New Stat Reveals Scope of Auburn Football Mass Exodus

The Auburn Tigers aren't the worst example of schools with a lot of outgoing transfers, but they're still one of the more brutal ones

The Auburn Tigers have seen a large number of transfers in relation to most of college football | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s certainly been a rollercoaster for fans of the Auburn Tigers over the last few years, especially as it pertains to recruiting. With the hiring of new head coach Alex Golesh, though, many former Tigers decided it was time to seek other opportunities. A new stat, shared by On3, reveals just how significant the mass exodus from the Plains was.

NEW: Schools with the most College Football Transfer Portal departures🔁https://t.co/lbDS9V8lFd pic.twitter.com/DZrnqLIDi1

— On3 (@On3) January 31, 2026

Since the hiring of Alex Golesh, the Tigers have now lost 36 players to the transfer portal, which is tied for the eighth-most departures in college football. Notably, many other teams on this list were also in the process of bringing in a new coach, so at least Auburn is among others in similar territory.

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Of the 36 the Tigers lost to the portal, a few stand out above the rest. Three of the “Freeze Four,” an elite group of wide receivers signed by Hugh Freeze back in 2024, have all departed for other programs, leaving Bryce Cain as the sole survivor of what some call the “Freeze-Out.”

These names include Cam Coleman, who transferred to Texas after a standout season with the Tigers, Perry Thompson, who transferred to Minnesota with three remaining years of eligibility and Malcolm Simmons, who had a slow start to his career but came into his own late in the 2025 season and is now a Texas Tech Red Raider.

Eric Singleton, Jr., another top wide receiver prospect who transferred into Auburn ahead of the 2025 season, has also departed for new Florida head coach Jon Sumrall. Finally, from the wide receiver group, Horatio Fields, who missed most of his lone season with the Tigers due to an injury, has been caught up in some drama with the Missouri Tigers.

Additionally, all of the Tigers’ three quarterbacks hit the portal before the signing of USF transfer quarterback Byrum Brown, including Jackson Arnold, who’s now a UNLV Rebel, Ashton Daniels, who’s now a Florida State Seminole and Deuce Knight, who joined new Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding in the Sip.

Defensively, the Tigers have lost top talent to the portal as well, though DJ Durkin has held onto key pieces like Demarcus Riddick and Xavier Atkins. Significant losses include four-star edge rusher Amaris Williams, who transferred to Georgia, four-star cornerback Jay Crawford, who transferred to Ole Miss with Deuce Knight and three-star linebacker Robert Woodyard, Jr., who landed with Missouri.

Alex Golesh, despite stepping into a team losing among the most players in college football, has already begun to reload his roster with top talent. At the quarterback position, he brought in Byrum Brown, a top-level dual-threat quarterback who’s already garnered comparisons to Auburn legend Cam Newton.

At the wide receiver role, he’s brought in key pieces from USF while also dipping into other rosters to build his own. Jeremiah Koger and Keshaun Singleton headline the class, with former Notre Dame two-way wide receiver/cornerback Scrap Richardson filling out the roster, among others.

Defensively, Golesh has certainly put his defensive coordinator, DJ Durkin, in a spot to succeed. They’ve signed Da’Shawn Womack from Ole Miss, who’s a four-star edge rusher that projects to create problems for opposing quarterbacks and running backs alike. Additionally, he picked up LSU four-star defensive lineman Walter Mathis, Jr., who’ll hopefully continue the trend Xavier Atkins started of LSU transfers balling out on the Plains.

Golesh’s wild card in this year’s portal is former standout Baylor running back Bryson Washington, who, combined with the rushing prowess of Byrum Brown and returning Auburn running back Jeremiah Cobb, looks to fill out a “three-headed monster” style of rushing for the Tigers in 2026.

Though Golesh has certainly had his work cut out for him, he’s put together quite a strong roster that could very well be the difference when his team kicks off in August.