Auburn football adds Craig McDonald via the transfer portal

Auburn's defense instantly gets deeper with the addition of former Iowa State Cyclone safety Craig McDonald.

© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Auburn Tigers have added Craig McDonald via the transfer portal.

The former Iowa State safety redshirted in 2020 and was a key part of the Cyclones' defensive backfield in 2021. He totaled over 40 tackles and secured two interceptions over the course of the season.

The addition of McDonald comes at a position of need as the Auburn coaching staff needed to get deeper at defensive back. McDonald offers an instant upgrade to the safety room and could be a player that could fight for playing time despite being added later in the off-season after spring practice.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Minneapolis, MN native was highly respected coming out of high school.

In his report on 247Sports coming out of high school, 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu wrote: 

"Ideal frame and length for the position. Taller with long arms and fairly filled in going into college. Has played in a variety of sports including cornerback, safety, wide receiver, running back, and even some wildcat quarterback and returned punts. Runs track and plays basketball. Fluid athlete. Shows instincts and the ability to break on balls. Has very good ball skills and makes the interception when the play is there to be made. Smart kid (3.3 GPA) who was a team captain. Only some footage of run support is available, but what it shows is a technically sound tackler with the size to get the job done in that department. Solid track results, but must continue to get faster and more explosive. Likely a free safety in college, but he has the man-to-man skills to move down and man upon a slot or tight end. Has the growth potential to possibly outgrow that position also. Should be a good starter with the upside to be more than that."

McDonald was on an official visit to Auburn this weekend and must have loved what he saw before making the announcement official. 

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