Auburn’s 2024 roster got lighter on Tuesday with a couple of departures for the transfer portal.

Veteran defenders Cam Riley and Donovan Kaufman will explore their options to play elsewhere next fall, according to Rivals’ Brian Stultz and others.

Riley leaves after four seasons at Auburn. The linebacker played in 46 games, but has remaining eligibility as a graduate transfer with the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver for the 2020 season.

In 2023, Riley recorded the first sacks of his career, finishing with 2.5 on the season. Riley’s most productive season came in 2022, his first year as a starter at linebacker, when he recorded a career-high 65 tackles, including 3.5 for loss.

A Hillcrest (Alabama) standout, Riley was a sought-after 4-star recruit on the 247Sports Composite. He picked up 35 scholarship offers, signing with AU over Texas A&M and others.

Kaufman is also entering Year 5 of his college career. He arrived at Auburn in 2021 after playing in 2 games for Vanderbilt during the 2020 season.

Kaufman was a steady contributor in the secondary over his three seasons on The Plains. He racked up 110 tackles for the Tigers, adding 5 passes defended, including 2 interceptions.

From the New Orleans area, Kaufman was a Composite 3-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. He picked up 20 scholarship offers, signing with Vanderbilt over Ole Miss, Florida State, Colorado, Memphis and others.

Though the transfer portal has windows for undergraduate entry, graduate departures show that roster management is 24/7/365 for Hugh Freeze and other coaches. We’ll see what’s next for the experienced transfer defenders.