Auburn Loses Freshman DL to Portal

One young defensive lineman has decided he wants to explore his options with four years of eligibility remaining

One young defender decided he wants out of the Plains | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Cornerback Raion Strader became the first of the Auburn Tigers to enter the transfer portal since Alex Golesh was announced as head coach. Just hours later on Thursday night, true freshman defensive lineman Antonio Coleman announced he would be the second Tiger to hit the portal, according to Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett on X.

BREAKING: Auburn True Freshman DL Antonio Coleman plans to enter the @TransferPortal, he tells @On3Sports

He’ll have 4 years of eligibility remaining

Was ranked as a 4-Star Recruit in the 2025 Class https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/yrLyEEB8A6

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 5, 2025

Coleman was rated as a four-star recruit by 247 Sports, the No. 25 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 15 player in Alabama. On3’s Rivals was slightly higher on the Saraland High product, rating him No. 19 at his position and No. 12 in the state. Despite the high rating, Coleman did not see the field in 2025 and will still have four years of eligibility remaining.

The decision to transfer shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, because Coleman was suspended indefinitely by former head coach Hugh Freeze in August for a violation of team rules, something Freeze did not elaborate on.

Coleman’s recruitment to The Plains was fraught with indecision and decommitments. He initially committed to Alabama on Sept. 11, 2023. He took his first unofficial visit to Auburn in October that year, and two months later, he decommitted from the Crimson Tide and announced his commitment to Auburn.

Then, in March of 2024, Coleman decommitted from the Tigers and recommitted to Alabama. Coleman took two more visits over the next four months before decommitting from the Tide a second time on July 27, committing to Auburn yet again. This time, he stayed committed, eventually signing with the Tigers in December of 2024.

Despite the loss of Coleman, Auburn should still be fine on the defensive line moving forward. The Tigers flipped former Texas commit and four-star recruit Corey Wells on National Signing Day and got a commitment from former Penn State commit Tavian Branch, a three-star. Both players signed with Auburn when the signing window opened on Wednesday.

Additionally, the Tigers have a solid crop of young defensive lineman from their last two recruiting classes. Former five-star Malik Autry leads the freshmen, joined by four-stars Jourdin Crawford and Darrion Smith. The 2024 class produced Malik Blocton, who saw fairly significant playing time in 2025. 

However, the group will be required to step up next season. Star edge rusher Keldric Faulk will be leaving for the NFL Draft, where he could be picked as high as the top 10. Seniors Keyron Crawford and Bobby Jamison-Travis will also be leaving after the season, opening up a significant amount of playing time for the young talent. 

Overall, though it is never ideal to lose talent, Coleman’s departure should not be devastating to Auburn’s future. With DJ Durkin staying on The Plains, I would expect the young core of defensive linemen to develop well and grow into starting roles.