Three recent Auburn commits rank among The Athletic’s top spring transfer portal players

Auburn has had a successful spring transfer portal window by landing the nation’s best available talent.

Auburn football has filled several needs during the early portion of the spring transfer portal window, which includes several big names.

The Athletic released its ranking of the top 20 spring transfer portal players, with three players being removed from the list following their commitments to Auburn.

Auburn landed former Indiana defensive lineman Philip Blidi last week, who is considered a “great fit” for Auburn by CBS Sports. Blidi checked in at No. 20 in Max Olson’s rankings following a great season at Indiana in 2023.

The 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive tackle played a rotational role at Texas Tech for three seasons before he joined the Hoosiers and recorded 30 tackles, four TFLs and 15 pressures over 11 starts.

One spot above Blidi at No. 19 is former Arkansas State defensive lineman [autotag]Keyron Crawford[/autotag], who committed to Auburn on Monday. Crawford was a threat in his opposition’s backfield last season by making over 10 tackles for loss.

The 6-foot-4, 243-pound pass rusher had a strong sophomore season for the Red Wolves with 45 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles and ranked in the top 10 among Sun Belt defensive linemen in pressures (39), according to PFF. He’s a former basketball player who has only played football for three years, so there’s plenty of room to grow.

Former Penn State wide receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] is Auburn’s most recent transfer portal addition. Lambert-Smith was Penn State’s top receiver last season and looks to provide leadership to Auburn’s young receiver room. He rounds out the list at No. 5.

Lambert-Smith started 38 games over his four years with the Nittany Lions and emerged as the clear No. 1 target for quarterback Drew Allar in 2023, finishing with 53 catches for 673 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 184-pound senior has one more season of eligibility and is looking to boost his NFL Draft position elsewhere.

Auburn has secured 13 transfer portal commitments since December and has climbed into the top 25 of 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings by checking in at No. 23.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__