Montgomery Advertiser identifies six players Auburn should target
The Auburn Tigers have questions that need to be answered prior to the kickoff of the 2022 college football season. Just like everyone else, there are more options to address those questions.
With the overpopulated transfer portal, coaches and staff can reach out to these student-athletes looking for a new opportunity. Recently, Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin addressed the three positions that they need to address in the portal.
Harsin understands that he needs help at wide receiver, edge rusher, and safety. With those three positions in mind, Bennett Durando of the Montgomery Advertiser laid out six potential targets. He did note that these players were necessarily being targeted but it is just some food for thought.
With that being said, let’s get to the list that starts with a former Texas Longhorns pass catcher.
Marcus Washington, WR, Texas Longhorns
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Wide receiver has been a position that we have hammered on time and time again. The Advertiser is highlighting former Texas wideout Marcus Washington. He would have been buried on the depth chart this year in Austin with the addition of Isaiah Neyor and possibly Jordan Addison, as well as the talented freshman class coming in.
What The Advertiser Says…
Auburn added Miami transfer and Hewitt-Trussville High School alum Dazalin Worsham, who has an opportunity to develop. But the Tigers still need a receiver with more experience who could fill the need for an instant starter.
They’ve already missed one former Texas receiver: former four-star Kelvontay Dixon, who transferred to SMU. Ricky Pearsall, whose 580 yards led Arizona State last season, included Auburn in his final three but has reportedly narrowed the list to just Florida and Oregon.
Options are thinning, but Marcus Washington is another ex-Longhorn who would provide a jolt. He had 18 receptions for 277 yards last season and was firmly in Texas’ two-deep this spring. The former No. 145 prospect in the 2019 class has two years of eligibility left.
Matt Landers, WR, Toledo
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Dipping into the position once again, we have former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers. He caught 20 passes last year for an average of 25.7 yards per reception. That is the kind of big-play threat this offense really needs.
What The Advertiser Says…
Landers has the experience – the 2017 Georgia signee caught 12 passes in two years as a Bulldog – and the size Auburn could use at wideout. At 6-foot-5, Landers broke out with 20 catches for 514 yards last season at Toledo.
Odua Isibor, Edge, UCLA Bruins
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Auburn defense doesn’t have a lack of talent at the edge position given they have Derick Hall and Eku Leota, they just have a lack of bodies. Adding in an experienced player like Isibor makes a lot of sense for Bryan Harsin and this staff.
What The Advertiser Says…
The Tigers don’t need to find an SEC sacks leader in the portal. They might already have a pair of contenders in Derick Hall and Eku Leota.
They just need someone. Auburn only has three scholarship edge rushers (sophomore Dylan Brooks is the third). The 6-3, 265-pound Isibor will be a sixth-year senior. He has visited Auburn. Last season he contributed 14 tackles at UCLA, 4.5 of which were for a loss.
Marvin Grant, Safety, Purdue Boilermakers
Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Replacing a starter the caliber of Smoke Monday isn’t going to be easy. Luckily with the transfer portal, the task isn’t impossible in year one. With the Boilermakers, Grant tallied 76 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 3 passes defended, and a forced fumble in 2021. He still has two years of eligibility left.
What The Advertiser Says…
A former four-star recruit, Grant is a 6-foot-2 safety who made 75 tackles while starting every game for Purdue last season. The Athletic lists him as the eighth-best player available in the portal.
Auburn had reserve Cayden Bridges and early enrollee Caleb Wooden taking first-team spring reps. Zion Puckett will start when healthy, but he needs help replacing Smoke Monday and Bydarrius Knighten.
Daymon David, Safety, Oregon Ducks
Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Auburn added a trio of former Oregon Ducks over the offseason with quarterback Robby Ashford, defensive tackle Jayson Jones, and defensive back DJ James. What could one more hurt with safety Daymon David?
What The Advertiser Says…
The Oregon-to-Auburn pipeline is already strong: Three of the Tigers’ five incoming transfers were Ducks, including cornerback D.J. James. How about another defensive back? David was the No. 15 safety in the 2021 class, and the four-star appeared in nine games as a freshman despite multiple injuries. A shoulder injury in the Alamo Bowl kept him out of spring practice.
Clay Webb, Offensive Line, Georgia Bulldogs
Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
The Tigers have done a good job this past offseason with bringing players back to the state of Alabama. Clay Webb would be another candidate to return to his home state and potentially play the remainder of his college eligibility.
What The Advertiser Says…
When Harsin addressed Auburn’s biggest roster needs May 3, the offensive line wasn’t one of the position groups he named. Auburn has eight seniors on the front line. But it would help to add a talented transfer with more than one year of eligibility left.
Webb is a former five-star recruit from Oxford, Alabama. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound center has three years remaining after limited playing time at UGA. He didn’t appear in a game in 2021. The in-state prospect has been in the portal for more than a month now.
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