Auburn LB Xavier Atkins to Enter Transfer Portal After Reportedly Being Dismissed from Team

Xavier Atkins plans to the transfer portal after being dismissed from Auburn's football team.

Atkins announced his intention to transfer in a post on X:

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel , Atkins was dismissed by the Tigers after being suspended for their game over Georgia on Saturday that they won 27-24.

Auburn head coach Alex Golesh announced on Oct. 12 that Atkins would not play against Georgia, though he did not specify a reason for the suspension.

"We'll revisit it next week when we meet again (next) Monday," Golesh said. "We'll keep it in house beyond that. That's the only piece of it I'll be addressing."

A 4-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, Atkins started his college career at LSU. He appeared in seven games as a freshman before transferring to Auburn in December 2024.

Atkins appeared in all 12 games for the Tigers during the 2025 season. He led the team in solo tackles (60), tackles for loss (17.0) and sacks (9.5).

After Auburn fired head coach Hugh Freeze late in the year and replaced him with Golesh, Atkins opted to remain with the team for his junior season. He played in each of the first five games, recording 37 combined tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

In addition to entering the transfer portal, Atkins would be eligible for the 2027 NFL draft if he decides to declare. Early projections indicate he could be a fourth-round pick.

Auburn was 3-2 in the five games Atkins played this season. The win over Georgia on Saturday was the Tigers' first over the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 at the time since 2017.