battie. He also becomes the third top-five-ranked lineman that Auburn has acquired through the transfer portal, joining Dillon Wade and Gunner Britton.
Auburn fans are understandably excited about Jones’ commitment. However, there are fans of another program, and even its head coach, that is disappointed that they missed out.
Jones committed to Illinois on Dec. 12, but changed his mind nearly a month later. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema shared his displeasure with Jones’ change of heart on Twitter.
In his first tweet, the former Arkansas head coach says that Auburn’s success with NIL led to Jones flipping from the Fighting Illini to the Tigers.
College football is changing everyday #NIL https://t.co/R2ZT4op4T0
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) January 10, 2023
He did not stop there. He later quote tweeted Illini Inquirer writer Jeremy Werner’s tweet with a “we did not want him anyway” style comment.
Loss???? #ILL https://t.co/sBJ8YIey1x
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) January 10, 2023
Jones, who has one season of eligibility remaining, spurned the Illini in favor of playing in the SEC to boost his draft stock. With Jones’ commitment, Auburn now ranks No. 3 in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings, behind Florida State and Colorado.
