Auburn football: Transfer safety Craig McDonald brings proven experience

Auburn football coaches have been using the past few months to ferociously recruit prospects from the class of 2023, but have also been mining the transfer portal to add necessary depth and talent to the roster for the upcoming season.

The most recent addition to the roster is former Iowa State safety Craig McDonald. Fly War Eagle reported on McDonald’s background ahead of his official visit that took place over the weekend:

"A 3-star recruit out of high school, McDonald spent two seasons at Iowa State, redshirting in 2020 after playing in the first four games of the Cyclones’ season. In 2021 McDonald played in all 13 games and recorded 41 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and one pass breakup. He will have three years of eligibility left after entering the portal on April 30."

With Smoke Monday officially headed to the NFL, the Tigers return Zion Puckett and several other safeties from last season, but the group lacks a lot of experience. McDonald played a big role for his former team last season, and his size and physicality make him ready for the challenge of defending SEC offenses.

Auburn Live reports on how McDonald is likely to fit in Auburn football’s safety room along with Zion Puckett, Cayden Bridges, and the others:

"He will more than like play the boundary, or box, safety position. He is versatile and fast enough to play the field safety as well. Due to his ability to tackle so well in the open field, he could easily play the nickel position if needed. Think former Auburn safety Ryan Smith, who was a key defensive player on the 2013 team. In other words, McDonald is aggressive against the run and quick to react to the ball in the air."

Though the Tigers are definitely still in need of a talented wide receiver to add to the ranks, Craig McDonald is a great addition to Bryan Harsin’s second-year team.