Auburn wide receiver Malcolm Simmons is heading to the transfer portal, and the timing couldn’t be more intriguing. After a quiet stretch through most of his sophomore season, Simmons capped the year with a statement performance against Alabama - and now he's ready to explore new opportunities when the portal officially opens on January 2.
Let’s rewind for a second. Simmons burst onto the scene as a freshman, hauling in 40 catches for 451 yards and three touchdowns.
He looked like a rising star in Auburn’s offense. But year two told a different story - at least until the final stretch.
His overall numbers dipped to 25 receptions, though he actually surpassed his freshman yardage total with 457 yards and two scores. The real kicker?
Ten of those catches, 338 of those yards, and both touchdowns came in the final three games of the season.
What changed? The offense, for one.
When Derrick Nix took over play-calling duties late in the year, Simmons became a focal point again. That late-season surge showed flashes of the dynamic playmaker Auburn fans saw in year one - and may have reminded other programs what he’s capable of when featured properly.
Simmons isn’t the only wideout heading for the portal. Horatio Fields and Perry Thompson have also announced their intentions to transfer, meaning Auburn’s wide receiver room is suddenly looking thin.
That puts some early pressure on new wide receivers coach Kodi Burns, who takes over the position group from Marcus Davis. Burns inherits a room in transition, and with three departures already, restocking the talent pool becomes a top priority.
To that end, Auburn has already started reshaping the depth chart. The Tigers recently flipped two late commitments: DeShawn Spencer, who was previously committed to Duke, and Brian Williams Jr., who had been pledged to Alabama.
Both newcomers are expected to get a real shot at early playing time next season. Given the current roster turnover, opportunity is knocking.
The timing of all this lines up with the NCAA’s revamped transfer portal rules. As of October, the Division I Administrative Council made several key changes to how the portal operates for FBS and FCS athletes.
Most notably, the primary transfer window now runs from January 2 to January 16 - a shift from the early December openings of years past. The spring portal window?
Gone entirely.
Graduate transfers, who once had more flexibility, are now subject to the same Jan. 2-16 window. And for players at schools undergoing coaching changes, there’s a new wrinkle: instead of an immediate 30-day window, they now must wait five days after a new head coach is hired to trigger a 15-day portal window - and only if the coaching change happens after January 2.
All of this creates a more condensed, high-stakes transfer period - and Simmons is one of the more intriguing names to watch. His late-season resurgence, combined with his proven ability as a freshman, makes him a compelling target for programs looking to add an explosive playmaker.
For Auburn, the focus now shifts to retooling. With three receivers out and two promising additions in, the Tigers are in the middle of a wide receiver rebuild. And with Kodi Burns stepping in, the next few weeks could go a long way in shaping what Auburn’s passing attack looks like in 2025.