Hugh Freeze: Recent Auburn transfer could be immediate starter

The Auburn football coaching staff has been working hard to bring extra talent and depth to the roster by way of the NCAA transfer portal. They started off strong during the winter portal window, adding 12 impact transfers, and have already gotten six transfers from the spring window.

While the headliner of the group is certainly former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne and the big story is the amount of wide receivers joining the team, head coach Hugh Freeze believes there is one defensive transfer that could come in strong and make an instant impact for the Tigers.

Former North Texas linebacker Larry Nixon III is the most recent transfer to commit to Auburn football, and is bringing five years of experience with him from his time with the Mean Green. In 2022, Nixon III totaled 105 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack.

After losing Owen Pappoe to the NFL, Auburn football had big shoes to fill in the linebacker room and brought in three LB transfers in the offseason—Austin Keys, DeMario Tolan, and now Nixon III. As he’s joining a position group that is somewhat unproven ahead of 2023, Freeze believes that Nixon III could be in the starting rotation this fall, per Auburn Undercover:

"“Just his passion — the way he ran to the football and the way he’s a solid tackler,” Freeze said of what he and the staff saw in Nixon as a transfer prospect. “You just can’t have enough of those guys. And I think he’s going to come in and compete for a starting position, I really do.”"

Auburn Undercover also reports that Nixon III will likely play alongside Cam Riley at the weak side linebacker position while Austin Keys and Wesley Steiner will play the middle LB position after the rebuild of the position group with added transfers.