Auburn football made some much-needed moves for the Tigers 2022 depth chart at receiver this past offseason, where Bryan Harsin and new WR coach Ike Hilliard helped reel in several transfers from the portal to replenish a WR room that lost two of its top three receiving leaders from a season ago.
Gone to the transfer portal is Kobe Hudson, who took his ball and ran home to Gus Malzahn in Central Florida. According to Hudson, he’d be on the first bus back to Auburn if Malzahn returned as HC. Demetris Robertson also defected, trying his hand in this past April’s 2022 NFL Draft. He went undrafted but signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. With Russell Wilson gone, the Seahawks could be in rebuilding mode, which may actually bode well for Robertson’s chances to stick considering the team’s lack of urgency to win.
In the pair’s stead is a pair of WR transfers from other Power Five programs, including Dazalin Worsham from Miami and Koy Moore from LSU. While Worsham may take time to see the field given his lack of experience, but Moore could make a more immediate impact for Auburn football — regardless of whether his former teammate T.J. Finley, who he caught 10 passes from for 82 yards in 2020 for the Bayou Tigers, is under center.
Auburn football WR Koy Moore expected to be in receiver rotation
Matthew Brune of the LSU Tigers 247Sports site Geaux247 gave an idea of what he sees Koy Moore’s role being on the Plains while speaking with Auburn Undercover’s Nathan King, noting that he fully expects Moore to be a possession receiver:
"“He can be a possession receiver, I think. I don’t have Auburn’s depth chart in front of me, but he can definitely be a possession-type receiver, someone who has pretty reliable hands…He’s not a burner by any means, but I think he can be a smart enough player. In 2020, he showed that enough if he can run routes at a high level–which I think he could, in theory, I think he has the hands to be one of those third-down type receivers that you might go to whether it’s in a slot position or just as a backup outside receiver–I’m interested to see how he does. That 2020 season showed me enough potential where I’m like, okay, he can play at an SEC level. I’m not sure exactly what happened in the 2021 season where that caused him to leave so I can’t speak on that, but if nothing else, he has the ability to a degree. He has the ability to play at an SEC level which he’s proven in 2020. I think he’s a fine player, and I would expect him to at least be in the rotation for Auburn…”"
While Shedrick Jackson should emerge as the top pass-catcher in the room and John Samuel Shenker could continue to be a dominant force in the offense, there is very much a need for big-play options outside of that duo. Moore isn’t expected to be a star, but it definitely sounds like he is expected to play a role for Auburn football during a critical second season of the Bryan Harsin era.