Auburn Signs 4-Star Defensive Line Transfer From LSU

The Auburn Tigers have picked up another big man from the transfer portal to continue rebuilding the trenches.

LSU transfer defensive lineman Walter Mathis Jr. has committed to Auburn, per a report from On3 early Thursday evening. Mathis stands as the fourth defensive lineman from the portal to sign with the Tigers, and he marks the 26th overall portal addition thus far.

BREAKING: LSU transfer DL Walter Mathis Jr. has committed to Auburn, @AuburnOn3 reports🦅https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR pic.twitter.com/v6F4ajbgr4
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 15, 2026

Mathis spent one season at LSU, recording nine total tackles and one pass deflection. He saw action in 12 games as a freshman, but played just 139 snaps in his inaugural campaign, according to Pro Football Focus. His best game of 2025 came in LSU’s 20-10 win over South Carolina, during which he notched two tackles and one quarterback pressure, earning him an 80.2 defensive grade from PFF.

Although Mathis wasn’t a star for the Bayou Bengals snaps, he is rated as a four-star transfer by 247Sports. The Savannah, Ga., native was given three stars out of high school by the same metric, and was ranked as the No. 98 defensive lineman in the class of 2025. Mathis stands at 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds, and he has the potential to add solid depth to the Tigers’ defensive front with three years of eligibility remaining.

Mathis is the third defensive tackle to sign with Auburn, joining Arkansas State transfer Cody Sigler and Saint Farrior from Appalachian State. The trio of Mathis, Sigler, and Farrior will be integral to the Tigers’ defensive unit in the upcoming seasons, as defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams continues to rebuild the room.

Whether it be due to graduation, eligibility limitations, or the transfer portal, Auburn has lost a plethora of defensive tackles from last year. Former Tigers Zykevious Walker, Dallas Walker IV, and Jay Hardy are all out of eligibility, while James Ash, Antonio Coleman, and sophomore Malik Blocton entered the transfer portal when it opened a couple of weeks ago.

Ironically, Blocton recently signed with LSU, the school from which Mathis is transferring.

However, despite the multitude of departures, the Tigers still hold a few promising young talents, including freshman defensive tackles Malik Autry, Jourdin Crawford, and Darrion Smith. Autry was Auburn’s highest-rated signee of its 2025 recruiting class, and he will be a staple of the defense in the coming years. Crawford is another who has great potential to be a strong contributor to D.J. Durkin’s defense with another year of development.

The trenches were one of Auburn’s main focuses heading into the portal window, and the defensive line was certainly up there with the most emphasized areas of need. The position will still be a question mark for the next couple of years, but the Tigers have picked up multiple additions who could both contribute immediately and spend a couple of years in the system.