The Auburn Tigers have secured a second transfer quarterback with the signing of Ashton Daniels, who was a starting player at Stanford for two seasons. Daniels announced his commitment to Auburn via Instagram on Monday, joining previous Oklahoma starter Jackson Arnold as new additions to the Tigers’ quarterback roster, which is in dire need of talent.
Auburn is now facing the challenge of replacing its starting quarterback, Payton Thorne, while two backup quarterbacks have also declared their intent to enter the transfer portal. During his three seasons at Stanford, Daniels amassed impressive stats, throwing for 3,986 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. He also demonstrated a dual-threat capability, rushing for 1,117 yards and scoring nine touchdowns on the ground.
This recruitment news comes just two days after Auburn’s head coach, Hugh Freeze, successfully integrated Arnold into the team from the transfer portal. Last season, the Tigers were unable to bring in any quarterbacks, which contributed to their struggle, resulting in a fourth consecutive losing season.
In a contrasting development, Alabama has lost a significant defensive player with the commitment of 320-pound tackle Jehiem Oatis to Colorado. Oatis, who has two years left of eligibility, made his decision known to ESPN, opting to join the program led by coach Deion Sanders.
In another transfer-related update, Beau Pribula, a backup quarterback at Penn State, has decided not to participate in the upcoming College Football Playoff match against SMU. The redshirt sophomore quarterback announced that he will enter the transfer portal, thus removing himself from eligibility for the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (who hold an 11-2 record) as they prepare to face the 11th-seeded Mustangs (also 11-2) in the first round.
In his Instagram statement, Pribula expressed his lifelong dream of playing for the premier university in Pennsylvania, but revealed that his decision to leave was made with a “heavy heart” after discussions with family and undisclosed Penn State coaches. “The current NCAA post-season model makes it challenging for student-athletes,” he explained. “The overlapping timelines of the College Football Playoff and the transfer portal forced me into a difficult choice.”
Meanwhile, Clemson has made headlines by becoming the only school in the Power Four category to refrain from the transfer portal last year. However, they recently landed receiver Tristan Smith from Southeast Missouri State. Standing at 6-foot-5, Smith had a prolific season with 76 receptions for 934 yards and six touchdowns. His addition provides a boost to a position that has seen departures with receivers Noble Johnson and Troy Stellato also entering the portal.
The transfer portal made its debut last week, coinciding with the announcement of the 12-team CFP field. Although Pribula did not start, he played in all 13 games for Penn State this season, often utilized in plays that highlighted his agility. He recorded 242 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while completing 26 of his 35 passes for 275 yards, resulting in five touchdowns and one interception.
In other developments within the Big Ten, Wisconsin has welcomed two new quarterbacks, with Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland and Danny O’Neil transferring from San Diego State making their intentions public via social media. Edwards achieved a 65% completion rate for 2,881 yards this season, throwing 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions, along with 12 rushing touchdowns over the last two years. O’Neil, who debuted as a starter in his freshman year at San Diego State, completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,181 yards, contributing 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.
The Badgers felt it was essential to strengthen their quarterback pool following the transfer of Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke. Van Dyke had been the starting quarterback for Wisconsin’s initial three games before suffering a torn ACL, while Locke went on to start the remaining nine games of the season.