The Auburn Tigers lost a veteran presence in the defensive front seven on Monday, as former 4-star linebacker Wesley Steiner announced he would be entering the transfer portal ahead of the upcoming season.
After coming onto the Plains with heavy expectations as a highly-touted freshman, Steiner struggled to accumulate consistent playing time over four seasons as a Tiger. The Warner Robins, GA native did rack up 46 total tackles in 2022 but managed just 39 over his other three seasons.
Steiner did manage a season-high 5 tackles in Baton Rouge last season, but unfortunately barely played after that game, ultimately not managing any defensive statistics after November 11 against Arkansas.
His career-high mark in the tackle department also came against LSU during his best season on the Plains, when he put up an 11-tackle outing in a four-point loss.
With the emergence of [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] in the middle of Auburn’s defensive unit, Steiner’s path to playing time this season was ambiguous at best. The senior will hope to find a home with a more direct route to snaps in the coming weeks.
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