Portal class coming together
After a month-long period of watching its roster depart in droves, Auburn is finally on the positive side of the portal chaos.
Head coach Alex Golesh and his staff have worked tirelessly to address key needs over the last week, signing a total of 24 players through the portal, good enough for No. 13 in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings.
There are still needs on the interior of both lines of scrimmage, but offensively, the Tigers are likely set at quarterback, running back, tight end, and wide receiver – though they could stand to add an extra piece to each of the last two rooms.
Defensively, the secondary is shaping up with a couple of portal signings at cornerback after losing both starters from last season. The linebacker room is secure, highlighted by the return of Xavier Atkins – Auburn’s All-American linebacker from last season.
Technically, the last day to enroll in a class at Auburn is Tuesday, January 13, but the Tigers will continue to add some pieces as visits wrap up and the portal closes later in the week.
All in all, Golesh’s first portal class is coming together.
Interesting storylines for next season
Over the weekend, I came across a tweet from AuburnUndercover’s Nathan King highlighting a few interesting storylines for Auburn’s 2026 schedule.
Starting with the season opener, Baylor transfer running back Bryson Washington – a big signing over the weekend – will take on his former team right off the bat. Obviously, the matchup with Florida will provide plenty of drama after Jon Sumrall turned to the Gators late in Auburn’s coaching search. Golesh will square off against his former SEC squad in Tennessee, and Auburn will see familiar faces at Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas, LSU – with added Lane Kiffin drama – and Alabama with Derrick Nix.
It should be fun to monitor.
Big weekend for both basketball programs
As highlighted in our piece on Keyshawn Hall torching Arkansas for 32 points Saturday, the Tigers earned their first SEC win after a pair of tough losses to start conference play.
Would it have been the end-all-be-all if Auburn had lost? No, but it must feel good for Steven Pearl’s Tigers to carry momentum into a lighter week with Missouri on deck for Wednesday and South Carolina at home on Saturday.
Larry Vickers’ women’s squad rebounded from a 61-point loss to No. 2 Texas with its first SEC win of the season at home over Florida. I have not watched much of Vickers’ squad this season, but he is highly thought of, and Auburn athletic director John Cohen believes he has the right guy in place to turn that program around.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Lady Tigers can maintain that momentum forward in a conference with eight teams ranked in the top 25 this week. The Tigers will host No. 21 Alabama on Thursday.
Baseball just around the corner
The baseball junkies don’t have to wait much longer for some action on the diamond.
Butch Thompson’s baseball Tigers will aim to build off a positive 2024-25 campaign that saw the Tigers host a Super Regional for the first time in program history.
Auburn ranks in the top 10 of both Perfect Game and D1Baseball’s top 25 preseason rankings, coming in at No. 10 and No. 9, respectively.
Auburn returns plenty of talent from last season’s roster, including Chris Rembert, Chase Fralick, and Bub Terrell, along with pitchers Christian Chatteron, Griffin Graves, and Andreas Alverez, to name a few.
The Tigers brought in a top-10 class nationally through the high school and transfer portal ranks this offseason. While the losses of Ike Irish and Cooper McMurray in the middle of the lineup will be tough to replace, Auburn will field another talented roster with hopes of reaching the College World Series.
All in all, things are looking up for Auburn athletics. Before we get too ahead of ourselves, though, let’s see how we feel next week. TG
