In any transaction at any level of sports, there is a winner and a loser more often than not. It can be subjective based on the information made available. The Auburn Tigers have seen a mass exodus at the team level and on the coaching staff.
Our focus here will be on the talent of the 2022 football. Team, it is well documented as far as the losses through the transfer portal. At the very top, the team lost veteran quarterback Bo Nix to the Oregon Ducks and leading receiver Kobe Hudson to the Central Florida Knights. The perception is that Auburn is hemorrhaging talent.
On the flip side, they added 2021 Texas A&M starting quarterback Zach Calzada that led the Aggies to an 8-4 record and defeated Alabama in College Station. They also added a former four-star quarterback with Oregon’s Robby Ashford. He didn’t play for the Ducks but he will battle Calzada and former LSU Tigers quarterback TJ Finley, who joined the team last season.
The team also added a pair of Duck defenders to the team that should be in line to make a contribution. Jayson Jones will help beef up the interior of the defensive line. He tallied 19 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks in 10 games with Oregon. The 6’6″ 310-pound interior defender should have ample opportunities.
Much like Jones, DJ James returns to his home state of Alabama to play for the Tigers. He racked up 72 tackles and six passes defended for the Oregon defense. With the loss of Roger McCreary to the NFL and Dreshun Miller to the portal, he could see immediate playing time. James appeared in 12 games for the Ducks in 2021.
Brandon Marcello of 247Sports gathered the data on the comings and goings through the transfer portal and despite the perception of Auburn, the Tigers were better than others in the portal.
What Marcello Says…
Five departures rank higher than Auburn’s top incoming transfer (Oregon defensive lineman Jayson Jones).
Still, if Auburn can work the portal and find a handful of replacements, the Tigers’ net rating will improve and the Tigers will rise. The sheer number of departures is concerning but the quality of incoming talent is not terrible as some believe.
Auburn came in ranked at No. 11 in the SEC. Georgia was dead last as they added no players in the transfer portal. The team also came ahead of LSU in the rankings, who were No. 12. LSU has been among the top teams in the transfer portals, but the data says otherwise.
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