The transfer portal was feast or famine for Auburn and head coach Hugh Freeze last offseason as the Tigers signed some significant hits (KeAndre Lambert-Smith) while swinging and missing with a couple, Percy Lewis being among them.

The one spot where Auburn could have benefitted the most from the portal last offseason was at quarterback, where Freeze decided to stick with Payton Thorne. With the transfer portal open and the Tigers working to rebound after a 5-7 season, here are the five positions where Auburn must make an impact via transfers.

Quarterback - Let's get the obvious one out of the way. Auburn missed out on signing a difference-maker at quarterback last offseason, and with the departures of Thorne due to graduation and Hank Brown and Holden Geriner to the transfer portal, the Tigers are left with just Walker White and Deuce Knight in the room right now.

Freeze is focused on fixing this with one or probably two transfer signal-callers, most notably Oklahoma's Jackson Darnold and Duke's Maalik Murphy, who have entered the portal. The coach can't miss out on signing a big name going into 2025.

Left tackle - Another spot where the Tigers got burnt last season; Jake Thornton's group must get a bonafide stud at left tackle after switching back and forth this season after it was apparent Lewis wouldn't get the job done.

Nose guard - Gone are Isaiah Raikes and Jayson Jones, leaving just Quientrail Jamison-Travis and incoming freshmen at the position. Jamison-Travis played in all 12 games this past season but recorded just 14 tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack. While that experience will help him as he gains a more significant role along the defensive line, depth is a problem here.

Buck linebacker - Out of everyone on defense, DJ Durkin's group might miss Jalen McLeod the most after he recorded 57 total tackles, 13.5 TFLs, eight sacks and two forced fumbles for Auburn in 2024. Keyron Crawford is next in line at Buck after a solid junior season, while Jamonta Waller will look to bounce back from a foot injury that cost him most of his freshman season.

It's another position where the Tigers heavily need depth.

Wide receiver - We've seen what Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons can do after both had successful freshman seasons. However, adding a veteran wide receiver in the realm of Lambert-Smith would be a massive addition to this offense. Lambert-Smith's impact on the field was enormous, but it might have been what he did leadership-wise that helped the young freshmen come along. If the Tigers can find another gem like him, sign him up.