Auburn football is the home-field option for Marietta, Georgia product and departing Cornell RT Hunter Nourzad.
The Big Red graduate has narrowed his selection to five options, with the Tigers representing the only team within 125 miles of his hometown.
Nourzad is a graduate transfer with immediate eligibility and the chance to fortify the AU OL. Kilian Zierer and Brenden Coffey would represent the current competition for the RT position if Nourzad returned to the Deep South to finish out his collegiate career.
Virginia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, and Auburn football represent the final five for a leader of the Ivy League’s most effective OL’s:
I greatly appreciate all the coaches, staff, and fans who have recruited me so far! These are the schools I'll be focusing on from here on out. pic.twitter.com/PAy2XpwVaq
— Hunter Nourzad 🇮🇷 (@NourzadHunter) January 3, 2022
Fresh blood at the OL position would be welcomed after a down year for the Auburn offensive line in 2021. Tank Bigsby didn’t have the season many had hoped for, and Bo Nix was all too often forced to create scrambling out of a collapsed pocket because of those struggles.
Luckily, Bryan Harsin and co. have started to turn the tide, landing Auburn High School OL Bradyn Joiner on New Year’s Day. The Class of 2023 won’t hit Pat Dye Field for another year and a half, though. Immediate help is needed if the Tigers expect to compete with the Alabama’s, Georgia’s, and Texas A&M’s of the world.
Nourzad would help immensely. The All-Ivy League second teamer in 2019 has raised his stock immensely since only receiving one offer back during his initial high school recruitment.
Can the “crootin’ finger” continue to capitalize on the transfer portal market? Eku Leota, Tony Fair, and Demetris Robertson all played key roles as transfers for Auburn football in 2021.
Fly War Eagle would love for Nourzad to be the first significant OL success story from the portal.