Hugh Freeze has been the head coach of the Auburn football team for two years, and there hasn’t been much success with the program. The Tigers finished 5-7 in 2024 and didn’t make it to the bowl game, which isn’t going to help. Freeze will be in charge of this program for three seasons starting in 2025, and he needs to demonstrate that he can lead Auburn to some success. The college football transfer portal is one tool that can help achieve that.
The college football transfer site is essential in the modern day. Every club should go shopping in the summer unless they had a tremendous season and are bringing back all of their starters. Any team has the chance to create something unique before the season begins thanks to the transfer portal’s abundance of experienced players.
The Auburn football team is in dire need of a lot of seasoned players who can make the difference quickly. Although the Tigers lacked talent the previous season, a successful transfer portal haul may drastically alter a team’s perspective.
The Tigers have gained some good experience at many positions of need, but there are still some good options available to them. Here are some last-minute targets for Hugh Freeze: Auburn has already landed 19 transfers, but it has also lost 28. Many teams have already finished their transfer portal shopping because it is so late in the cycle, but there is still a lot of good talent available in the portal.
Markevious Brown, CB, Purdue
Markevious Brown is a very experienced player in a needy situation. He has played four seasons of collegiate football, and all have been at the power four level. Before moving to Purdue, Brown began his career at Ole Miss, where he has recorded some impressive stats. In 2023, he had his best season with the Boilermakers. Brown recorded 45 total tackles, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, and one sack at the end of the season.
Coaches like to see players like Brown on the transfer portal. He has a great deal of expertise and has achieved success at the power four level. It’s a terrific combination that usually works. More CB talent would be helpful for Auburn.
Ja’Den McBurrows, CB, Michigan
Another Big Ten transfer that may be an intriguing possibility for Auburn is Michigan transfer Ja’Den McBurrows. McBurrows doesn’t have the experience that Markevious Brown has after playing for three seasons, but he has still showed some intriguing glimpses. McBurrows didn’t earn a ton of playing time with the Wolverines, and he concluded his career with 13 total tackles, two passes defended and one interception. The Tigers would benefit from having him as a depth player.
Andrew Simpson, LB, Boise State
Although Auburn has addressed its linebacker issue well, Andrew Simpson, a transfer from Boise State, is difficult to overlook. Simpson has been with the Broncos for the past three seasons and has been quite successful. In all three of his seasons at Boise State, he finished with 29 or more tackles, and his sophomore year in 2023 was particularly noteworthy. Simpson has two passes defended, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, 6.5 sacks, and 66 total tackles. Simpson can pull it off again; that was a fantastic season.
Transfer portal overview
The transfer portal is a major component of the college football offseason, and the celebrations start before the offseason officially begins. Many teams still have bowl games and playoff games to play, but teams who don’t make it to the postseason have already begun their offseason when the gateway first opens. When the transfer site originally opened on December 9th, it caused significant problems for players who wanted to transfer but were still in the middle of their season.
There are undoubtedly advantages and disadvantages to the transfer portal, which is now a significant component of college football. The initial window’s time is one of the main complaints people have about it. Players can choose a new school and begin the upcoming semester there when January arrives because it opens in early December. It does present problems, though, as we seen players on College Football Playoff teams this past season lose their chance to compete in the CFP due to transfers.
Conversely, the transfer portal allows teams to revamp their whole roster in a single summer. Rapid turnaround is possible when new head coaches bring in a large number of seasoned players right away. The transfer portal gives any team optimism over the offseason.
On December 9, the transfer site went live for the first time this season, and it remained available until December 28. The transfer portal is open in the spring as well, but this window is the primary window where most of the action occurs.
The transfer gateway is scheduled to be operational from April 16 to April 25. In this manner, athletes may experience spring ball and have a better sense of what their forthcoming season will entail. They are free to depart if they are not happy. Players who transferred during the first window occasionally return to their former school during the second window.
From now until the end of the spring, there will be a lot of talk about the transfer portal, which is an important aspect of the offseason.
