When [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] took over the head football coaching position at Auburn University, he knew that he would need to add pieces from the transfer portal in order to bring experience to his roster. One of the position groups that needed experience the most was the offensive line.
In a recent press conference, he revealed that it is difficult to evaluate Auburn’s quarterback room due to the play of last season’s offensive line.
“It’s hard for me to adequately judge quarterbacks if they’re not afforded the opportunity to stand in the pocket and make reads and make different throws for a decent percentage of time,” Freeze said. “The sample size for that is pretty small if they weren’t under some type of duress, or maybe it was more of a move-the-pocket scheme.”
Freeze and his staff filled those needs by bringing in three experienced offensive linemen from the transfer portal that have the chance to start immediately. College football analyst Mike Farrell recently singled out one of those additions by calling him Auburn’s most important transfer portal addition.
In a list released recently, Farrell named each SEC team’s most important transfer portal addition. He gave Auburn’s honor to Tulsa transfer [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag].
Tulsa OL transfer Dillon Wade was one of the better offensive linemen in the portal this window. He has starting experience, although it is at the G5 level, so we’ll see if his skills translate to the level needed to play in the SEC. Regardless, I think Wade is a fantastic pickup for Auburn, one that will be an anchor on the offensive line for the Tigers in 2023.
Wade headlines Auburn’s No. 4 transfer portal class alongside fellow linemen Avery Jones from ECU and Gunner Britton, formerly of Western Kentucky. Each offensive line transfer has a four-star ranking by 247Sports.
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