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. 52 Dillon Wade, offensive lineman, junior

Hometown: Houston, Texas (Cypress Falls High School)

Previous university: Tulsa

Height: 6-3

Weight: 307

A look back at the past: Wade has blossomed in college. He committed to Tulsa as a two-star recruit with no Power 5 offers. But he worked his way onto the field at Tulsa and steadily got better over his first two seasons. Wade started 12 games last season and shows to be adept in both run and pass blocking. Playing left tackle, Wade has already faced Power 5 defensive fronts including Ole Miss and Ohio State during his time at Tulsa. So by the time he decided to leave Tulsa, Wade was ranked as a four-star prospect in the transfer portal. He received interest from multiple Power 5 schools and now has taken the jump into the SEC.

2023 roster outlook: The fit is obvious. Wade came along with new Auburn offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery — the former head coach at Tulsa. At the time of his transfer, Wade was regarded as the second-best offensive lineman in the portal and picked Auburn over USC. He will have continuity with Montgomery, but his addition was necessary: Auburn needs help on the offensive line, badly. Both starting tackles from 2022 — Killian Zierer and Austin Troxell — are gone. Wade could be an instant starter for Auburn. Preseason magazines have him listed as a probable starter at left tackle. Throughout spring practices, Wade was a starting left tackle. That is unlikely to change at fall camp. With so many new faces around the offensive line group, Wade actually is among the more experienced given his familiarity with the new terminology being installed. This is a key player for Auburn in 2023.