Auburn Football Signs Pair of USF Transfer Wide Receivers

The Auburn Tigers have signed on some offensive weapons familiar with their new head coach

More USF players are following Alex Golesh to Auburn | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

It’s been a tumultuous first couple of weeks for new Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh, who’s already had over 30 players enter the transfer portal. Despite significant losses at many positions, Golesh has already begun to piece together his Auburn team, an effort he made even more obvious with the signing of Christian Neptune and the subsequent signing of Kory Pettigrew.

BREAKING: USF transfer WR Christian Neptune has signed with Auburn, @PeteNakos reports🦅https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR pic.twitter.com/CHHHRd6wSn

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 4, 2026

Neptune, who will be a sophomore in his first year at Auburn, played wide receiver for Golesh at USF his freshman year. Despite his youth and lack of top-level experience, Neptune managed to haul in 38 passes for 335 receiving yards and a touchdown, good for an average of 8.8 yards per catch.

Auburn has signed USF transfer WR Kory Pettigrew, a source told @247Sports

The Perry (Ga.) native redshirted in 2025, catching 3 passes for 28 yardshttps://t.co/qz8Jfyxfpg pic.twitter.com/65vPU5M7Pr

— Christian Clemente (@CClemente247) January 4, 2026

Pettigrew, who’s from the same class as Neptune, didn’t see as much time in his freshman season. Despite only hauling in 3 passes for 28 yards, Pettigrew’s three-star status coming out of high school proves he’s certainly got much more in the tank to bring to Auburn.

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Auburn’s already seen several wide receivers leave the team, including Cam Coleman, who’s now ranked as one of the top-5 best overall players in the portal. Additionally, Eric Singleton, Jr. announced that he’d be entering the draft, while other key pieces like Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson have also departed for the portal.

In fact, the only remaining piece of the “Freeze Four,” a top-level group of receivers recruited by former Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, is Bryce Cain, who recently announced he’d be staying with the Tigers in 2026.

It’s still uncertain who exactly will be throwing to Neptune and Pettigrew in Auburn, as the Tigers have lost all three of their quarterbacks to the transfer portal. USF backup quarterback Locklan Hewett has signed with the Tigers, but many Tiger fans await with bated breath to see if former Golesh quarterback Byrum Brown follows his old coach to the Plains.

This pair of signings is proof for Tiger fans that Auburn is moving in the right direction with its signees, while having the added benefit of providing a steadier foundation for the Tigers to recruit with.