The recruitment weekend drama continues to shape up the college football world. It has quite become a guilty pleasure to see teams lure talents with bigger NIL money and face their Karma later. The reality is shifting in all senses. Teams have to be on high alert 24*7 to retain their depth. No room to sleep on at all. The competition is getting more and more cranked up between the top-rated schools. On that note, bad news awaits the Ole Miss Rebels and Lane Kiffin. Maryland tight end Preston Howard, their key target on the offense is seemingly an Auburn catch.

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There’s been the question of okay, what kind of tight end does Auburn pursue in the portal? It seemed like they were super aggressive early on, then they backed off. But this is a guy who had 24 catches for 189 yards this past season the year prior to those 13 catches for 160 yards and scored a touchdown, I think this guy would make sense. There are reports that he’s expected to visit. I would not be shocked if Preston Howard ended up as an Auburn,” insider Jack Blackerby spotted a huge silver lining for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers.

Howard posted 35 catches for 337 receiving yards across two seasons with the program, starting in 20 games and appearing in 23. He missed out just one game early in 2024 with an injury bug. Moreover, the 6 ft 4 excelled in run blocking and brought a lot of growth to the team.

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I said this to you last week, you’ve got to have that blocking tight end, that you can bring in a heavy package on the inside the five, that’s a good pass blocker you’ve got Brandon Frasier coming back, you’ve got Rico Walker coming back, I think you need two more, I think you need that prototypical blocking tight end, and then you need a guy that can catch 24 catches to me seems pretty good for a tight end in Auburn’s offense,” Darrel Dapprich added on how Howard can fit the Tigers need.

But if he brings his talent to Auburn, it would be a serious heartbreak for the Rebels, who hooked their eyes on the kid since he announced his intent to spend the next season elsewhere a week back. Sources told IBG that Ole Miss is expected to pull Howard in as they are making a hard push.

On the flip, it will be the cherry on the cake for the Tigers’ already rolling transfer portal weeks.

Hugh Freeze aims for the stars in an overflowing portal

Auburn’s head coach has his job on the line. It’s straight and simple. He just needs to lead the team to a better position than an average bowl team. It’s debatable if 8-4 seems to be a benchmark for that, but the transfer portal movements are pivotal in either way. He is making a big splash on that road.

Six players have either officially signed or verbally pledged their commitment to Hugh Freeze and the Tigers, while two have reportedly signed with Auburn in the first week of the portal. The biggest flex of the Tigers came in the form of Oklahoma Sooners starting QB Jackson Arnold. He will compete for the QB1 position next year and take the school to a remarkable high. They also nabbed Stanford starter quarterback Ashton Daniels to support Arnold.

They have their eyes on Georgia Tech WR Eric Singleton Jr. the next. The internet memes run rampant, noting the Tigers would bankrupt themselves with the portal cost. However, Hugh Freeze knows a good roster can culminate into a good season sooner or later.

Having Preston Howard on the rank would be another win-win for them.