Veteran Cornerback Choosing to Stick Around Auburn for Golesh Era

The Auburn Tigers retain a player at a key position that has already seen five departures via the transfer portal

Auburn Tigers defensive back Sylvester Smith is sticking around | John Reed-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers retain further defensive help for next season. According to 247 Sports' Nathan King, defensive back Sylvester Smith will be back for next season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Auburn DB Sylvester Smith will return next season https://t.co/Juhbs77cor pic.twitter.com/ZCB1JU3S82

— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) January 11, 2026

Smith hasn't been a full-time starter during his time on the Plains, but he's still had his strong share of playing time and production. Over the past two seasons, he's seen action in all 12 games, starting half of them. Last season, he made 28 total tackles, two for loss while also recovering a fumble and breaking up three passes. Smith has one career interception, which came during the 2024 season.

His retention will make for a nice complement to the additions that Auburn has made in the transfer portal. Andre Jordan Jr. committed from UCLA and Gavin Jenkins followed head coach Alex Golesh over from USF.

The Tigers don't have any incoming freshman who are cornerbacks. However, they added two safeties to bolster the secondary in general.

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Auburn lost five players at the cornerback position to the transfer portal. Donovan Starr is heading to Clemson. Raion Strader is bound for Pitt. A'mon Lane-Ganus is going the opposite direction of some players and has chosen to go to USF. Jay Crawford is head to Ole Miss, and Kayin Lee has chosen Tennessee has his next destination.

Auburn has now added 20 players via the transfer portal to help offset the more than 30 players who chose to find playing time elsewhere next season. These incoming players are set for a new era under a new head coach.

The Tigers coming off another 5-7 finish and missing bowl action. They started off 3-0, but fizzled out quickly, leading to the dismissal of head coach Hugh Freeze in the middle of his third season at the helm. Golesh was hired to replace him the day after the Iron Bowl.