Auburn managed to grab the quarterback everyone thought it should out of the portal. That changes the energy surrounding the portal class and program.
The Auburn Tigers were in a position recently where it looked as though the team's roster was imploding. After landing the commitment of Byrum Brown — who played quarterback for Alex Golesh at USF — the energy surrounding the team has started to shift.
It's no secret that Auburn has seen some talented players enter the transfer portal since the coaching change, but now that they have a quarterback fans can get excited about, it seems as though expectations for the Tigers next season have started to increase.
Brown was a highly sought after player after declaring his intention to enter the portal. According to On3, he is the No. 11 overall player and No. 4 quarterback behind Sam Leavitt, Drew Mestemaker and Brendan Sorsby.
Brown, who has spent the past four seasons at USF, is coming off a season in which he went 226-of-341 through the air for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns. Additionally, he added 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground off 175 carries.
This highly-productive season earned Brown the opportunity to spend his final season at a major program, and Auburn was able to land his services.
The rise of Brown was unexpected, as he was not a highly-touted prospect coming out of high school.
The three-star prospect out of Rolesville High School in North Carolina was the No. 1,158 player nationally, the No. 67 quarterback and the No. 29 player in North Carolina according to On3, who presented him with an 84.05 industry ranking.
Auburn has the opportunity to make a splash immediately under the leadership of Golesh. Having Brown under center has the potential to go a long way toward helping the Tigers getting back on track and returning to their status as a contender in the SEC.
There has been a mass migration from USF to Auburn during the portal cycle, as Brown was the ninth former Bull to join the Tigers.
This group has the opportunity to have a lot of chemistry, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. With Brown leading the way, Auburn could be special offensively in 2026.