Roster reset: Defensive end/Buck

Auburn redshirt freshman defensive lineman Brenton Williams has entered the transfer portal.

He had 55 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks his senior season in high school. Williams was a 3-star and Top-60 defensive line prospect nationally.

Williams never broke into the lineup at Auburn, but the trickle down effect of building depth on the roster will be attended to in some way. He was listed as a Buck on the roster, but mostly played with a hand on the ground and was not seen as a true pass rusher. With him playing both Buck and End, we will look through both positions on the roster reset.

Defensive ends/Bucks on roster:

— Keldric Faulk
— Jalen McLeod (Buck)
— Zykeivous Walker
— Amaris Williams (End and Buck)
— TJ Lindsey
— Jamonta Waller (Buck)
— Joe Phillips (Buck)

What’s next at defensive end?

Brenton Williams was not expected to play a major role for Auburn in 2024, but was expected to be an important depth piece pre-second portal window. Williams fell somewhere in between the end and Buck position, so it was never clear where he would contribute.

The Buck position shouldn’t feel a hit from losing Williams as he had no game experience at Auburn.

Auburn will look to add interior defensive linemen and at least one Buck from the transfer portal. As for filling the spot that Williams leaves, it seems as though there was expected attrition on the bottom end of the depth chart here. We have expected Auburn to look for another true Buck with experience.

So far, we have notated one player that fits the bill here: Myles Jernigan, an outside backer/edge from Cal.

Jernigan should be somewhat familiar to Auburn fans. He was in on several plays against Auburn in 2023, including a near safety/sack on Payton Thorne in the first quarter.

Jernigan is a veteran, he has played a lot of football at Cal. He had a breakout year in 2022 with 51 tackles and 4 sacks. His numbers were down in 2023 while being moved around a good bit. He has played in a stand up role and in an edge role at 6-foot-3 235 pounds.

Auburn is looking for an edge that fits this description. It needs to be a one year player who has some experience. Jernigan checks the boxes and he at least knows about Auburn at this point. He is a Texas native.

There are going to be other names that emerge as the portal continues on.

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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