Former Auburn Tigers OL Percy Lewis Circles Back to Mississippi
The Auburn Tigers hoped they had helped to shore up a leaky offensive line when they brought in big Percy Lewis from Mississippi State via the transfer portal prior to the 2024 season.
A giant of a human being, listed at 6'7 and 355 pounds by Auburn last year, Lewis played 25 games at Mississippi State before transferring to Auburn. He lasted just one season on the Plains and is headed back to his home state, but this time he'll be suiting up for Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels.
Lewis began the first half of the season getting extensive playing time for Auburn. He played nearly every snap for the Tigers at left tackle. However, following Auburn's 31-13 loss to Georgia, the Tigers entered a bye week, and Lewis was relegated to the bench.
He played at least 59 snaps the four weeks heading into the bye, but he saw just 58 snaps according to PFF, including special teams, in Auburn's final-six games.
Head coach Hugh Freeze and Auburn made targeting experienced offensive linemen in the transfer portal a priority in December. They signed former USC standout Mason Murphy and Xavier Chapman most recently from Virginia Tech. Chapman and Murphy were considered the No. 3 and No. 7 available offensive tackles in the portal respectively by 247Sports. Lewis checked in at No. 28.
The writing was one the wall in the second half of the season for Lewis. He wasn't going to have a starting spot for the Tigers in 2025 and made the best move for his career. Time will tell if Auburn made the necessary upgrades on the offensive line that they lacked in 2024, but it certainly looks improved on paper.