Alex Golesh made another portal move on Monday, and this one feels tailor-made for the moment Auburn is in. Troy transfer receiver Tray Taylor is headed to the Tigers, giving the roster a short, quick slot option who also should be in the mix for special teams work.
Taylor, a Shreveport, La., native, is listed at five-foot-eight and played for Troy in 2025 after spending two seasons at Coastal Carolina. Before that, he went the JUCO route at Tyler Junior College in 2022.
Because he was part of the 2022 high school class, Taylor also picked up extra eligibility with his classmates after U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted an injunction in the class action lawsuit Wisne et al v.
NCAA, which gave them eligibility for 2026.
Golesh had already said there would be some patience before Auburn really dug into the portal class, but the need in the slot became clear during fall camp. The Tigers also lost versatile receiver Duke Smith earlier this offseason for reasons that remain unclear, so the room needed more depth.
Taylor, though, brings more than just another body to the position. He calls himself a “work ethic guy,” and that’s exactly the kind of profile that stands out in a locker room.
"I'm a small guy that's been counted out a lot and really came from nothing - just a work ethic guy," Taylor said to describe himself. "Whatever I set my mind to or if there's something I want to chase, I go get it. ... Everything that you're going through or that you want is not going to be as easy as you thought it would be or how people make it seem - you're going to have a different path."
Taylor’s background fits the way he talks about himself. He’s from a place where 23.5% of residents live below the federal poverty line, twice the national average, and where more than half of Shreveport households qualify as living in poverty or as asset-limited, working poor.
That climb matters here. Taylor has moved from JUCO to the Sun Belt and now into the SEC, and Auburn is getting a player who has had to earn every step.
For Golesh, that makes the addition feel bigger than a depth move. It adds competition, brings a grinder into the building, and gives the Tigers another option in the slot at a time when they needed one.
In Other News...
Auburn Practice Just Raised A New Depth Chart Concern
Auburns Week 3 preseason practice on Aug. 18 at the Woltosz Football Performance Center offered a small but notable glimpse at how the roster is being shaped as camp moves along. With several players out or limited because of injury or protocol, the Tigers had to shuffle things around, and those absences gave the staff a better look at some of the pieces fighting for roles as the season approaches.
Among the more interesting developments was former Troy wide receiver Tray Taylor taking part in practice on a partial basis, while Bryce Cain spent time rotating through work with the secondary instead of lining up with his usual group. For a team already managing a handful of sidelined players, those kinds of adjustments can matter quickly, especially when Auburn is still trying to settle answers across the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn May Have Found A New Way To Use Former Freeze Receiver
Auburns fall camp offered a small but notable personnel wrinkle when Bryce Cain was spotted working with the cornerbacks, a sign the Tigers may be exploring a new role for the redshirt sophomore. Cain arrived as a wide receiver recruit in the 2024 class, but his offensive opportunities have been limited through his first two seasons, leaving plenty of room for the staff to look at different ways to get value from his athleticism.
The move is not locked in, and Auburns preseason prep will tell the story of whether this is a short-term experiment or a real position shift as the Tigers build toward the 2026 season. Still, any time a former receiver gets time with the defensive backs, it hints at a staff trying to find the best fit for a player who has yet to carve out a steady role. [Read more 🡒]