Cornerbacks Auburn Could Target in the Transfer Portal

The Auburn Tigers are in the hunt for impact players in the portal, and they have some realistic options at cornerback

Auburn should have its options to fill gaps at cornerback in the portal | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers have been having a rough start to the offseason in the transfer portal, with 18 players already announcing their intent to leave the team in the upcoming portal window. However, no position has been hit harder than cornerback, where the Tigers have lost both of their outstanding outside starters, Kayin Lee and Jay Crawford.

Crawford is ranked as a top-20 available player by both 247 Sports and On3, and Lee should be rated at a similar level, as both have been key contributors for the Auburn defense in recent seasons. So, with both stars leaving, who can the Tigers turn to at the position in 2026?

As of now, the projected starters at the position next season would be former Tulane transfer Rayshawn Pleasant, former four-star recruit Blake Woodby, and former four-star Donovan Starr, assuming none of them decide to transfer.

While Woodby and Starr are both very talented players, Auburn could still look to bring in more experienced talent in the portal this offseason. And, thankfully for the Tigers, there is already some solid talent available. 

The top available player is Iowa State’s Jontez Williams, who was playing at an elite level in 2025 until being sidelined by an ACL injury after the Cyclones’ win over Arizona on Sept. 27. Though Williams is an elite talent, he is extremely likely to follow former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell to Penn State.

More realistic targets for the Tigers include Florida State’s Ja’Bril Rawls, Rutgers’ Bo Mascoe, Troy’s Jaquez White, and Georgia’s Daniel Harris. Rawls and Mascoe are each rated as 4-star transfers by 247 Sports and On3, and White and Harris are each three-stars via both outlets.

Rawls started seven games as a redshirt sophomore in 2025, making his first start in the Seminoles’ upset victory over Alabama in Week 1. He recorded one interception and two pass breakups on the season, earning a 73.4 coverage grade via Pro Football Focus. He allowed 16 catches on 24 targets. Rawls has a good frame for the position at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, and would offer height that Auburn did not have at the position in 2025.

Mascoe is another talented defensive back to come out of Rutgers in recent seasons, which has sent Max Melton, Robert Longerbeam, Christian Braswell, Blessuan Austin, and Saquan Hampton to the NFL since 2019. Mascoe started all 12 games for Rutgers in 2025, recording 1 interception and 3 pass breakups. He earned an 83.6 coverage grade via PFF, allowing 28 receptions on 44 targets. Though shorter than Rawls at just 5’11”, Mascoe is also 185 pounds and plays with good physicality on the wide side of the field. 

However, the most intriguing player of the bunch might be Troy’s Jaquez White. White started all 12 regular-season games for the Trojans in 2025, as well as their bowl game against Jacksonville State. White recorded three interceptions and 10 pass breakups, allowing 37 catches on 67 targets via PFF. He also earned an 86.6 coverage grade for 2025, No. 16 in the nation among 891 graded players at the cornerback position. White also has prototypical size for the boundary at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds.

The fourth possible target for the Tigers is Georgia’s Daniel Harris. The former four-star recruit has been mostly disappointing for the Bulldogs thus far, and saw his playing time decrease significantly in 2025 compared to 2024. 

He posted a coverage grade of just 55.5 via PFF and did not record an interception. However, Harris has elite size at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, and has great speed as a former track athlete. Though Harris is far from a proven commodity, he at least has tremendous upside.

The clear target for Auburn should be White, as he spent his 2025 season under two hours from the Tigers’ campus. Head coach Alex Goelsh and his staff should be trying their hardest to keep White in-state for 2026 and plug him in as a boundary starter. Both Mascoe and Rawls could easily start next season as well. Ultimately, Auburn needs to get at least one talented player at the position in the portal to attempt to replace the losses of Lee and Crawford.