Auburn football transfer portal entry Landen King announced his departure from the program on October 25 after taking a redshirt on October 4, explaining to On3’s Justin Hokanson that his playing time (or lack thereof) was the reason. The announcement itself is one that has been celebrated by The Next Round’s Jim Dunaway since he never had an opportunity to have his on-field contributions celebrated the same way due to a lack of usage by head coach Bryan Harsin.
King was projected to be a top threat as a receiver in 2022 after lining up as a tight end during his initial season on the Plains in 2021. King had a touchdown during last year’s Iron Bowl but was on the field for just one game this season, bailing T.J. Finley out on an overthrow with a spectacular diving catch.
Harsin reportedly approached King about whether he would play if the team needed him, and when King said no, the Auburn football head coach pushed the pass-catcher to enter the transfer portal.
In King’s announcement, he praised the Auburn family, thanked his teammates, and vowed to be an Auburn man wherever he went. Dunaway felt it should be a template for all future transfer portal entries to emulate:
Rarely do these things not seem selfish, but this is so well written, you don’t get that vibe. Other portal players could use this as a cheat sheet https://t.co/c12g8Egont
— Jim Dunaway (@jimdunaway) October 26, 2022
Landen King thanked former Auburn football head coach Gus Malzahn but not Bryan Harsin
The most interesting aspect of Landen King’s transfer portal announcement post was the receiver thanking Gus Malzahn for giving him an offer in 2020 but not mentioning current head coach Bryan Harsin at all.
That certainly lends credence to the idea that Harsin isn’t connecting with a lot of his players, and may indicate some resentment held by King that was similarly held by players like Kobe Hudson and Lee Hunter when they transferred following the conclusion of the 2022 season.
The fact that Opelika-Auburn News deputy editor Justin Lee believes a new head coach would be able to bring him back shows how far gone King’s relationship with Harsin must be.