Howard transfer TE Xavier Newsom commits to Auburn
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Howard transfer tight end Xavier Newsom has committed to play at Auburn in the 2026 season, On3 has learned. Newsom played one season with the Bison and will have three years of eligiblity remaining.
The 6-foot-6 tight end appeared in seven games for Howard as a true freshman in 2025. He finished the year with just one catch, which happened to be a nine-yard touchdown.
Newsom played high school football at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Detroit, Michigan, where he was a three-star prospect in the 2025 class. He ranked as the No. 1,099 overall player and No. 102 edge rusher in the cycle according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.
Auburn is coming off of a 5-7 finish this past season that resulted in the firing of coach Hugh Freeze. The Tigers hired USF coach Alex Golesh as his replacement.
Golesh has been active in the transfer portal so far, bringing in 10 players including Newsom. Eight of those played for him at USF this past season. However, there’s also been plenty of turnover with the coaching change, as 32 Auburn players have entered the portal.
That in mind, expect a lot more moves to take place for Auburn over the next couple of weeks the portal remains open. They’ve already made some big splashes thus far, and we’ll see what else is to come.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
More on the transfer portal in 2026
The 15-day transfer portal this winter will be the only window, opening Jan. 2 and closing on Jan. 16. The NCAA opted to eliminate the spring transfer portal window for football, meaning this will be the only opportunity for student athletes to enter their names.
The move to a one-time-only portal is supposed to allow schools to finish their season with their entire team before the transfer portal opens. As has been the previous standard, athletes on College Football Playoff teams still playing would have 5 days beginning the day after their team’s final game to enter the transfer portal.
This season’s CFP semifinals are set for Jan. 8 and 9. The CFP national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos