Auburn WR Expected to Enter Transfer Portal As Mass Exodus Continues

The Auburn Tigers are expected to lose yet another wide receiver to the transfer portal.

Freshman receiver Sam Turner is planning to enter the transfer portal, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett early Wednesday afternoon. Turner marks the 30th Auburn player to announce his intention to hit the portal when it opens on Jan. 2.

BREAKING: Auburn true freshman WR Sam Turner is entering the @TransferPortal, he tells @On3Sports

The 6’2 207 WR was ranked as a four-star recruit in the 2025 Class (per On3)

4 years of eligibility lefthttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/KG07xTcjGs
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 31, 2025

Turner spent one season on the Plains, seeing minutes in just three games in 2025, including matchups against Ball State, Arkansas, and Kentucky. He missed the last three games with an injury, but he failed to record a stat in his first and, presumably, only year with the Tigers.

Auburn’s wide receiver room boasted loads of talent this past season, and Turner didn’t ever find a role in the offensive rotation. However, he showed great potential in the spring game last April, leading many to think he could develop into a solid wideout a few years down the road.

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Turner was rated three stars out of high school by 247Sports, and he was ranked as the No. 75 wide receiver in the class of 2025. The Decatur, Ga., native was originally committed to Georgia Tech in 2024, but he flipped his pledge from the Yellow Jackets to the Tigers last October, ultimately signing with Auburn as a part of its top-10 2025 recruiting class.

The former three-star not only stands as the 30th player expected to depart, but he also marks the sixth Auburn receiver set to enter the transfer portal. One of the best wideout rooms in the nation last season is slowly imploding, with players set to leave including Cam Coleman, Horatio Fields, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson, and Cam’Rom King.

Thus, Eric Singleton Jr., Bryce Cain, Duke Smith, and Erick Smith are the only notable wide receivers still remaining on the roster. However, considering the mass exodus from the rest of the receiving room, paired with the departure of former Auburn wideouts coach Marcus Davis, it would not be a surprise to see any of the remaining players follow and enter the portal.

Despite what seems like a slow death of the roster and an extremely large amount of players intending to hit the exits, something to keep in mind is that the transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Friday, Jan. 2. It’s easy to panic right now, as it feels like Auburn’s entire team is falling apart, but it’s not time to overreact just yet. If Alex Golesh is unsuccessful in the portal and the Tigers look bleak heading into spring, then it may be okay to be concerned, but until then, don’t read too much into this roster turnover.

Because at the end of the day, the reality of the situation is that most of the 30 players who are entering the portal led Auburn to 10 combined wins over the last two seasons. Auburn fans wanted change, so let the change happen.