What moves did Auburn make in the transfer portal on Day 1 and what could they mean?

On3′s Pete Nakos reported that more than 1,100 FBS football players had entered their names into the transfer portal by 10 p.m. ET of the portal’s opening day.

And while it’s unlikely there be another day of mass exodus like Monday, that number will surely continue to swell as the transfer portal stays open for another 29 days before the window closes on Jan. 2.

And while there’s still plenty of time to play and so much remaining uncertainty surrounding what could take place in the transfer portal in the weeks to come, Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers made their fair share of moves throughout Monday’s chaos.

Here’s a recap and what it could mean for the Tigers moving forward.

A look at Auburn’s outgoing transfers

Omari Kelly, sophomore WR
Jyaire Shorter, senior WR
Malcolm Johnson Jr., junior WR
Stephen Johnson, freshman DL
Enyce Sledge, freshman DL
Stephen Sings V, junior LB

What’s it mean?: What is there to make of Auburn’s six outgoing transfers? Well, truth be told, not a ton. Obviously the wide receiver room is slated to take a bit of a hit in terms of bodies, but not so much in production. Kelly, Shorter and Johnson Jr. combined for just nine receptions, 144 yards and zero touchdowns. And considering the blue-chip wide receiver class Freeze is set to bring in after signing day, it’s likely safe to assume that guys like 5-star wide receiver Cam Coleman and 5-star wide receiver Perry Thompson could be Day 1 starters or at least Day 1 contributors.

As for the trio of outgoing defensive transfers, again, there isn’t a ton to make of it. When talking about how he’d handle discussions in regards to players transferring, Freeze simply said that he’d be transparent about it. Sometimes that means telling a player that there might be better opportunities for him elsewhere, while other conversations mean asking for patience.

Who in the portal did the Tigers offer on Day 1?

A quick preface: The following names are only players who made their offers public on social media. It’s important to note that most of your “big name” portal targets aren’t unveiling every offer they receive, if they unveil any at all. So take that for what it’s worth.

Nonetheless, there are a handful of guys who reported receiving offers from Freeze and the Tigers on Day 1. Here’s who they are:

What’s it mean?: A couple things to note here, starting with the wide receivers. Though there’s no question Freeze has confidence in the young, high school wide receivers he’s set to bring in, he realizes that they will be just that when they arrive to The Plains: young. As such, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Auburn might be looking to add some experienced depth to that position room. And with guys like Purdue’s Burks and Vanderbilt’s Sheppard, the Tigers would be doing just that. Burks tallied 47 receptions for 629 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, while Sheppard, ironically, also tallied 47 receptions in 2023, but for 684 yards and eight touchdowns. The numbers of both Burks and Sheppard would’ve made them Auburn’s lead receiver through the offseason.

As for the offensive line, it’s an area Freeze was expected to hit hard in the portal as three of Auburn’s main pieces along the offensive front are out of eligibility in Gunner Britton, Avery Jones and Kam Stutts. Not to mention, having a crowded offensive line room is never a bad problem to have considering the position is so injury prone. Each of the aforementioned starters spent some time dinged up through the regular season, so Freeze is looking to add a bit of depth and could find a few key pieces in doing so. Kilty, Scott and Herron make up three of 247Sports’ top-five available offensive tackles in the transfer portal. And according to each of their social media accounts, Freeze and the Tigers extended offers to them on Day 1. Auburn’s offer to Carmona Jr. out of San Jose State is another notable one as he earned an 82.0 grade on 765 snaps, via Pro Football Focus.

Defensively, Freeze had griped throughout the season about the Tigers not having enough depth along the defensive front and guys like Marcus Harris having to play too many snaps. Auburn’s offers to Clifton and Harmon look to be an effort to remedy that, while possibly finding a starter or two. Though Harris still has one year of eligibility remaining, it’s possible he looks toward the NFL Draft. In that scenario, the need to beef up the defensive line becomes even greater. Together, Clifton and Harmon combined for 70 tackles, seven sacks, a forced fumble and an interception in 2023.

Meanwhile, should Auburn land a guy like Arkansas’ Paul Jr., the Tigers’ linebacker room would get an immediate boost as Paul comes with two seasons of SEC experience in which he combined for 136 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss and six sacks. Paul also boasts the upside of having multiple years of eligibility remaining. The Tigers are set to lose linebackers Elijah McAllister and Larry Nixon as the pair have run out of eligibility.

On the backend, Auburn’s offers to a pair of defensive backs in Robinson and Lee point to the Tigers looking to add experience to the defensive secondary as guys like Nehemiah Pritchett and DJ James have run out of eligibility. And it’s possible Auburn sees other veteran defensive backs depart, should they declare for the NFL Draft. Nonetheless, the Tigers have a solid foundation with young defensive backs like Kayin Lee, Sylvester Smith and Colton Hood — all blue-chip DBs from last year’s recruiting class. But the addition of players like Robinson and Lee would bring experience to that room as the two combine for four years of playing experience, 134 total tackles, seven interceptions and 20 pass break ups.