Like college football seasons, players come and go. With Hugh Freeze being out midway through this past season, it was only a matter of time before many of his former players decided to hit the transfer portal. It seems like incoming head coach Alex Golesh wants to bring all that was special about his run at South Florida with him to Auburn. It means players like Xavier Chaplin are ready to leave soon.
According to Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ and On3/Rivals, Chaplin plans to visit Kentucky on Tuesday.
NEW: Auburn OT Xavier Chaplin has officially entered the transfer portal, sources tell KSR.
— Jacob Polacheck (@PolacheckKSR) January 5, 2026
Sources tell KSR+ that Kentucky is expected to meet with people close to Chaplin on Monday night. Chaplin is expected on Kentucky's campus on Tuesday.https://t.co/uCoSeYJWYe pic.twitter.com/MX3SiAO37a
According to 247Sports, Chaplin is the No. 8 offensive tackle prospect in this transfer portal class, as well as the No. 61 overall prospect. Prior to coming to Auburn this past season, Chaplin initially played for Brent Pry at Virginia Tech. With Pry being retained as a part of James Franklin's new Hokies staff, he is not expected to go back to Blacksburg. The Kentucky fit is very intriguing because of Will Stein.
Kentucky was far from a good team under Mark Stoops in the end, but Stein could change all of that.
What would it mean for Auburn if Xavier Chaplin transfers to Kentucky?
Look. At this stage of the game, Auburn should want to have players who want to be here. If Chaplin does not want to keep on playing for the Tigers, it is in his best interest to find another place to play. That being said, it would be a bad look for Kentucky to be further along in its rebuilding process than Auburn, especially with them hitting the reset button at the same time. It is all about optics in the end.
For now, we cannot look at any team in the SEC as a bottom-feeder anymore. We saw Vanderbilt go from being close to winless, to being almost a College Football Playoff team over the course of two years. In this day and age of college football, it is now easier than ever to get a sinking ship turned around. Auburn has a proud history, but it has been a challenging decade for them to say the least.
Overall, Auburn has to recognize that it is competing with the likes of Arkansas, Florida, and Kentucky when it comes to the SEC resetters, as well as the rest of the conference. Continuity is key, as illustrated by why many of the best teams are still in the College Football Playoff. To date, Auburn has yet to play in a single playoff game. The last team of note to be dominant was in the final BCS season.
Chaplin may very well end up at Kentucky, but it will not make his departure to an SEC rival easier.