A new coach at Auburn meant significant roster turnover would surely follow. Before Hugh Freeze’s team lines up for fall practices in a few weeks, his roster has more than three dozen new faces, including more than 20 transfers. In his first offseason back in the SEC, Freeze took advantage of the new landscape the transfer portal has made for college football to reshape the Tigers. Auburn brought in the fifth-ranked transfer class, according to 247Sports, and led the nation with 11 four-star rated transfers.

Here’s a look at one of them…

No. 21 Brian Battie, running back, junior

Hometown: Sarasota, FL

Previous University: USF

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 170

A look back at the past: Battie was a star on a struggling USF team before entering the transfer portal. In 2021, he returned three kickoffs back for a touchdown and was named an All-American. In 2022, he set a program record for the Bulls with 1,936 all purpose yards. He had five straight 100-yard rushing games. The Tampa Bay Times reported that after the end of the 2022 season, Battie said he would not enter the transfer portal. But USF fired head coach Jeff Scott following the season and about a month before Battie entered the portal, hired former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh to lead the program.

Battie, albeit a smaller running back, is known for his speed and in 2022 he developed into a more complete ball carrier. Auburn offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery saw Battie first-hand in games against USF as the former head coach at Tulsa.

“He was the guy we needed to stop, for sure,” Montgomery said of that game during Auburn spring practices. “Because he’s electric with the ball in his hands. And if you notice, he doesn’t take many straight-on hard hits if you go back and truly watch his tapes. He’s a guy that understands how to maneuver himself and find ways to stay positive and finish forward.”

2023 season outlook: Auburn’s running back room may be the strongest position group on the team. That makes Battie’s role a bit hard to decipher. But what is sure is Battie will be a part of Auburn’s special teams, especially given his previous All-American status as a returner.

Freeze brought in an experienced and productive running back of course with the expectation he would contribute. He had seven carries in the A-Day game, though it’s hard to take too much from a spring game. Junior running back Jarquez Hunter is still expected to lead the backfield and highly ranked freshman Jeremiah Cobb seems to figure into the rotation. Barring injuries, Battie’s most likely role as a running back will be part of a rotation of ball carriers behind Hunter.