Auburn Signs Former Oregon State Quarterback in Transfer Portal

The Auburn Tigers are continuing to build their roster through the transfer portal, and they have just added another quarterback.

Oregon State transfer quarterback Tristan Ti’a has committed to the Tigers, according to a report from On3 late Sunday night. Ti’a becomes the 21st addition that Auburn has brought in from the portal thus far.

Welcome 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄, @tristan_tia!🦅 pic.twitter.com/6KOJUZ5Io1
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) January 12, 2026

Ti’a spent one season at Oregon State, seeing action in just three games during his freshman campaign this past year. He gathered snaps against Lafayette, Tulsa, and Washington State, and posted a total of 385 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in 2025.

The former Beaver made his first collegiate start in Oregon State’s Week 14 matchup at Washington State, during which he recorded 240 yards and a touchdown on 28-of-41 passing. Washington State dominated the Beavers in their season finale with a score of 32-8, bringing Oregon State’s final record to 2-10 on the season.

Ti’a was rated a four-star recruit out of high school by 247Sports, and he was listed as the No. 21 quarterback in the class of 2025. He now ranks as the No. 44 quarterback in the transfer portal, per On3.

The former four-star marks the third quarterback brought in from the transfer portal thus far, joining USF transfers Byrum Brown and Locklan Hewlett. Former USF pledge Rhys Brush was committed to the Bulls up until Alex Golesh and company took the Auburn job, but he flipped to the Tigers on Early Signing Day in early December.

Ti’a will likely compete with Hewlett for the backup quarterback spot to Brown, as Hewlett also has one year of college football under his belt. However, Ti’a holds slightly more experience, with Hewlett playing in two games and throwing just 12 passes as a true freshman.

The clear “QB1” is going to be Brown, of course, who comes to the Plains with one year of eligibility remaining after a historic season at USF in 2025.

Brown led all FBS quarterbacks (in regular season) with 42 total touchdowns and 347.2 yards of offense per game in 2025, and he stands as one of just 12 FBS quarterbacks to notch 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. He follows Golesh to Auburn as a veteran who knows the offense and understands the scheme, which the program hasn’t exactly seen in years.

If things work how Auburn, Brown, and the staff expect, he could very well be Auburn’s best quarterback the program has had in close to a decade.

It’s clear Golesh has a plan at the quarterback position, which is refreshing to see for Auburn fans who have witnessed the last five or six seasons of lackluster performance under center.

Brown has all the tools to potentially find himself in the Heisman race if Auburn is successful next season, and Hewlett, Ti’a, and Brush all have many years of eligibility remaining. Obviously, anything can happen in this new transfer portal era, but the longevity of Auburn’s quarterback room seems stable and well-planned.