The most impactful departures of Auburn football's 2021 class

Who are the top five most impactful transfers of the 2021 cycle?

The 2021 recruiting class was a vital one to get things off on the right foot for then-recently announced head coach Bryan Harsin. Auburn signed a total of 18 players in that class and finished with an overall class ranking of No. 18 as well.

Notable signees during this cycle were former Tennessee commit Dylan Brooks, a four-star edge - Lee Hunter and Ahmari Harvey were also four-star recruits.

The transfers out of this class began early, as wide receiver Hal Presley left Auburn just six months after signing with the team. Since then, there have been a total of 11 departures, leaving less than half of the class on roster. Here are the top five most impactful transfers from the 2021 cycle:

Lee Hunter

Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images

The second highest-rated recruit in the class, Hunter was a beast on the defensive line in high school. The same monster production was expected of him at the collegiate level - and he did not get a chance to show anything with the Tigers. Hunter did not appear in a game during his freshman season at Auburn and took a redshirt.

He decided to transfer to UCF in January of this year. He has accumulated seven tackles and one sack for the Knights this season. Given the lack of depth and the injuries that have piled up this year, Hunter would have been a wonderful player to have been retained.

Landen King

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

The Tigers' need for a big-bodied WR has made the departure of King incredibly unfortunate. King was recruited as a TE and was one of the most efficient players on the field in his limited snaps during the 2021 season. He had five receptions for 59 yards and a very important touchdown that came in OT in the Iron Bowl.

King decided to transfer during this past week.

Ro Torrence

AP Photo/Matthew Hinton

A transfer from Hutchinson Community College, Torrence was a 3-star recruit. He already had experience playing collegiate ball, even if it was at a lower level. That experience would be needed on a secondary that has played well but needs more consistency. Torrence transferred to Arizona State where he has 27 total tackles and seven passes defended.

Tar'Varish Dawson

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

The speedster out of Florida was a 4-star signee. Dawson has the ideal frame of a slot receiver that the Tigers' have been looking for to open up the top on the opposing defense. Appearing in games last year but not recording a statistic, Dawson has had more opportunities this year with two receptions.

He entered the transfer portal earlier this week.

Dematirus Davis

© Jake Crandall via Imagn Content Services, LLC

With the Tigers' offensive struggles and their below-average QB play to start off the season, you have to wonder how would Davis look. Davis transferred to Alabama State over the off-season and has been the starter off and on all year. He has 535 passing yards on 60.0% completion with four TDs and two INTs.

The staff under the Harsin administration has had trouble recruiting talent, but what is more concerning is they aren't retaining the players that they do recruit. The 11 out of 18 signees lost is one of the highest ratios of transferred players in the SEC from the 2021 recruiting class.

It's a bleak outlook for next year's roster.

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