Top Auburn Corner to Transfer from Program

Alex Golesh is seeing plenty of roster attrition as another defensive back is set to transfer from Auburn.

The Auburn Tigers are set to lose another defensive back to the transfer portal. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With new coaches come big changes to a roster, and the Auburn Tigers are far from an exception. On Tuesday, cornerback Jay Crawford was reported to leave the program with plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. He’s the 14th Tiger to do so since the hiring of Alex Golesh.

Crawford is also the second cornerback to depart from the Plains, joining Raion Strader, who was the first Tiger to announce he’d be transferring this offseason. 

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Auburn CB Jay Crawford plans to enter the transfer portal: https://t.co/i8tApNK08P pic.twitter.com/AAHxNjYrxd

— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) December 16, 2025

The NCAA Transfer Portal opens on Jan. 2 and closes on Jan. 16. After recent NCAA portal rule changes, this is the lone portal window after the spring window was eliminated.

Crawford was one of the Tigers’ top corners in 2025, sitting firmly atop the depth chart for the majority of the season. He struggled with a knee injury sustained in the South Alabama game early in the season, but missed just one game.

The sophomore recorded 11 tackles, four passes defended and an interception during his 2025 campaign. 

Crawford’s departure leaves the Tigers with a hole in their once-strong defense, as Alex Golesh’s 2026 recruiting class does not yet have a cornerback listed. Kayin Lee and Rayshawn Pleasant will now be the Tigers’ top corners.

Additionally, the Tigers have Blake Woodby and Donovan Starr, both of whom were true freshmen in 2025, up next to cover Crawford’s spot.

Things are getting a little scary for Golesh and company, as Crawford marks the 14th player from the 2025 squad to announce intent to transfer. Of course, with every new coach comes changes within the roster, and Golesh will have his opportunity to replace the departures next month.

Rayshawn Pleasnat, a corner who was sensational for the Tigers in 2025, was picked up in the transfer portal before the season, so perhaps Golesh will have some portal magic of his own to fill Crawford’s spot.