Just saw ESPN's portal class rankings and Auburn sitting there in the top 25 and I have to laugh. That's fine for a middle tier program but this team finished minus-3 in turnover margin in SEC play last year and the portal haul doesn't fix that. You can bring in all the talent you want but if you're giving the ball away 14 times in conference games like Auburn did in 2025, you're not winning anything meaningful.
The numbers are brutal. Auburn ranked 112th nationally in turnover margin per game at minus-0.58. That's not a talent problem, that's a discipline and decision making problem. The portal class is solid but none of the additions are known for elite ball security metrics. The new QB situation is still unsettled and that's where the turnover issue starts.
Until this program proves it can protect the football and create takeaways on defense, the portal rankings are just window dressing. Auburn has a minus-7 turnover margin over the last two seasons combined. That has to flip to even plus-5 for this team to sniff a bowl game. The portal helps the roster but it doesn't fix the fundamental issue.