Analyst believes Auburn football losing leading WR from last season to transfer portal will have minimal impact

Auburn football losing Jay Fair to the transfer portal will have a minimal impact on the Tigers in 2024 according to On3's Justin Hokanson.

"Fair is talented and strong, but Hugh Freeze and co. made it known all season long more was needed from the receiver room," Hokanson prefaced before saying, "The efforts in the transfer portal and recruiting high school receivers is evidence of that. The additions of Robert Lewis an Sam Jackson certainly made the slot position more crowded, that’s for sure. Fair has potential, but his departure isn’t a significant loss for the Tigers in terms of winning and losing big games in 2024."

That Fair and fellow top receiver Ja'Varrius Johnson's departures are barely a blip on Auburn's radar speaks to how undermanned the position was in 2023. If not for star tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, Hugh Freeze's first season could've been disastrous. More departures from last season's WR room are possible.

Luckily, the head coach knew things couldn't go on as is and went out and recruited the best receiving corps from the 2024 class. Typically, though, freshmen don't cause dramatic changes out of the gate, though.

Auburn football expecting big things from freshman WRs, especially Cam Coleman

What AU is bringing to the WR room ahead of the 2024 season is no ordinary group of freshmen, though.

The Freeze Four is talented enough to inspire hope that things could turn around at the position, and Cam Coleman singlehandedly proved that with an otherworldly A-Day debut. When Perry Thompson and Malcolm Simmons join Coleman and Bryce Cain, who both enrolled early, the group will have the whole world, at least Tiger fans' whole world, in their hands.

It's a lot of pressure for freshmen, but again, these are no ordinary group of freshmen.