Auburn Football Transfer Portal: The Top-5 Additions for the Tigers Defense

One of the best moves that new head coach Alex Golesh did for the Auburn football program was to retain DJ Durkin as defensive coordinator because he was able to help select the top-5 incoming defensive transfer portal targets for Auburn. The consistency on the defensive side of the ball is going to be massive for Auburn’s big picture as a team. Yet despite Durkin’s retention, Auburn lost a lot of players, so naturally they had to fill those roster spots.

Last time we looked at the incoming offensive transfers, now let’s look at the top-5 for the defense.

Auburn Football Transfer Portal: The Most Impactful Defensive Transfers

Dashawn Womack, EDGE, Ole Miss, Two Years of Eligibility

Keldric Faulk declared for the NFL draft. Keyron Crawford was a senior who also is going to the NFL. Amaris Williams transferred. The EDGE room in Auburn became bare and inexperienced quickly, so adding junior Dashawn Womack is vitally important.

Womack will likely be paired with true sophomore Jared Smith to be the primary pass rushers for the Tigers. He will have to lean on the little SEC experience he has to become a leader for that position group. If he can live up to the potential of being a former five-star recruit, then Auburn should be able to create pressure.

Shamar Arnoux, CB, Florida State, Three Years of Eligibility

Auburn recruited Shamar Arnoux out of high school and  fans that follow recruiting deeply were disappointed when he committed to Florida State instead. However, after a tumultuous year with the Seminoles, the cornerback has now transferred to Auburn. Arnoux’s commitment is extremely important to the football team considering Auburn lost both starting corners from the 2025 season to the transfer portal.

As a true freshman, Arnoux played in 11 games for the Seminoles and got 27 tackles and one pass deflection. His potential is there, so that he can immediately start for Auburn.

Cody Sigler, DL, Arkansas State, Two Years of Eligibility

In the SEC, teams win in the trenches. With Auburn losing so many players, they had to rebuild in the trenches. Attaining Cody Sigler was an important piece of that rebuild.

Sigler is a true junior with only one year of playing time at Arkansas State. In that year, Sigler had 35 total tackles, six pass deflections and five sacks. This shows an effectiveness at being disruptive on the interior of the defensive line. That skill to disrupt will be key to Auburn creating a pass rush and stopping the run. Sigler will have to prove that he can make the jump from Arkansas State to the SEC and Auburn, but with the production he had those skills will likely translate up.

Walter Mathis Jr., DL, LSU, Three Years of Eligibility

Poaching a defensive linemen from another SEC school is always a good thing. And, Walter Mathis Jr. has a ton of potential and can fill in as the third defensive lineman behind the incumbent talent and other transfer players Auburn has acquired.

Head coach Alex Golesh has created multiple position battles across the defensive line which will help the cream rise to the top. Don’t rule Mathis out of that, either, as there is a reason LSU wanted him in the first place. It is up to Golesh, Durkin, and Vontrell King-Williams to get the best out of Mathis Jr. and the other defensive line.

Andre Jordan Jr., CB, UCLA, Two Years of Eligibility

Auburn has a strong safety room, but the corner room became depleted overnight. Andre Jordan Jr. is the stop-gap to that, and has potential to be a very good starting cornerback for the Tigers.

In his sole season at UCLA, Jordan Jr. accounted for 19 total tackles and 10 pass deflections. That is tied for the fifth-most in college football. He has the ability to defend the ball and not give up yardage in coverage by stopping the pass before it gets there. He will be vital to the Tigers success in the pass defense.

Honorable Mention: Fred Gaskin, DB, USF, Two Years of Eligibility

Gaskin comes over from USF with Coach Golesh. The only reason he is not in the top five is because Auburn is returning two young defensive backs that have sky-high potential, as well as Kaleb Harris and Champ Anthony.