War Eagle! 3 Transfers That Will Make Auburn Better
By Tony Thomas
Auburn has not won more than six games since winning nine games in the 2019 season. In 2023, the Tigers started off the season 3-0, then lost six of nine games in year one under Hugh Freeze.
However, three of those losses were by seven points or less, including a 3-point loss to Alabama in the Iron Bowl. This season, Auburn returns 68% of their offensive production and 55% of their defensive production, which ranks them #6 in the SEC and 50th nationally.
In addition, the Tigers found talent in the transfer portal, talent that will provide depth and fill positions of need. Among those transfers, three will make a positive impact on the gridiron.
WR Robert Lewis
Previous School: Georgia State Panthers
5’11”, 185 lbs.
A 3rd Team All-Sun Belt selection in 2023, Robert Lewis hauled in 70 passes for 877 yards and seven touchdowns. Lewis recorded two games over 100 yards, including six catches for 220 yards (36-yard avg.) and two TDs in 41-25 win over Charlotte.
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In a loss to Georgia Southern, Lewis caught a season-high 12 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. To start the 2023 season, Lewis caught at least one receiving touchdown in each of the Panthers first four games (5 TDs total). In three seasons at Georgia State, Lewis has caught 102 passes, 1,323 yards, and 14 TDs.
S Jerrin Thompson
Previous School: Texas Longhorns
6’0”, 191 lbs.
Tied for the team lead with three INTs, Jerrin Thompson returned one of those picks for a 27-yard touchdown in a 31-10 win over Wyoming. In addition, Thompson added 38 tackles and broke up seven passes and was named an Honorable Mention All-Big XII.
Thompson will fill a position of need for Freeze and the Tigers. For his collegiate year, Thompson has 176 tackles, five INTs, and 18 pass break ups to his credit.
LB Dorian Mausi
Previous School: Duke Blue Devils
6’2”, 233 lbs.
Dorian Mausi was very active in 2023, racking up 61 tackles. In addition, Mausi recorded an INT, 3.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and one QB pressure. Mausi recorded double-digit tackles in two games: 10 vs Northwestern and 14 vs Florida State. And, he produced eight games with five or more tackles. Mausi has 193 career tackles to his credit.
In addition to the three transfers listed above, Auburn returns 2023 starter at quarterback, Payton Thorne, Jay Fair at wide receiver, and running back Jarquez Hunter (over 2,000 rushing yards in his Auburn career). Thorne, Fair, and Hunter will be one year more experienced in Freeze’s system, and on paper, should help ease erase the memory of three consecutive losing seasons, something that has not occurred on The Plains in half a century.
