Examining Auburn football's top transfer portal additions

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Examining Auburn football's top transfer portal additions

Auburn football was one of the busiest programs in the transfer portal as it needed to fill slots left behind by 37 players from the 2025 roster who entered the transfer portal, and even more who declared for the NFL draft.

Auburn did its part by adding 33 transfers in addition to signing 20 high school players from the 2026 recruiting class. As part of their haul, Auburn rebuilt its quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, and offensive line unit while boosting its running backs, defensive line, and defensive backfield.

Entering Monday, Auburn holds the No. 12 transfer portal class according to 247Sports, and ranks ahead of quality programs such as Michigan, Louisville, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Nearly every addition Auburn has made through the transfer portal has a rating of 0.84 or higher by 247Sports, and 10 of those have ratings of 0.88 or higher. Here is a look at Auburn football’s top-rated transfer portal additions according to 247Sports’ ratings.

No. 10: Joseph Simmons

James Madison commit Joe Simmons poses for photos with parents Joseph and Michelle after signing his letter of intent to play football with the Dukes as Salesianum School hosts a signing day event for its NCAA Division I-bound athletes, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022.Salesianum Signing Day

  • Position: Offensive tackle
  • Previous school: James Madison
  • 247Sports rating: 0.88

Auburn’s offensive line rebuild begins with an offensive tackle who has College Football Playoff experience. Simmons joins Auburn’s roster after starting 13 of James Madison’s last 14 games at left tackle. Last season, Simmons allowed just five sacks and 16 pressures in 877 snaps.

No. 9 Nate Johnson

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - OCTOBER 11: Ty Simpson #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide passes over Nate Johnson #90 of the Missouri Tigers during the second half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on October 11, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

  • Position: EDGE
  • Previous school: Missouri
  • 247Sports rating: 0.88

Johnson joined Missouri’s roster in 2025 after a successful two-season stint at Appalachian State. He did not enjoy the same success in Columbia as he did in Boone, but managed to play in nine games for the Tigers. In three collegiate seasons, Johnson has registered 82 tackles with 10 sacks and two forced fumbles.

No. 8 Stanton Ramil

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 26: Stanton Ramil #65 of the Michigan State Spartans plays against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

  • Position: Offensive tackle
  • Previous school: Michigan State
  • 247Sports rating: 0.88

Auburn missed out on landing Ramil during his high school recruitment. But, as the old saying goes, “what’s meant to be will work out in the end.” Ramil, a graduate of Thompson High School in Alabaster, heads to Auburn after making 13 starts at left tackle for the Michigan State Spartans over the last two seasons. He started in just five games in 2025 due to injury limitations, and he will look to get a fresh start while reuniting with former Thompson Warriors Jared Smith, Kaleb Harris, and Anquon Fegans.

No. 7 Jacob Strand

Nov 19, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oregon State Beavers offensive lineman Jacob Strand (69) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

  • Position: Offensive tackle
  • Previous school: Oregon State
  • 247Sports rating: 0.88

Like Ramil, Strand battled injuries in 2025. He was limited to just six starts at left tackle for Oregon State in 2025 and has experience playing right tackle as well. In his career, Strand has allowed just one sack and 14 pressures in 642 snaps. Auburn is working to replace Xavier Chaplin, Mason Murphy, and Izavion Miller at tackle, and Simmons, Ramil, and Strand are in great positions to step up and assume those roles.

No. 6 Jeremiah Koger

Dec 17, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; South Florida Bulls wide receiver Jeremiah Koger (16) is forced out of bounds by Old Dominion Monarchs safety Daevon Iles (33) in the second quarter during the Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

  • Position: Wide receiver
  • Previous school: USF
  • 247Sports rating: 0.89

Auburn landed a young receiver with plenty of upside from the transfer portal. Koger was USF’s second-leading receiver in 2025 with 597 yards on 38 catches with eight scores. He was a reliable deep-threat by catching 10-of-14 passes of 20+ yards, and was perfect in deep opportunities in the middle and the right side of the field. Wide receiver was one of the position groups that Auburn needed to desperately rebuild, and Koger will be a key piece to the Tigers’ rotation in 2026.

No. 5 Cole Best

Oct 10, 2025; Denton, Texas, USA; South Florida Bulls tight end Jonathan Echols (1) reacts with South Florida Bulls offensive lineman Cole Best (72) towards the stands after scoring a touchdown against the North Texas Mean Green during the first half of a game at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

  • Position: Center
  • Previous school: USF
  • 247Sports rating: 0.89

Auburn’s highest rated transfer portal offensive lineman addition is a two-year starter at center. Auburn will look to replace Connor Lew, who declared for the NFL draft after spending the better part of two seasons as the Tigers anchor on the offensive line. The Tigers will aim to find consistency at the position this season as Kail Ellis and Mason Murphy each filled in at center after Lew went down with a season-ending knee injury. Ellis remains on the roster, but playing under Best for a season will aid Ellis’ development as he works to become the starting center in 2027.

No. 4 Walter Mathis Jr.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 20 : Defensive tackle Walter Mathis Jr. #91 of the LSU Tigers during the game against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium on September 20, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)

  • Position: Defensive tackle
  • Previous school: LSU
  • 247Sports rating: 0.90

Mathis boosted his stock in the transfer portal, from being a three-star high school signee from the 2025 recruiting cycle to becoming a four-star transfer that ranks in the top-15 at his position. Mathis was the No. 13 defensive lineman in this year’s transfer portal class after making nine tackles in 12 games, totaling 139 snaps. Mathis will work to crack the defensive line rotation that will be headlined by Malik Autry and Jourdin Crawford.

No. 3 Bryson Washington

Oct 4, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears running back Bryson Washington (7) scores a rushing touchdown against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

  • Position: Running back
  • Previous school: Baylor
  • 247Sports rating: 0.92

Washington was Baylor’s leading rusher in 2025 with 788 yards and six scores. As a sophomore in 2024, he hit the 1,000-yard mark with 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns. The No. 7 running back in the transfer portal pair up with Jeremiah Cobb and fellow transfer Nykahi Davenport to form a powerful running back corps that could rival the best units in the SEC.

No. 2 Da’Shawn Womack

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 06: Da'Shawn Womack #15 of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates after the defense stopped the Kentucky Wildcats on fourth down in the fourth quarter at Kroger Field on September 06, 2025 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

  • Position: EDGE
  • Previous school: Ole Miss
  • 247Sports rating: 0.92

Womack enjoyed a breakout season at Ole Miss in 2025 by recording 27 tackles with two sacks and a forced fumble, and was responsible for 19 pressures created. The former LSU Tiger participated in all 15 games for the Rebels this season, but did not log a start. He will look to snag a starting position on the defensive front seven at Auburn, especially with the departures of Keldric Faulk, Keyron Crawford, and Amaris Williams from last season’s EDGE room.

No. 1 Byrum Brown

Sep 13, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown (17) looks on before the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

  • Position: Quarterback
  • Previous school: USF
  • 247Sports rating: 0.94

To no one’s surprise, Auburn’s top transfer portal signee is former USF quarterback Byrum Brown. Brown has accounted for 7,690 passing yards, 2,265 rushing yards, and 93 touchdowns as the quarterback under Alex Golesh’s system at USF, and is expected to take the reins of a unit that needed to be rebuilt for the second season in a row. The Tigers lost Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels, and Deuce Knight to the transfer portal, and Brown, in his final season of eligibility, will aim to take the Tigers to heights not seen in several years while being a mentor to Tristan Ti’a, Locklan Hewlett, and Rhys Brush.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football’s top 2026 transfer portal additions

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