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Former Auburn DL Finds New Home
Sep 7, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; McNeese State Cowboys defensive lineman Stephen Johnson (56) celebrates a play near Texas A&M Aggies offensive lineman Reuben Fatheree II (76) during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Former Auburn DL Finds New Home

Originally posted on Auburn Tigers on SI
By Austin Walls  |  Last updated Apr 24, 2025 5:02 PM ET

A former member of the Auburn Tigers is on the move in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Defensive lineman Stephen Johnson , who played with Auburn in 2023, on Monday signed with the South Alabama Jaguars. Johnson spent the 2024 season with the McNeese State Cowboys, where he had minimal action and totaled17 tackles, a pass breakup and a blocked kick in 10 games.

He now returns to the state of Alabama in hopes of learning more and increasing his potential draft stock in Mobile at South Alabama with three years of eligibility remaining.

Coming out of high school, Johnson, a three-star recruit out of Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater, received 11 offers with his top schools being Auburn, Arkansas and Maryland.

The 6-foot-4, 334-pound defensive lineman never played during his time at Auburn and earned a redshirt. For the Tigers, the loss wasn’t absolutely drastic, but he is considered a significant pickup for the Jaguars.

South Alabama is expected to sign somewhere between six-to-12 more players before the start of summer workouts, which could include more veterans on the defensive side of the ball. 

Meanwhile, Auburn has been relentless in recruiting defensive lineman such as five-stars Jared Smith and Malik Autry both joining the team this season. Four-star Jourdin Crawford has also already joined the team as an early enrollee this past spring.

Overall, the Tigers’ 2025 recruiting class was ranked  No. 7 nationally, giving head coach Hugh Freeze his third consecutive top-10 recruiting class going into his third season leading the program.

More on Auburn Tigers on SI


This article first appeared on Auburn Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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