Alex Golesh's Auburn Tigers appear to be in good shape to retain key members of their 2025 roster. That's the update On3's Justin Hokanson provided on Christmas Eve, anyway.
Hokanson said that he thinks Auburn "is still In good shape in terms of retaining the majority of who they need to retain. Discussions are ongoing with players, so we’ll see how things shake out in the coming weeks. And when the portal opens, Auburn can go on offense in terms of roster building."
What does that mean? Truthfully, it can mean nothing. It's a statement filled with so much deniability that any player can be twisted into who he means afterwards if there's an exodus. Let's try to figure out what it can mean, though.
Cam Coleman is the crown jewel of Auburn's roster
Cam Coleman cannot be allowed to transfer to the Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, or anyone else, especially within the SEC. God forbid he went to the other Power 4 school in the Yellowhammer State up north.
Coleman is the highest-rated offensive player ever recruited to the Plains. He hasn't gotten truly showcase his talents because his quarterbacks were Payton Thorne, Jackson Arnold, and Ashton Daniels, though.
Neither has one of his teammates, who left an ACC school on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff this past season.
Eric Singleton Jr. is also a must-keep in the receiving corps
Eric Singleton Jr. may have been the missing piece of the 2025 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Singleton had 14 more receptions and 198 more receiving yards in 2024 than Georgia Tech's leading receiver had this past season.
If anyone has a right to feel full of FOMO and robbed, it's Singleton. He has one year of eligibility left, and he certainly doesn't owe Auburn one more go-round. Especially since the head coach who recruited him was fired. Horatio Fields has already decided to enter the portal.
Golesh needs to convince his top two receivers to either sign on for USF Bulls transfer QB Byrum Brown or the other must-keep offensive player on their roster...
Deuce Knight could be key to keeping Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr.
Golesh cannot decide that paying big money to sit Deuce Knight on the bench is a waste of funds. Knight may be the biggest investment this program can make to keep the best offensive players of the past several recruiting cycles.
Knight only has one collegiate start. Still, he looked so good against the Mercer Bears that the "what-ifs" would follow the Tigers for years if they let him go, and the Lucedale, Mississippi, product proved as good as advertised.
Let Knight go, and this whole offense might unravel.
Who does DJ Durkin need to keep on defense after so many losses?
LB Robert Woodyard Jr., CB Kayin Lee, DE Amaris Williams, DT Malik Blocton, and CB Jay Crawford are all gone, despite DJ Durkin being a head coaching candidate based on the idea that he'd help with roster retention.
At this point, keeping LB Xavier Atkins is the most important thing the team can accomplish this offseason. This is going to be a rebuilt group, which is a shame considering they were the strongest aspect of the 2025 team.
Durkin needs to make sure there are no more pillars crumbling from his unit's foundation.