Transfer portal talk and Auburn QB recruiting buzz: Welcome to Inside the 20, Episode 37

Inside the 20: On today’s episode of Inside the 20 with Jeffrey Lee and Keith Niebuhr — an Auburn Live podcast — we focus on the Tigers’ efforts on the trail.

Monday, we discuss the following …

-Jeffrey and Keith take a closer look at Auburn’s recruiting in the transfer portal thus far, from the biggest pickups to the needs that still need to be filled.

–Adrian Posse, a 2024 quarterback from Florida, de-committed from the Tigers over the weekend. Everyone should have seen this coming. We explain why.

-Monday, another 4-star 2024 quarterback, Walker White of Arkansas, will visit Auburn. Are the Tigers a legitimate contender here? We discuss some things that should give Auburn fans hope, including his admiration for Tigers coach Hugh Freeze.

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Meet Auburn’s transfer pickups … so far

With the addition Saturday of linebacker Austin Keys, Auburn now has landed 12 transfers from the portal this offseason. Here’s a closer look at these pickups:

NOTE: HERE ARE THE ON3 TRANSFER PORTAL PLAYER RANKINGS

NOTE: HERE ARE THE ON3 TRANSFER PORTAL TEAM RANKINGS

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–Austin Keys, LB, Ole Miss

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 77 LB

Seasons left: Keys has two years of eligibility. 

411: Keys started and played in 12 games at Ole Miss in 2022. He had 39 total tackles, including 14 solos, four quarterback hurries, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.

–Justin Rogers, DL, Kentucky

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 6 DL

Seasons left: Rogers has two years of eligibility. 

411: Rogers had 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and .5 sacks in 2022. He chose Auburn over LSU.

–Avery Jones, IOL-C, East Carolina

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 15 IOL

Seasons left: Jones has one year of eligibility remaining.

411: Jones started three seasons at East Carolina — the last two at center. He signed with North Carolina in the Class of 2018

–Brian Battie, RB, USF

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 3 RB

Seasons left: Battie has two years of eligibility. 

411: Battie, listed at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, was an NCAA consensus All-American as a freshman kick returner. He was a second-team All-AAC as a sophomore rushing for 1,186 yards.

–Nick Mardner, WR, Cincinnati

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 82 WR

Seasons left: Mardner has one year of eligibility.

411: Mardner spent the 2022 season at Cincinnati after having spent the prior seasons at Hawaii. He had 19 catches for 218 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. For his career, Mardner has 81 catches for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was at Hawaii at the same time as Auburn’s new wide receivers coach Marcus Davis. 

–Lawrence Johnson, DL, Purdue

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 17 DL

Seasons left: Johnson has one year of eligibility.

411: Johnson started all 13 games for Purdue in 2022, totaling 28 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. In 37 career starts at Purdue, Johnson has 87 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

–DeMario Tolan, LB, LSU

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 17 LB

Seasons left: Tolan has three years of eligibility.

411: Tolan, an Orlando-area native who Auburn recruited hard out of high school, played in 12 games as a true freshman in 2022. He recorded nine total tackles (three solos) last season. Tolan had a career-high four tackles in a win over Ole Miss.

–Mosiah Nasili-Kite, DL, Maryland

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 15 DL

Seasons left: Nasili-Kite has one year of eligibility remaining.

411: In 2022, Nasili-Kite had 26 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. He recorded 81 total tackles and 9.0 sacks during his three seasons with the Terrapins. Nasili-Kite was a 2022 Phil Steele Preseason First Team All-Big Ten pick.

–Gunner Britton, OT, Western Kentucky

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 3 OT

Seasons left: Britton has one year of eligibility remaining.

411: Britton started every game at tackle for Western Kentucky in 2022. He played the first six games at right tackle before switching to left tackle the final six games. He was a second-team All-CUSA selection.

–Dillon Wade, OT, Tulsa

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 21 OT

Seasons left: Wade has two years of eligibility.

411: He was recruited to Tulsa and played there under Phillip Montgomery, who served as the head coach for the past eight seasons. Montgomery now is the offensive coordinator at Auburn. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound transfer prospect was the Golden Hurricanes’ starting left tackle in 2022. 

–Rivaldo Fairweather, TE, Florida International

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 5 TE

Seasons left: Fairweather will have two seasons to play at Auburn.

411: He had 28 catches for 426 yards and three touchdowns last season. Fairweather will leave FIU after recording 54 catches for 838 yards and five touchdowns.

–Elijah McAllister, Edge Vanderbilt 

On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: No. 75 LB

Seasons left: McAllister, who has one year of eligibility.

411: McAllister played four seasons at Vanderbilt, finishing with 65 total tackles, 38 solo tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, three pass deflections, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown.