Auburn lands potential starting DB out of the transfer portal
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The January transfer portal window is officially open, and new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh is likely to hit the open market hard in order to fill out his roster heading into the offseason.
The Tigers lost a number of key pieces on both offense and defense following the firing of former head coach Hugh Freeze, meaning that Golesh and his staff now have to restock the cupboard with new players.
Several USF standouts have already been linked to their former head coach at Auburn since entering the portal, and Golesh just landed one of his best defenders from 2025 in All-AAC defensive back Fred Gaskin.
A former 3-star recruit, Gaskin had over 35 offers coming out of high school, but decided to commit to Golesh and USF despite receiving serious interest from several other big-time programs, including Alabama, Colorado, and Florida.
He started all 13 games for the Bulls this past season, racking up 53 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery as one of the leaders in a stout USF secondary.
Gaskin showed out in 2025 as a part of Golesh’s defense at South Florida, and he will now be following his head coach to the SEC, where he will have a real shot at earning a starting role at Auburn.
