Spring football is over and with it, a new transfer portal period has begun for teams to add players to their rosters and fill holes.
Both the winter and spring portal windows were very active for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn University Tigers, so let's take a look at the five biggest acquisitions for Freeze as he enters his second year as Auburn's head coach.
Kieron Crawford, EDGE (Arkansas State University)
Crawford was one of three portal additions Auburn made to its defensive line in a 24-hour window at the end of April, along with Phillip Bridie and Isaiah Lakes, and he's the best of the three. Crawford was a dominant force in the Sun Belt at Arkansas State and will have a chance to make an impact right away.
Auburn is banking on Ark Street edge Kieron Crawford.
Good handle, long arms. High motor. Good movement. Good change of direction. Hard to set the edge. He's light but plays hard. Lots of energy. pic.twitter.com/QI9fBDVdN9— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) April 23, 2024
Ke'Andre Lambert-Smith, WR (Penn State)
Lambert Smith is the latest attempt to revamp the wide receiver corps after a disappointing first slate last year, with Coy Moore, Javarius Johnson and Jay Fair also transferring to Auburn.
Similar to the defensive line, Lambert Smith is the third receiver the team has added in the portal, joining Robert Lewis and Sam Jackson V, but Lambert Smith is the most highly-regarded of them all.
The team will rely heavily on freshman sensation Cam Coleman at receiver, but adding some veteran talent would be huge, too.
“Welcome to the Plains 🦅” Highlights from KeAndre Lambert-Smith! pic.twitter.com/jxnmZe5CGZ
— Ace🦅 (@AceWDE) April 25, 2024
Antonio Caito, DB (Alabama)
It's unclear how much Kite will play, but acquiring a player from your least favorite rival, even as a reserve, is never a bad idea, not to mention Auburn lost a ton of secondary talent in the draft.
Kite was a highly-anticipated recruit coming out of high school and is still a very young player who, if all goes well, will have a very bright future at Auburn University. He committed to the Tigers shortly after Nick Saban retired.
Trending: Auburn Tigers 📈Follow We have 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃!
🏠 Anniston, Alabama
🦅 Defensive Backs pic.twitter.com/7Xmj2NH1LZ— Auburn University Football (@AuburnFootball) January 17, 2024
Percy Lewis, OT (Mississippi State University)
Lewis is a truly mammoth player, standing 6-foot-8 and weighing approximately 350 pounds, so to say he's a major addition would be an understatement.
Lewis, a veteran with SEC experience entering his fifth year of eligibility at Auburn University, will enter as the Tigers' projected starting left tackle. He has played in 25 games, starting eight of them, and was named All-SEC honorable mention in 2023.
Lewis will be crucial for a team that struggled last year to defend Peyton Thorne, who committed to Auburn University in January.
Auburn University is welcoming offensive tackle Percy Lewis into the big-time transfer portal. The 6-foot-7, 345-pound former Mississippi State starter is a big addition to Auburn, literally and figuratively. pic.twitter.com/iRmJM1vLeL
— Philip Dukes (@DukestheScoop) January 12, 2024
Trill Carter, DL (Texas)
Carter transferred to Texas after two years as a starter at Minnesota, but he didn't get many opportunities to see the field in 2023 amid one of the deepest defensive line rotations in the country.
He recorded just nine tackles and one sack in 2023, but was a very productive player in Minnesota and there was just too much talent in Austin for him to make a real impact.
He could immediately become a starter at Auburn and begin wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks.
one more.
Texas transfer DT Torrill Carter has committed to Auburn University https://t.co/tBi0sTpKYE pic.twitter.com/ZsblKAf5Zu
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) January 8, 2024
Michael Browner is a senior sports analyst and contributor to Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. translation:
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