Where should Auburn football focus in the portal? A position-by-position breakdown

AUBURN — Auburn football has made six additions through the transfer portal since the regular season came to a close, with two of those newcomers committing to the team Monday.

Coach Hugh Freeze's first acquisition off the offseason came in the form of former Georgia State receiver Robert Lewis, who committed to Auburn in December. The Tigers went on to add WR Sam Jackson V, who played quarterback at Cal but will be making a position change on the Plains, tight end Rico Walker (Maryland), defensive linemen Trill Carter (Texas) and Gage Keys (Kansas) and linebacker Dorian Mausi (Duke).

Freeze led a charge that landed 20 transfers last offseason. It probably won't be as busy this time around for Auburn, but the Tigers are still in desperate need of some reinforcements throughout their roster. The deadline for transfers to enroll at Auburn and be eligible for spring practice is Jan. 17, as that's the last day to add courses for the upcoming semester.

Here's a position-by-position breakdown of where Freeze could look to add talent.

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Quarterback (1)

Freeze put his confidence behind incumbent starter Payton Thorne on Dec. 16. Then the Tigers got blasted by Maryland in the Music City Bowl and Freeze's postgame comments were much less supportive of the former Michigan State Spartan: "It's wide open," Freeze said of the QB situation.

There seemed to be some natural interest in Liberty transfer QB Kaidon Salter when he entered the portal Tuesday − Freeze recruited him to play for the Flames − but he's since withdrawn his name. The potential for Auburn to add a QB still seems to remain, but only under the correct circumstances.

Running back (0)

Assuming Jarquez Hunter chooses to return, the Tigers are set with a talented trio in the backfield: Hunter, redshirt sophomore Damari Alston and sophomore Jeremiah Cobb. Third-year RB Sean Jackson could be in the mix, too.

Wide receiver (0)

Auburn has 10 scholarships WRs on the roster, with four of those being incoming freshman, four being returners from last season and two being portal additions. The Tigers are also still after 2024 five-star receiver Ryan Williams, who will be committing in February.

An addition at WR could happen, but the Tigers appear set in terms of numbers at the position.

Tight end (0)

The addition of Walker makes perfect sense. The former four-star recruit has three years of eligibility remaining, and he replaces Tyler Fromm as one of Auburn's five scholarship TEs.

Offensive line (2)

Math could be used here. Auburn started the 2023 campaign with 15 scholarship offensive linemen, but Garner Langlo left the team midseason and four players ran out of eligibility after the bowl game, with three of those being key contributors in Freeze's first year.

The Tigers are bringing in three new faces on the OL in a couple of a freshmen − four-star IOL DeAndre Carter and three-star OT Favour Edwin − and junior college prospect Seth Wilfred. That leaves two spots potentially open.

Defensive line (2)

Auburn's defense suffered multiple impactful losses this offseason, but perhaps none bigger − figuratively and literally − than standout defensive lineman Marcus Harris. Harris had a breakout campaign in 2023 and was the highest-graded DL in the SEC, per Pro Football Focus.

Replacing him may take a committee, which is why the Tigers may go after a couple more players on the D-line even after bringing in Carter and Keys. This is all without mentioning Justin Rogers, too, who accepted his invitation to the Shrine Bowl but has yet to announce his plans for the future.

Jack linebacker (1)

With Elijah McAllister out of eligibility, the logical replacement for him is four-star prospect Jamonta Waller. Jalen McLeod is back and figures to have a big season, but is pairing him with a true freshman the right move? Maybe so, but it couldn't hurt to add some depth to allow Waller to get up to speed.

Linebacker (0)

The Tigers already landed Mausi, joining him with Eugene Asante, Austin Keys and Cam Riley. Auburn had a two-deep rotation at LB last year, and Mausi should jump right in and take the spot that was previously occupied by Larry Nixon III.

Defensive back (2)

Keionte Scott signaled Monday evening that he plans to return, which is relieving news for Auburn fans, but the Tigers have already lost CBs DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett and safeties Jaylin Simpson and Zion Puckett.

The defensive backfield has talented youth, but some veteran additions would serve Auburn well.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football's biggest transfer portal needs before spring