Auburn loses starting offensive player to transfer portal, per report
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Auburn offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin intends to enter the transfer portal when it opens next month, according to a report from On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
Chaplin started all 12 games for Auburn at left tackle last season. A 6-foot-7 redshirt junior, he’ll have 1 season of eligibility remaining.
A native of South Carolina, Chaplin spent 3 seasons at Virginia Tech to begin his career. He took a redshirt year in 2022 before emerging as a regular starter for the Hokies in 2023 and 2024. Across his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons, Chaplin started 25 games while earning All-ACC honorable mention and third-team All-American honors.
He joined the Tigers prior to the 2025 season and won the starting left tackle job. Like most of the rest of the Auburn offense, Chaplin’s season was marked by inconsistency.
Chaplin earned pass-blocking grades better than 70 in 5 of his 12 games, and he scored grades below 60 in 4 other appearances. False starts were also an issue; he was penalized multiple times in a game 4 times, and ended the season as Auburn’s most penalized offensive lineman (12).
One of the first orders of business for new head coach Alex Golesh will be to rebuild the offensive line. The Tigers have lost Dillon Wade, Jeremiah Wright, and Mason Murphy to graduation. DeAndre Carter, Favour Edwin, and Seth Wilfred have all revealed plans to enter the transfer portal. Auburn is still awaiting a decision from Connor Lew on whether he’ll return next season or enter the 2026 NFL Draft.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
