Transfer Portal Eve: 3 positions of need for Auburn football

Three positions of need for the Auburn football team in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Vanderbilt Commodores defensive back Martel Hight (25) breaks up a pass intend for Auburn Tigers tight end Rivaldo Fairweather (13) as Auburn Tigers take on Vanderbilt Commodores at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. Vanderbilt Commodores defeated Auburn Tigers 17-7.
Vanderbilt Commodores defensive back Martel Hight (25) breaks up a pass intend for Auburn Tigers tight end Rivaldo Fairweather (13) as Auburn Tigers take on Vanderbilt Commodores at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. Vanderbilt Commodores defeated Auburn Tigers 17-7. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Three positions of need for the Auburn football team in the NCAA Transfer Portal

It's Transfer Portal Eve! Tomorrow, the NCAA Transfer portal will officially open and remain open until December 28. Athletes from all over the country will enter the portal, and schools will begin recruiting and setting up visits.

Head coach Hugh Freeze said that despite trying to recover from the season, the entire staff "can't stop evaluating" and they are already preparing for the chaos of the portal. So far, nine Auburn football players have announced plans to or have already entered the portal, but more are likely to be announced this week.

With the NCAA transfer portal officially opening tomorrow, here are three positions of need for the Auburn football program.

The first and most obvious is quarterback. Freeze has repeatedly said there will always be four scholarship QBs on the roster, and with Payton Thorne out of eligibility and Holden Geriner hitting the portal, the Tigers will look to bring in a transfer quarterback along with incoming freshman Deuce Knight. Freeze said that when it comes to a transfer QB, they will be looking for "the right fit."

Of course, a quarterback will need offensive linemen to block for him, and that will be a big need for the Tigers in the portal. While Freeze and his staff have done a great job stacking the ranks of high school linemen, it continues to be a position that struggles. Auburn could have to replace multiple starters ahead of the 2025 season.

Finally, Freeze and his staff may for an experienced tight end to bring in from the portal. The Tigers will be losing three of their most productive tight ends in Rivaldo Fairweather and Luke Deal, who are both out of eligibility, and Micah Riley, who announced plans to enter the transfer portal. Fairweather played a huge role as a pass catcher and playmaker over the last two seasons, and despite having two true freshman tight ends on the way, there could be a need for a transfer TE.