Hugh Freeze has been the head coach of the Auburn football program for about two months now, but you would believe it has been much longer based on his recruiting success during this cycle. The Tigers signed 20 recruits on Early National Signing Day, and secured 12 transfers, earning them the #3 transfer class in the nation.
They also fared well regarding the amount of players leaving the Plains. Typically when there is a coaching change, there are many players that leave the program in search of somewhere new, but in the Tigers’ case it seems pretty clear that the coaching change had a positive impact on the roster.
Of course, there were still a couple of players that entered the transfer portal, and several have already moved on to their next program. Those players include cornerback AD Diamond and wide receiver Dazalin Worsham (UAB), wide receiver Ze’Vian Capers (Western Kentucky), wide receiver JJ Evans (North Alabama), quarterback Zach Calzada (Incarnate Word), running back Jordon Ingram (Troy), and offensive lineman Keiondre Jones (Florida State).
Defensive lineman Zykeivous Walker entered the portal, but ultimately withdrew his name and returned to Auburn.
Of those that entered, two former Auburn football players remain in the portal. Linebacker Joko Willis and defensive lineman Marquis Robinson. Both Willis and Robinson were members of the Tigers’ class of 2021.
Willis was a 4-star linebacker out of Junior College, hailing from Lagrange, GA. He was ranked as the #5 JUCO linebacker in the recruiting class of 2021, and was the #33 overall prospect. Though he played in 15 games throughout his two years on the Plains, he totaled only 4 tackles.
Robinson was a 3-star defensive lineman out of high school, and played at Milton High in Milton, FL. He was the #59 DL in the class of 2021. In his first season on the Plains, Robinson played in only one game, and in 2022 he saw action in two games. He totaled three tackles in his three games at Auburn.