When the college football transfer portal opened to start 2026, there was no shortage of talented quarterbacks to choose from.
Auburn was going to be one of those teams shopping for a new signal-caller when new head coach Alex Golesh took over the football program. It was no secret either who the former South Florida head coach was going to want to lead his program. Byrum Brown heading to Auburn was easy to predict and smart for everyone involved.
In four seasons with the Bulls, Brown threw for 7,690 yards and 61 touchdowns. While he has proven to be a great passer, he is one of the best in college football at running the football at the quarterback position. Over his career, he has rushed for 2,265 yards and scored 31 times. He had his best season in 2025, leading South Florida to nine wins. During the season, he passed for 3,158 yards and rushed for 1,008 yards. He found the end zone a lot with 42 combined touchdowns.
The numbers posted at South Florida are a big reason why Brown was listed as one of the most important transfer players by Brad Crawford of CBS Sports. In the list, Brown is the fourth quarterback behind Sam Leavitt (LSU), Josh Hoover (Indiana), and Darian Mensah (Miami). Overall, he is the No. 11 player on the list. The performance of Brown will determine the kind of season the Tigers will have in year one under Golesh. Going from the American Conference to the SEC will be a big adjustment with the level of defense he will now face. However, he knows what to expect with the offense he is running. Not just because he knows the system, but because he will have a lot of familiar faces around him as playmakers.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn QB Byrum Brown listed among top transfers from CBS Sports