Where does Auburn football's roster stand as transfer portal opens?

AUBURN — The next two weeks are sure to be Alex Golesh's busiest yet as Auburn football coach, with the offseason's lone transfer portal window opening Friday, Jan. 2, and staying open until Jan. 16.

Few teams in the country are facing as much turnover as the Tigers, with 30 players expected to enter the transfer portal when it opens. Twenty of those departures signed with Auburn out of high school, and 19 of them were blue-chip prospects, meaning Golesh will have plenty of talent to replace — or try to court for a return to the Plains.

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Here's a position-by-position breakdown of Auburn's roster heading into the transfer window, including a look at Auburn's, and Golesh's, history of recruiting the portal in recent seasons.

Quarterback

• Additions: Rhys Brush (Signee)

• Departures: Ashton Daniels (Transfer); Deuce Knight (Transfer); Jackson Arnold (Transfer)

• Projected Returnees: N/A

Running Back

• Additions: N/A

• Departures: Damari Alston (Transfer); Justin Jones (Eligibility)

• Projected Returnees: Alvin Henderson; Durell Robinson; Jeremiah Cobb; Omar Mabson

Wide Receiver

• Additions: Brady Marchese (Signee); Brian Williams Jr. (Signee); DeShawn Spencer (Signee)

• Departures: Cam Coleman (Transfer); Cam'Ron King (Transfer); Horatio Fields (Transfer); Malcolm Simmons (Transfer); Perry Thompson (Transfer); Sam Turner (Transfer)

• Projected Returnees: Bryce Cain; Duke Smith; Eric Singleton Jr.; Erick Smith

Tight End

• Additions: DJ Broughton (Signee)

• Departures: Brandon Frazier (Eligibility); Camden Etheredge (Transfer); Hollis Davidson III (Transfer); Tate Johnson (Eligibility)

• Projected Returnees: Preston Howard; Ryan Ghea

Offensive Line

• Additions: Bear McWhorter (Signee); Mason Mathis (Signee); Mykall Lundy-Foster (Signee); Parker Pritchett (Signee); Wilson Zierer (Signee)

• Departures: Connor Lew (Draft); DeAndre Carter (Transfer); Dillon Wade (Eligibility); Dylan Senda (Transfer); Favour Ebuka Edwin (Transfer); Izavion Miller (Eligibility); Jeremiah Wright (Eligibility); Mason Murphy (Eligibility); Seth Wilfred (Transfer); Xavier Chaplin (Transfer)

• Projected Returnees: Broderick Shull; Jacobe' Ward; Kail Ellis; Tai Buster; Tyler Johnson

Defensive Line

• Additions: Corey Wells (Signee); Tavian Branch (Signee)

• Departues: Amaris Williams (Transfer); Antonio Coleman (Transfer); Bobby Jamison-Travis (Eligibility); Dallas Walker IV (Eligibility); James Ash (Eligibility); Jay Hardy (Eligibility); Keldric Faulk (Draft); Malik Blocton (Transfer); Zeke Walker (Eligibility)

• Projected Returnees: Darrion Smith; Jared Smith; JJ Faulk; Jourdin Crawford; Malik Autry

Edge Rusher

• Additions: Chris Wells (Signee)

• Departures: Chris Murray (Eligibility); Jamonta Waller (Transfer); Keyron Crawford (Eligibility)

• Projected Returnees: Joe Phillips

Linebacker

• Additions: Adam Balogun-Ali (Signee); Jaquez Wilkes (Signee); Shadarius Toodle (Signee)

• Departures: Caleb Wheatland (Transfer); Robert Woodyard Jr. (Transfer)

• Projected Returnees: Bryce Deas; Demarcus Riddick; Elijah Melendez; Xavier Atkins

Cornerback

• Additions: N/A

• Departures: A'Mon Lane-Ganus (Transfer); Devin Williams (Transfer); Donovan Starr (Transfer); Jay Crawford (Transfer); Kayin Lee (Transfer); Raion Strader (Transfer)

• Projected Returnees: Blake Woodby; Rayshawn Pleasant

Safety

• Additions: Damonte Tabb (Signee); Shadrick Toodle Jr. (Signee); Wayne Henry (Signee)

• Departures: Jahquez Robinson (Eligibility); Kensley Louidor-Faustin (Transfer)

• Projected Returnees: An'Quon Fegans; Champ Anthony; Eric Winters; Jacoby Mathews; Kaleb Harris; Sylvester Smith; Taye Seymore

Specialists

• Additions: LS Travis Wakefield (Signee)

• Departures: K Towns McGough (Transfer); LS Reed Hughes (Eligibility)

• Projected Returnees: K Alex McPherson; K Connor Gibbs; P Hudson Kaak; P John McGuire; LS Keaton McNutt

Auburn football, Alex Golesh transfer portal history

Auburn's transfer ranks were among the best in the country under Hugh Freeze, with two top-10 classes and a pair of top-five groups among the SEC.

For South Florida and Golesh, the rankings were far less eye-popping. Their best transfer classes both ranked 85th nationally, and they had just one top-five bunch in the American Conference. Two of their three classes were top-20 among the Group of Five ranks.

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• Auburn football's transfer portal rankings (2023-25)

  • 2025: No. 8 (No. 4 SEC)

  • 2024: No. 27 (No. 12 SEC)

  • 2023: No. 4 (No. 2 SEC)

• Alex Golesh's transfer portal rankings (2023-25)

  • 2025: No. 85 (No. 5 AAC)

  • 2024: No. 92 (No. 10 AAC)

  • 2023: No. 85 (No. 7 AAC)

When does transfer portal open? How college football transfer portal works

After having two portal windows last offseason, including a 30-day span for the majority of December, the NCAA consolidated chances for football players to transfer this year, eliminating a spring transfer window and moving the lone period to a two-week span — Jan. 2-16 — following the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Players who wish to enter the portal must do so in that window, but they're not required to enroll at a new school before the entry deadline.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

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This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Where does Auburn football's roster stand as transfer portal opens?