Former Auburn defensive starter transfers to Florida

Former Auburn Tigers defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell has transferred to the University of Florida, according to the Gators’ most recent roster.

Truesdell was entering his fifth year at Auburn but left the program before fall camp began. He has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining.

Truesdell went through spring practices and summer workouts with Auburn’s new coaching staff, which includes first-year head coach Bryan Harsin and defensive coordinator Derek Mason. However, after the summer, Truesdell was not practicing with the team during the first week of fall camp.

Harsin later confirmed in a press conference that Truesdell was no longer with the program, though it remains unclear why he decided to leave.

“You know, the guys that are in camp — obviously since we’ve been here over the last eight months — there’s been guys that were here and there’s guys that aren’t for various reasons,” Harsin said on Aug. 10. “That’s part of being on a team: there’s more things — and not so much in his case — but just overall in general being a part of a team, there’s a lot of little things that we all have to do each and every day.”

Listed at 6-foot-2, 326-pounds, Truesdell was a two-year starter for the Auburn Tigers defensive line. He played in 44 career games and notched 67 total tackles (30 of them solo), coupled with nine tackles for loss and three sacks.

Heading into the 2021 season, Truesdell opted to take advantage of a fifth-year of eligibility, made possible by the NCAA’s free year of eligibility in light of COVID-19. He was a steady contributor across four years at Auburn, including his two years as a starter, and was expected to have a sizable role in first-year defensive coordinator Derek Mason’s defensive front. Truesdell was named a 2021 preseason fourth team All-SEC player by Athlon Sports, while also making the Reese’s Senior Bowl top-250 shortlist.

Coming out of high school, the Augusta, Georgia native was ranked a three-star prospect by most outlets and committed to Auburn in February of 2017. Truesdell was a highly-touted prospect out of Georgia, as he ended with 39 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks in his senior season alone, a line substantial enough to make him first team all-Region 4AA and an all-area mention.

Truesdell is not the first Auburn defender to transfer to Florida this offseason. He will join fellow defensive tackle Daquan Newkirk, formerly a four-star recruit from Orlando, Florida, who made the move to Florida as a grad transfer in the spring.