Auburn defensive lineman Malik Autry will be back on the Plains for the 2026 season.
The former top-5 prospect announced his intentions to return to the program for next season on Thursday afternoon. Here’s his official announcement:
This news comes as a huge sigh-of-relief for Auburn. The Tigers have lost several key players to the transfer portal in recent days, including star receiver Cam Coleman and former 5-star quarterback Deuce Knight.
However, Autry will be back as one of Auburn’s defensive line leaders next season. As a true freshman in 2025, Autry totaled 8 tackles. Per PFF, Autry played 86 snaps this season. He earned an overall defensive grade of 66.4.
Autry just missed out on consensus 5-star status coming out of high school. He was the No. 48 overall player in the country for the class of 2025, per 247Sports Composite rankings. He was also the No. 3 player from the state of Alabama in that cycle.
The transfer portal officially opens on Friday.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
