Auburn football: Tyrone Truesdell becomes second AU-FL DL transfer

When Auburn football first said good-bye to Gus Malzahn and hello to Bryan Harsin there was a bit of an adjustment period for the players. It was made clear from the beginning that you can get on board with Harsin’s changes or you can leave the Plains.

Since the former Boise State head coach took over the program, 13 players entered the transfer portal. While none of the losses created gaping holes on the roster, they did challenge Harsin in the recruiting department, forcing him to look to the portal for new talent.

The Tigers added nine non-JUCO transfers to the roster after 2020, and seven made the SEC’s Top 150 transfers list. Only two other SEC schools had as many transfers from SEC schools as the Tigers: Florida and Arkansas.

As Bryan Harsin cleaned house in the coaching staff department, former Auburn football DBs coach Wesley McGriff found his new home with the Florida Gators. Soon after, defensive tackle Daquan Newkirk followed the coach to the Sunshine State, threatening to open an Auburn-Florida pipeline on the defense.

Fortunately, that didn’t exactly pan out, but the Gators are now adding their second former Auburn defensive lineman to their squad. Tyrone Truesdell, who would have been entering his fifth season with the Tigers, left the program before fall camp in a somewhat surprising move.

As a two-year starter on the Plains, Truesdell was expected to play a big role as a veteran returner for Derek Mason’s new defense, but Bryan Harsin announced that he was no longer part of the program in a somewhat vague fashion. Truesdell’s move to Gainesville was made official on Monday:

Florida head coach Dan Mullen explained Truesdell came to the team due to a recruiting gap in the DL position. Between injuries and sub-par performances, Mullen feels confident Truesdell will add to the team, but how much playing time the former Tigers will get is to be determined.