Ranking Auburn football's nine transfer portal additions

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Ranking Auburn football's nine transfer portal additions

Here are Auburn's transfer portal additions ranked, based on instant impact.

• Andrew Stefaniak
• 20 hours ago

 

• Auburn has added nine players via the transfer portal so far this offseason. 

The Tigers added Zach Calzada, a quarterback from Texas A&M, Robby Ashford, a quarterback from Oregon, Craig McDonald, a defensive back from Iowa State, DJ James, a defensive back from Oregon, Jayson Jones, a defensive lineman from Oregon, Eugene Asante a linebacker from North Carolina, Dazalin Worsham a receiver from Miami, Morris Joesph, a defensive lineman from Memphis, and last but not least Koy Moore a receiver from LSU.

Some of these additions will help the team this year, while others will be fix-up projects for the future. 

Coach Bryan Harsin and his coaching staff did a pretty good job of bringing in talent from the portal, but a few positions needed a player or two, and it didn't happen. 

There were two main positions that Auburn needed help in as we headed into the off-season, and they were receiver and offensive line. The coaching staff filled the hole at receiver by adding Moore and Worsham. While it is great that they brought in these two talented receivers, the staff did not get a single offensive lineman from the portal. This has scared Auburn fans as we prepare for the 2022 season. 

Let's rank the nine Tiger transfer portal additions based on their impact this upcoming season. 

9. Dazalin Worsham, WR

 

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Worsham was a highly coveted recruit coming out of high school. He eventually decided to start his college football career at Miami. He was there for a couple of years and did not record a stat. Injury played a key role in him not getting any playing time. I do not see a world where he has an impact in 2022, but he could be a player to help in the future since he has a lot of eligibility left. 

8. Robby Ashford, QB

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Ashford was a player that had no clear path to the starting job until the A-Day game. He performed well in the spring game and won the hearts of Auburn fans. While some fans want Ashford to be the starter in 2022, I don't see a world where that happens. I believe Ashford will start the year third on the depth chart behind Calzada and Finley.

7. Eugene Asante, LB

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Asante is an exciting addition to the Auburn roster. He played a massive role for UNC in 2021 and performed well. Asante has a clear path to playing time. It will be a battle between Asante, Cam Riley, and Wesley Steiner. Asante will definitely see the field some in 2022 the question is how much. 

 

 

6. Morris Joseph, DL

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Joseph is a defensive lineman using his grad transfer year to play for the Auburn Tigers. He played a lot of snaps for Memphis over the years and got an excellent grade from PFF every year. Joseph will get a lot of playing time this year for an already really deep Tiger defensive line. Joseph would have had a chance to be higher on these rankings, but he will only be with the Tigers for one season. 

5. Koy Moore, WR

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Moore is the most recent addition, being added only a few days ago. Moore is a receiver coming into a room of fellow wideouts that is not very deep. He has SEC experience playing in more than ten games in his time at LSU. He has a chance to be an excellent possession receiver that can help the team this year and going forward. 

4. Jayson Jones, DL

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Jones is a very athletic defensive lineman. He is a monstrous human, standing 6'6 and weighing 328 pounds. He saw a good amount of playing time last year at Oregon, and he can help the defensive line this year. I foresee Jones playing a lot of snaps for a very talented Tigers defensive front. 

 

3. Craig McDonald, S

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McDonald is another player that played a lot of snaps last season. At Iowa State, he put up solid numbers in 2021 and was a key player in the defensive backfield. He is a very interesting player because he can play both safety and corner at a very high level. He is an exciting addition that can help the Tigers in many different ways this upcoming season. 

2. DJ James, CB

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James is a player that I got really excited about when he first committed to Auburn. He played a massive role at Oregon and will at Auburn this upcoming season. He is a really good cornerback that is as good in helping stop the run as he is in coverage. I believe James will be a starter for the Tigers in 2022 and put up impressive numbers. 

1. Zach Calzada, QB

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No surprise Calzada is atop this list as he projects to be Auburn's starting quarterback in 2022. He put up decent numbers at Texas A&M in 2021 but definitely has some room to improve. Last season at A&M, Calzada beat Auburn's rival, the Crimson Tide of Alabama. This shows that he can perform on a big stage. Calzada is a very gritty player, and he will have a great season at the helm of the Auburn offense. 

It will be very interesting to see the roles these different portal additions play, but to say the least, you will see many of these players on the field in 2022.