Auburn football secured one transfer quarterback in former Texas A&M Aggie Zach Calzada earlier this month, but the transfer portal recruitment did not stop there. After sending three-year starting quarterback Bo Nix off to Eugene, OR to join the Ducks, the Tigers have secured three former Oregon players for their 2022 roster.
The first two former Oregon commits were a pair of Alabama natives. Jayson Jones, a defensive lineman originally out of Calera, AL, committed to the Tigers on December 24 to kick things off. The DL spent two years with the Ducks prior to committing to Auburn football.
Shortly after Jones’ commitment, cornerback DJ James followed suit, committing to Bryan Harsin’s Tigers on January 16 with the declaration that he was coming home after starting for the Ducks in 2021. James racked up 46 total tackles, four pass breakups, and two interceptions last season.
Now, the Bo Nix-Oregon trade deal seems to have been finalized with tonight’s commitment of former Oregon QB Robby Ashford:
There’s no place like HOME. Let’s work🦅💙🧡 #WDE pic.twitter.com/oJoMJyE96y
— Robby Ashford (@robby_ashford) January 18, 2022
The Hoover, AL, native makes the third Alabama player that Harsin has brought back to the state from Oregon. Ashford is a dual-sport athlete in football and baseball, though he plans to focus on football his first year on the Plains.
Though Ashford did not see the field during his two seasons as an Oregon football player, he participated on the Ducks’ baseball team last spring and started 10 games, recording a double, triple, and three stolen bases, per OA News.
Out of high school, Ashford was a 4-star recruit and passed for 1,088 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior at Hoover in addition to rushing 247 yards. He will join a loaded quarterback room on the Plains with Zach Calzada, TJ Finley, Dee Davis, and incoming freshman Holden Geriner.