It's the first day of the open transfer portal, and things are already moving. The Auburn football program is trying to secure early visits for top targets and pursuing key guys for positions of need. The most glaring need for the Tigers is obviously at the quarterback position with two-year starter Payton Thorne out of eligibility.
With the opening of the portal, redshirt freshman Hank Brown announced that he would indeed be entering. Brown is the second QB to depart from the Plains alongside Holden Geriner. With true freshman Deuce Knight on the way, there are still two open scholarship spots on Auburn football's roster, and it is now looking like the Tigers will likely take two quarterbacks from the portal.
So far, former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold has been a name that has come up a few times, but according to Steve Wiltfong, the Tigers are trending up for former Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels.
Originally from Buford, Georgia, Daniels signed with Stanford as a 3-star quarterback out of high school. He appeared in 10 games for the Cardinal as a true freshman and became a solid starter in his second and third seasons. After three years at Stanford, Daniels recorded 366 passes for 3986 yards and 21 touchdowns. He threw 20 interceptions. He also rushed for an additional 1117 yards and nine touchdowns.
Steve Wiltfong reports that though Daniels has heard from several other schools, Auburn is the one that is catching his attention the most at the moment, and he is planning to visit when he returns home to Georgia during winter break. Wiltfong and On3 reporter Pete Nakos have both logged predictions for Daniels to end up as a Tiger.
Other quarterbacks to know about include Arnold from Oklahoma, Kaidon Salter from Liberty, and Miller Moss from USC.