Auburn lands commitment from Maryland linebacker transfer Fa'Najae Gotay

Auburn has landed a commitment from Maryland linebacker Fa’Najae Gotay out of the NCAA transfer portal, the Tigers announced on social media on Thursday.

Gotay is a graduate transfer who has a ton of experience playing college football.

A contributor at linebacker for the Terrapins, he will be playing his seventh season of college football outside of College Park. The North Fort Myers, Florida, product played in 42 career games.

Gotay can play immediately as a graduate transfer.

The 5-foot-11, 232-pound linebacker entered the transfer portal with 133 career tackles, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He appeared in all 13 games in 2023 for Maryland, finishing eighth on the team with 44 tackles.

Fa’Najae Gotay posted 2.5 tackles for loss for 17 yards as part of a six-tackle performance in October against Illinois. He missed the 2021 season with an injury, receiving a medical redshirt.

Greg McElroy confident in Auburn’s new additions

Fa’Najae Gotay is just the latest in a series of offseason additions that at least one prominent college football analyst believes will make the Tigers more competitive this fall.

That’s ESPN’s Greg McElroy, who discussed some of those additions on a recent episode of the Always College Football podcast.

“I am optimistic, though, that they have added and addressed the issues of last year’s team,” said McElroy. “The biggest problem with last year’s team? People might say quarterback. Might say, at the beginning of the season, the offensive line. Maybe the front seven defensively. I think the biggest issue was wide receiver. They went out and they addressed that very quickly.

“In the recruiting process, they go out and get Cam Coleman, one of the best wide receiver prospects in the country coming out of high school. In the transfer portal, they go out and add KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who I think is a really good add for them. I don’t know if he’s ever going to be a top-flight wide receiver. But I think he has got a real chance to be a top-level number two in the SEC. In the event in which Cam Coleman takes off, which is a very real possibility? He’ll be a tremendous piece, a tremendous security blanket there for Payton Thorne out on the perimeter.”

With the new additions like Fa’Najae Gotay, McElroy could see Auburn getting off to a fast start in 2024. And from there, who knows?

“We know what happens with Auburn when they get going a little bit, right?” McElroy said. “When they get going and they have a really good September, have a good start to October? The momentum gets going. Then, next thing you know, they become very, very difficult to deal with down the stretch. That could happen with this year’s team with the schedule, the way it sets up.”

“Don’t be shocked if Auburn is sitting there at 4-0, 5-0 heading into the meat of their schedule. It wouldn’t shock me. That’s for sure.”

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this report.