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Auburn football lost a talented player to the transfer portal on Friday. The Tigers are coming off a tough second season under head coach Hugh Freeze, going 5-7 overall. The team finished 14th in the SEC with a 2-6 conference record. Now, Freeze is set to enter 2025 on the hot seat. The consequences of a poor season are coming back to bite the Tigers with the recent departure of Laquan Robinson.
According to College Football Reporter for On3, Sam Gillenwater, the junior is entering the transfer portal after one year at The Plains. A former 4-star recruit out of Greenville Academy, Robinson's departure is a blow to a program that needs all the help it can get at the moment.
Laquan Robinson was a talented high school prospect
At 6'1, 204 pounds, Robinson garnered heavy interest from multiple SEC teams coming out of high school. Those same schools, which included Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee, will likely be contenders in the linebacker's new sweepstakes. However, Robinson only recorded one tackle for the Tigers in 2024. The junior was not in Auburn's starting rotation and was largely a practice player this season.
Despite its 5-7, Auburn's defense had a solid second year under Hugh Freeze. The Tigers were ninth in the SEC in points allowed per game at 21.3. That metric is very solid, especially considering that Freeze's team had the 19th hardest schedule in the country. Unfortunately, even when considering that schedule, Auburn had some painful losses in 2024.
The Tigers' primary concerns, particularly at quarterback, became evident in their embarrassing early-season loss to Cal. Since then, Auburn has lost to unranked teams like Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas. Following their loss to the Commodores, the Tigers had to win three straight games to finish the regular season at .500.
Hugh Freeze's team got on the right foot against Louisiana Monroe and then pulled a wild upset over Texas A&M. Unfortunately, the Tigers could not replicate that shocking victory against Alabama. No. 11 Crimson Tide controlled most of the “Iron Bowl,” winning the contest 28-14. Freeze is now 0-2 against the Tigers' heated rival.
Overall, 2025 will be a critical year for the Auburn football program. Former head coach Bryan Harsin was fired in the middle of his second season on The Plains for not showing immediate results. After two disappointing years, Auburn Athletic Director John Cohen is showing extra patience with Freeze. However, Laquan Robinson's departure is just one of the few concerning signs this program is already showing this offseason.
