Auburn is losing a linebacker to the transfer portal

Auburn is losing a veteran LB to the transfer portal.

Georgia State Panthers running back Destin Coates (17) spins away from Auburn Tigers linebacker / Jake Crandall via Imagn Content

In the new world of college football, there is often addition by subtraction on a roster, and on Monday, the Tigers added a talented defensive lineman to the roster but then lost a veteran linebacker. 

Isaiah Raikes committed to Auburn on Monday, adding depth to the defensive line, but shortly after, veteran linebacker Wesley Steiner decided to hit the transfer portal. 

Over four seasons at Auburn, Steiner totaled 85 tackles last season for the Tigers. The most tackles of his Auburn career came in 2022 when he brought down 46 ball carriers. 

Steiner was a highly-ranked recruit in the 2024 class, as he was ranked 98th in the 247Sports composite rankings. 

Steiner had some issues tackling and picking the wrong gap during his time at Auburn and seemed to be buried in the depth chart this season. With Eugene Asante and Austin Keys on the team and the addition of Dorian Mausi Jr. plus the talented freshman, it would have been hard for Steiner to find playing time. 

Steiner came to Auburn with a ton of raw talent, but he was never able to put it all together on the Plains. The goal for him at a new spot will be try and get all he can out of the talent he had out of high school. 

It will be interesting to see what levels of competition are interested in Steiner. He had some flashes at Auburn that could get him some solid phone calls. 

Auburn will be just fine at linebacker, as this room is deep and filled with talent.