Alex Golesh has lost two of his best offensive players in the span of two days as Deuce Knight has announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday.
NEW: Auburn true freshman 5-star QB Deuce Knight plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports.https://t.co/WwmsM9QXfX pic.twitter.com/W0J4yQPQLv
— On3 (@On3sports) December 30, 2025
The 5-star quarterback was seen as the future for Auburn’s offense going into next season after appearing in just two games this past year, including starting the next-to-last game of the season against Mercer, in which he accounted for six total touchdowns, four of which came on the ground.
He joins Ashton Daniels and Jackson Arnold as players entering the transfer portal when it opens on Friday, January 2, leaving the Tigers with no quarterbacks who played this past season for Auburn.
On Monday, former 5-star wide receiver Cam Coleman announced his intention to enter the transfer portal, quickly becoming the No. 1 wide receiver who will be transferring this offseason. As a sophomore, the Phenix City, Ala., native caught 56 passes for 708 yards and five touchdowns.
Knight, a 5-star signee in the 2025 class out of Lucedale, Miss., was the No. 2-ranked quarterback in his class according to Rivals. He chose Auburn over Notre Dame, Ole Miss and many other powerhouse schools.
Where will Alex Golesh find talent on offense?
With the news of Knight’s departure, the Tigers now have 25 players who intend to enter the portal on Friday. Joining Knight and Coleman are wide receivers Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson and Horatio Fields, while key defensive pieces in Robert Woodyard, Kayin Lee, Jay Crawford and Malik Blocton have also announced their intentions.
Golesh, who took the job in November after three years as head coach at USF, will likely look toward Byrum Brown, who played for him with the Bulls, to fill the void left at quarterback by Knight and Daniels. Either way, losing Coleman and Knight in 24 hours is a bad look for the new Auburn head coach.