Tag: Landen King

Former Auburn WR Landen King commits to Pac-12 school

He caught six passes in his two seasons at Auburn.

Former Auburn Tiger [autotag]Landen King[/autotag] is headed to the Pac-12. The former wide receiver and tight end at Auburn announced he will be transferring to Utah Wednesday afternoon on Twitter.

King entered the portal on April 30 and quickly emerged as a top target, earning offers from Utah, Colorado, Pittsburgh and others.

Utah has gone 10-4 in each of the past two seasons and won back-to-back Pac-12 titles under Kyle Whittingham.

This was King’s second time in the portal, he originally entered in November but decided to withdraw and stay at Auburn.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder caught six passes for 83 yards and one touchdown in his two seasons on the Plains. He signed with Auburn in 2021 as a three-star prospect and spent his first season at tight end before moving to wide receiver ahead of the 2022 season.

He was one of 10 Auburn players to enter the transfer portal during the spring window and seven have now found their new schools. King (Utah), Colby Smith (Troy), Kameron Brown (Chattanooga), Jeffrey M’Ba (Purdue), Desmond Tisdol (FAU), Craig McDonald (Minnesota) and Tar’Varish Dawson (Colorado) have all announced their transfer destination with TJ Finley, Tobechi Okoli and Powell Gordon still in the portal.

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Landen King to join the transfer portal once again

King enters his name on the final day of the spring transfer portal window.

Wide receiver and tight end [autotag]Landen King[/autotag] will be entering the transfer portal for the second time since November. King broke the news via his personal Twitter account on Sunday.

In 2021, King’s first season with the program, King caught five passes for 59 yards and one touchdown. In 2022, King caught one pass for 24 yards in Auburn’s loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Humble, Texas native was a three-star recruit with a 0.8748 composite according to 247Sports. King was the No. 592 ranked player nationally, the No. 29 ranked tight end and the No. 88 ranked player in the state of Texas in the class of 2021.

With King’s departure from the program, 15 of the 18 signees from Auburn’s 2021 recruiting class are no longer with the program. This includes each of the top 10 signees.

King joins edge rusher [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Colby Smith [/autotag] as the third member of the team to enter the portal this weekend and the ninth to do so since the portal reopened earlier this month.

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Former Colorado receiver obtains offer from Auburn

One of Colorado’s top playmakers from 2022 is looking for a new home, and Auburn is interested.

[autotag]Montana Lemonious-Craig[/autotag] had a stellar spring game last weekend for Colorado by reeling in six passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. His score was a 98-yard reception from quarterback Shedur Sanders.

So it was understandably shocking to Buffaloes fans when Lemonious-Craig announced his intent to enter the transfer portal one day after Colorado’s sold-out spring game.

Colorado’s loss could turn into Auburn’s gain.

Not even 24 hours after entering the portal, Lemonious-Craig announced that he had received a myriad of offers from Penn State, BYU, Mississippi State, and Arizona. Included in the bunch was an offer from Auburn.

Lemonious-Craig was used sparingly during his first two seasons in Boulder, as he caught just 11 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. His best season was in 2022 when he caught a team-leading 23 passes for 359 yards and three scores. He was Colorado’s second-leading receiver in terms of yards, trailing only Jordyn Tyson.

During spring practice, head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] shared that he was looking for an “alpha” to step up and lead the receiving room, similar to what he had with Laquon Treadwell during his days at Ole Miss. After reaching the top of Colorado’s receiving stats last season, and having a huge game for the Buffaloes in the spring game, Freeze may have seen signs of “alpha” in Lemonious-Craig, thus sending an offer.

Among those returning to Auburn’s roster at receiver include [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag], and [autotag]Landen King[/autotag]. [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] of Cincinnati is also joining the group from the transfer portal.

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Hugh Freeze is looking for the next ‘alpha’ in his receiving group to step up

Freeze coached many great receivers during his time at Ole Miss, and wants to do the same at Auburn.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has shared his desire to build an improved quarterback room over spring practice and summer workouts. One way to do that is by making sure that the winning quarterback has plenty of talent on the receiving end of his passes.

The receiving corps is another area that Freeze addressed early on in his first spring practice as the Tigers’ head coach. Freeze feels that he has the talent to make his quarterbacks successful, but he is looking for that one receiver to step up and take on the “leader of the pack” role.

In his years at Ole Miss, Freeze had the likes of D.K. Metcalf, Laquon Treadwell, and A.J. Brown grace his roster, thus making his passing game one of the best in the nation. Freeze says that he hopes to find that type of talent and leadership within his current group of receivers.

“We always felt like we had a good matchup or two that in our system if they got the right look on their field that they had the capability of winning that one-on-one battle,” Freeze said of his receivers at Ole Miss. “We’ve got to get to that point (at Auburn). Are we there yet? I don’t know. But we certainly have to get there.”

There are certainly many athletes that could be that “alpha” on this year’s roster. [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Landen King[/autotag], and [autotag]Ja’varrius Johnson[/autotag] return from last season’s roster, and Auburn has added Cincinnati transfer [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] into the mix as well.

Auburn will continue spring practice on select dates throughout March and will conclude matters during the annual A-Day game on April 8.

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Offensive lineman announces plans to enter transfer portal

With the transfer portal opening on Monday, this offensive lineman plans to use his two years of eligibility to play elsewhere.

The transfer portal officially opens for business on Monday, Dec. 5, and many athletes are making plans to enter.

It has been relatively quiet on The Plains as far as those announcing their intent to enter the portal, but one Tiger has announced his intention to use his final two seasons of eligibility to play elsewhere as a graduate transfer.

[autotag]Keiondre Jones[/autotag], who saw time at right guard off the bench, announced Thursday that he will look for a new home as he pursues his master’s degree.

Jones did not receive a start this season but recorded 334 total snaps over 11 games in 2022. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones received a grade of 53% this season, with his strongest category being pass blocking, where he graded at 61.9%. He allowed two sacks and six hurries.

On the other side of the portal, wide receivers [autotag]Landen King[/autotag] and [autotag]Ze’vian Capers[/autotag] have announced their intentions to return to Auburn after entering the portal during the season.

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Report: Landen King has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal

The promising pass catcher has left the portal and will reportedly return to Auburn.

Despite entering the transfer portal earlier this month [autotag]Landen King[/autotag] is now set to return to Auburn, according to a report from Nathan King of Auburn Undercover.

King came to Auburn as a three-star tight end but switched to wide receiver during the spring.

He opted to sit out of the rest of the season in October and redshirt to preserve his eligibility. At the time he reportedly did not plan on entering the portal. However, he announced his plans to enter the portal in November.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound King has caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in his time on the Plains.

While Auburn has yet to hire a head coach to replace Byran Harsin, whoever they hire will have a talented player who has been underutilized in his time at Auburn but has the potential to be an impact receiver.

King has not released a statement on the reports but appeared to confirm the reports with a tweet.

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Where are they now?: The curious case of Auburn’s 2021 signing class

The nation’s No. 18 signing class from 2021 is only halfway standing after the news of Landen King, A.D. Diamond, and Tar’varish Dawson’s intent to transfer.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] was dealt a great hand to open his tenure on the Plains.

Just one week before the official announcement of the Harsin hire, Auburn signed the nation’s No. 18 recruiting class according to 247Sports, a class that consisted of 18 high school players, six of whom were rated as four-star prospects.

However, just two years after faxing their National Letter of Intent to the university, half of those signees that were expected to be the future of the program now appear on another program’s roster. The number has grown now that tight end [autotag]Landen King[/autotag] has announced his intent to enter the transfer portal. One day later, wide receiver [autotag]Tar’varish Dawson[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]A.D. Diamond[/autotag] also announced that they were looking to test the transfer waters once the season concluded, moving the number of departures from seven players to ten in just two days.

Why is that? No one can for sure say at this time, but it is definitely a concern. Not only are the departures concerning, but the lack of production from this class is worrisome.

The headliner from this class is running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], who has been given an opportunity to complement Tank Bigsby in the running game. Outside of Hunter, defensive players such as [autotag]Dylan Brooks[/autotag], [autotag]Cayden Bridges[/autotag], [autotag]Marquis Robinson[/autotag], and [autotag]Joko Willis[/autotag] have combined to play just 236 of Auburn’s 513 defensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus. Between those four players, Bridges is receiving the bulk of those snaps with 173.

With the recent news of King, Dawson, and Diamond’s departure, Auburn Wire is here to break down Auburn’s 2021 signing class, and who is still a part of it.

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Who is still here? Who has gone on to play for another program? All of that information is below:

BREAKING: Landen King enters transfer portal

King appeared in three games this year.

Another Auburn player has elected to enter the transfer portal.

This time, its wide receiver and tight end [autotag]Landen King[/autotag], who most notably caught Auburn’s first touchdown pass in overtime in its loss to the Crimson Tide in 2021. The Texas native said he plans to enter the portal on Dec. 5.

King hasn’t seen too much action this year, which may be a contributing factor in his decision. He’s played in three games but caught just one pass so far in 2022, which was a 24-yard reception against Penn State. His trajectory is a major step down from last year, where he played in eight games and caught five passes for 59 yards, one of which was that touchdown pass against Alabama.

With the announcement, King is now the second player to transfer out of the program in as many days after defensive lineman [autotag]Zykeivous Walker[/autotag] announced his intent to transfer on Monday.

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New list names potential Auburn breakout candiates

Who do you think will emerge as a star player this season for Auburn?

You never know which players could break out over a season, but there are certainly some that show more potential than others.

A new list by the Montgomery Advertiser has done its best to try and predict who these players will be, and it’s never an easy feat. Here is the criteria the new list uses to try and determine which Auburn players could shine under [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s second year with the Tigers:

“There are two schools of thought for applicable returners. The first type: someone who hasn’t gotten much playing time in previous years and who Auburn needs to step up with increased reps. The second type: someone who’s already a regular but underachieved last season.”

There will certainly be an influx of these types of players coming to play for Auburn in Bryan Harsin’s second year. Following the departure of Bo Nix and a massive wave of transfers out of the program following Bryan Harsin’s controversy, plenty of players will have the chance to make their mark on the program as Harsin will desperately look to prove his worth and keep his job at the end of the 2022 season.

Here are the six players the list names as potential breakout stars for this— upcoming college football season:

Five takeaways from Auburns’s annual A-Day game

Here are some quick takeaways from A-Day.

Spring practice is complete for the Auburn Tigers. Auburn had their annual A-Day spring game Saturday afternoon in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Team Tigers defeated Team Auburn 10-9 after a failed two-point conversion attempt on the final play of the game.

Due to players being limited with injuries, Auburn had to split the team. The first-team offense was led by T.J. Finley and went against the second-team defense. Meanwhile, Oregon transfer Robby Ashford led the second-team offense against the first-team defense.

Freshman Holden Geriner led the final drive of the game and connected with Landen King for a touchdown. Here are some instant takeaways from the game.