Roster reset: Wide receiver

Auburn junior wide receiver Jay Fair has officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. What does it mean for the Tigers’ wide receiver position?

Career production: Fair has 334 career receiving yards and two touchdowns, with 300 of those yards and both touchdowns coming in 2023. Prospect history: Fair was a 3-star recruit in the 2022 class. He was the No. 548 overall prospect, No. 87 wide receiver and No. 83 prospect in Texas. Fair is from Rockwall, Texas.

Fair broke into the starting lineup after a good spring and fall camp. His name was mentioned several times as someone who would make an impact. Comparitively to the other receivers on roster, Fair had somewhat of a breakout year and showed promise. He did somewhat disappear down the stretch in games like New Mexico State and Alabama where he recorded no stats.

Wide receivers on roster:

— Koy Moore
— Camden Brown
— Robert Lewis
— Sam Jackson
— Caleb Burton
— Cam Coleman
— Bryce Cain

Wide receivers joining in summer:

— Perry Thompson
— Malcolm Simmons

What is next at wide receiver

Specifically at inside slot receiver, where Fair mostly lined up, Auburn seems to be in good shape. Robert Lewis, a transfer from Georgia State was brought in to add to the slot position, but has played on the outside as well. Caleb Burton and Bryce Cain are still in the slot as well. Sam Jackson is the wildcard here, but has shown promise as a playmaker while being banged up during the spring

At receiver in general, Auburn is excited to add the skillsets of Perry Thompson and Malcolm Simmons in the summer, but knows the room is lacking experience. In losing Fair, the room loses close to 20 percent of its passing game production from year one under Hugh Freeze.

Bottom line: Auburn wants another big time receiver from this portal window for the upcoming season. There are upgrades to be had on the roster. In fact, a real upgrade at receiver could easily raise the floor of the team in 2024.

Potential portal additions

— KeAndre Lambert-Smith, a Penn State wide receiver transfer, visited Auburn over the weekend. Lambert-Smith had 53 catches, 673 yards, and 4 touchdowns in 2023. He says the Tigers are in heavy consideration after the visit.

“It was great. I’m not going to lie,” Lambert-Smith told Auburn Live on Saturday. “I’m big on relationships and want to get the feel, and that’s why I came here. And it was great. I told them that I’m definitely high on them. They are in the mix, for sure. They want me to come here and be a guy who can lead the young guys, lead a fairly young group. It’s like a challenge and I love challenges. I heard a lot about Cam Coleman and helping him to reach his potential. I’m a vet. I’m a seasoned guy. I feel like I move like a pro and can come in and show the young guys. I like challenges, so I wouldn’t mind taking that on.”

— Sam Brown, a wide receiver transfer from Houston, is being recruited by Auburn as well. Auburn Live wrote about the connection with a staffer at Auburn and why he makes sense for Auburn.

WHY HE MAKES SENSE: Brown is originally from Bloomingdale (Ga.) New Hampstead. He has been a star for the Cougars the last two years after transferring from West Virginia. Brown had 62 catches for 815 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2023. Brown has good size at 6-foot-2 195 pounds and can do a lot of different things at receiver. Yes, he will be a high priority for many schools, we think, but Auburn should have plenty of interest here. We think he is primed to make a move to the SEC and then move on to the pros.

STAFF CONNECTION: TJ Randall, who is now Assistant Director of Player Personnel and Scouting, was at Houston before joining Auburn’s staff earlier this year. His role at Houston: Director of Scouting in 2023 after working as an assistant in player personnel in 2022. His primary focus (according to Houston’s website) was offensive transfer portal. “He (Randall) focuses on player evaluations with an emphasis on the Transfer Portal while assisting with all offensive-related recruiting efforts.” Whether or not Randall had a lot to do with it, he was there and worked in the department that would handle adding a player like Brown.

— If Auburn does not hit on either of these two portal targets, there are some other names out there that could gain traction. For now, grabbing a younger guy like Houston transfer Mikal Harrison-Pilot (a former target out of high school), could be the move.

Track portal activity

As of December 21st, 1,859 FBS players have entered the Portal.

While the NCAA Transfer Portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement. If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

The On3 Transfer Portal Rankings allow for you to filter the On3 Industry Rankings to find the best of the best in the portal, starting with Overall Top Players.

You can dive deeper into the rankings and filter by position whether it is Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Tackle, Interior Offensive Line, Edge, Defensive Line, Linebacker, Cornerback, Safety, Athlete, Kicker, Punter, or Long Snapper you’re looking for.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Follow Hayes Fawcett, Pete Nakos, and Steve Wiltfong for wall-to-wall NCAA Transfer Portal coverage.

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