Tag: Rivaldo Fairweather

On3 lists two Auburn transfers as potential breakout players

These two transfers could be household names by the end of the 2023 season.

There are plenty of fresh faces on Auburn’s roster which has many fans excited for the upcoming season. There are two in particular that could have breakout seasons at their new home.

On3’s Matt Zenitz recently profiled 20 offensive newcomers across the country that could potentially turn into breakout players in 2023, and two of Auburn’s transfer portal additions made the list.

The first Tiger mentioned on the list is FIU transfer, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag]. Fairweather, a tight end that reeled in 43 passes for 644 yards in three seasons at FIU, and his 6-5 frame will provide a tall target for Auburn’s quarterbacks to throw to this season.

Next up is someone that has made several lists this offseason, offensive lineman [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag]. Last season at Tulsa, Wade participated in 816 snaps at left tackle, allowing just five sacks according to Pro Football Focus. Auburn needs a boost at the offensive line position and may have found it in Wade. He, along with Avery Jones and Gunner Britton, will truly revamp the Tigers’ offensive line.

Other players of note to make the list include Alabama‘s Malik Benson, Florida‘s Graham Mertz, and Louisville’s Jamari Thrash.

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Auburn offers former Michigan WR Andrel Anthony

Auburn is looking to add to their impressive transfer class.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] knows Auburn’s roster needs instant-impact players and the best place for those players is in the transfer portal. The Tigers are looking to add a wide receiver from the portal and on Thursday they extended an offer to former Michigan wide receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag].

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound wideout spent the past two seasons at Michigan and entered the portal on Jan. 4. He has quickly emerged as one of the top portal targets and already has over a dozen scholarship offers.

His best season was in 2021 when he caught 12 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. His production took a step back in 2022, when he caught seven passes for 80 yards and one touchdown.

The Tiger’s top pass catcher last season was [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] who caught just 26 passes for 493 yards and three touchdowns.

Anthony isn’t the only transfer receiver Auburn is targeting, former Georgia State wideout [autotag]Jamari Thrash[/autotag] was scheduled to visit Auburn on Thursday.

The Tigers have done a great job addressing their needs in the portal so far, they have landed two of the top offensive tackles in the portal in [autotag]Gunner Britton[/autotag] and [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag]. They have also added former FIU tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and former Vanderbilt pass-rusher [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag].

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Auburn adds valuable OL from transfer portal

The No. 2 offensive tackle in this year’s transfer portal is coming to the Plains

One of Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze’s goals in rebuilding the program is to win the trenches.

He has gotten off to a great start at reaching that goal.

He earned the flip of JUCO offensive tackle [autotag]Izavion Miller[/autotag] from Ole Miss on signing day, and has now added one of the best available linemen from the transfer portal. Former Tulsa offensive tackle [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag] announced Friday that he is committed to Auburn.

Wade comes to Auburn as the No. 2 offensive tackle in 247Sports transfer portal rankings, and the No. 23 overall player in the transfer portal. He follows offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, who was Wade’s head coach at Tulsa. Wade says that he is excited for the opportunity to follow Montgomery to the Plains.

“Coach (Philip) Montgomery is an outstanding person, he’s a great play-caller, I really appreciate him giving me this opportunity because he gave me the same opportunity out of high school,” Wade told Auburn Undercover. “I really haven’t took that for granted because he was one of the first people that made me feel like I can play at this level.”

According to Auburn Undercover, Wade had offers from USC, Oklahoma, and Colorado, among others. Wade says that he chose Auburn due to the culture that the program has built, and he wants an opportunity to make a statement.

“Ever since I was a kid Auburn’s been a school of interest and as I’ve gotten older, the opportunity came in hand and I feel like I could make something happen here,” Wade said.

Wade becomes the third transfer portal addition that Freeze and staff has signed. He joins former Vanderbilt EDGE [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] and former FIU tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] as new members of Auburn’s roster.

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Hugh Freeze, Spencer Sanders reportedly in contact

After NC State QB Devin Leary signed with Kentucky, Hugh Freeze is seeking another quarterback option from the transfer portal.

Auburn enters the offseason with a lack of depth at the quarterback position.

[autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] remain from last season’s roster following the departures of [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag] and [autotag]Trey Lindsey[/autotag] to the transfer portal. Mix that in with the mysterious future of [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], and the freshness of 2023 signee [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], and Auburn will need to add a quarterback with some sort of experience.

“Yes, we are (going to seek a transfer QB),” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said during his early signing period press conference on Wednesday. “If it’s the right one, that we believe we can win games with.”

The next biggest name tied to Auburn is former Oklahoma State quarterback [autotag]Spencer Sanders[/autotag] according to Nathan King of Auburn Undercover.

Sanders, who entered the transfer portal in early December, would be a solid fit in Freeze’s system due to his success as a passer. In four seasons at Oklahoma State, Sanders passed for 9,553 yards and 67 TD. He is also a threat with his feet, as he has added 1,956 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns to his career total.

Sanders is the next name to watch following former NC State quarterback [autotag]Devin Leary[/autotag]’s signing with Kentucky. Leary visited Auburn prior to the start of the early signing period but elected to sign with the Wildcats. Coastal Carolina’s [autotag]Grayson McCall[/autotag] has also been a hot name to follow, however, he canceled a trip to Auburn due to an “academic snag” according to Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live.

Auburn has inked two additions from the transfer portal since Dec. 5, former Vanderbilt EDGE rusher [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] and former FIU tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag].

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Georgia wins sweepstakes for WR target RaRa Thomas

The Eufaula native elected to join Kirby Smart’s squad over playing for the hometown Tigers.

When Mississippi State wide receiver [autotag]RaRa Thomas[/autotag] announced his intention to enter the transfer portal, Auburn felt as if they had a solid chance to bring him into their program.

Despite multiple visits to Auburn, Thomas elected to transfer to a fellow SEC squad. He announced Thursday that he will transfer to Georgia, and will play receiver for Kirby Smart.

Thomas’ announcement was just part of Georgia‘s good news on Thursday, as former Missouri wide receiver Dominic Lovett also announced that he would be transferring to Georgia.

Thomas grew up in Eufaula, which is a 64-mile drive south of Auburn, and was an attractive name in the portal after a successful two-year stint at Mississippi State, where he reeled in 62 catches for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ air raid system. He was Mississippi State’s leading receiver in 2022, catching 44 passes for 626 yards and seven touchdowns.

Thomas was not highly recruited out of high school, receiving only two power five offers from Mississippi State and South Carolina as a three-star receiver from the 2021 recruiting cycle. His success in Starkville will almost certainly be replicated in Athens.

Auburn has signed two players out of the transfer portal since the window opened on Dec. 5, former Vanderbilt EDGE rusher [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] and former FIU tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag].

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Auburn lands FIU transfer TE Rivaldo Fairweather

Auburn has landed its first commit from the transfer portal and it is a big one.

Auburn prioritized FIU tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and the decision paid off Sunday when he committed to the Tigers.

He is Auburn’s first transfer commitment and is a great start for what should be a big haul. He is ranked as the No. 28 player and No. 3 tight end in the portal by 247Sports.

Auburn was the first school to offer Fairweather when he entered the transfer portal on Dec. 5. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder caught 54 passes for 838 yards and five touchdowns in 26 career games across three seasons.

He is coming off a breakout 2022 season where he caught 28 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns. He ended his FIU career with his best game, grabbing eight catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns against Middle Tennessee State.

With the departure of John Samuel Shenker, Fairweather will have a chance to become an immediate starter when he arrives on the Plains. He and Landen King will give tight ends coach [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] two dynamic playmakers with Luke Deal and Tyler Fromm serving primarily as blockers.

Fairweather is Auburn’s third commit of the day with four-star safety Sylvester Smith flipping from Tennessee to start the day and three-star defensive lineman Stephen Johnson flipping from Arkansas.

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Auburn offers TE Rivaldo Fairweather who plans to visit

Auburn is looking to add a tight end and they have targeted Rivaldo Fairweather.

The transfer portal is officially open and Auburn is going to be heavily involved. One of the Tiger’s early targets is tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag].

In fact, the Tigers were the first school to call and offer him a scholarship on Monday according to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover. While nothing has been scheduled yet he plans to visit the Plains.

The former FIU Panther had a breakout season this year, catching 28 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns as a junior. He will have two seasons of eligibility left at his next destination due to his covid year.

Auburn has a need for a pass-catching tight end now that John Samuel Shenker has run out of eligibility. New tight end coach [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] will have [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag], [autotag]Tyler Fromm[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag], and [autotag]Micah Riley-Ducker[/autotag] to work with next season.

While Deal, Fromm, and Frazier are all experienced upperclassmen they have been primarily used as blockers and lack experience as receiving threats.

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