Jackson State transfer WR Shane Hooks commits to Auburn

Shane Hooks is one of the many players that left Jackson State this offseason upon the departure of Deion Sanders. Now, the former Tiger wide receiver is taking his talents to the SEC to play for Hugh Freeze at Auburn.

Hooks shared the update that he was officially committed on Twitter earlier this evening.

1000% COMMITTED!!!!! 🥶❄️

— SHANE “Hollywood” HOOKS (@shanehooks6) May 21, 2023

COMMITTED!!! #WarEagle 🦅 @AuburnFootball @CoachHughFreeze @CoachDavisWR pic.twitter.com/pa6SMipK6r

— SHANE “Hollywood” HOOKS (@shanehooks6) May 21, 2023

Earlier this offseason, Hooks originally committed to Ole Miss. He then decommitted from Lane Kiffin and the Rebels a week later. After that is when Auburn got involved as they offered him a roster spot around two weeks ago

Hooks spent his 2018 campaign with Ohio and played in four games before redshirting. Then, after not appearing in 2019, he made the move to Jackson State. In his pair of seasons there, he caught 80 passes for 947 yards and 12 touchdowns. That included his breakout senior year with 64 catches, 748 yards, and 10 scores as he led the Tigers in all three categories.

Hooks played high school football at Olympia where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 2,080 overall recruit in the 2018 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

In On3’s Portal Rankings, Hooks was rated as a Top-175 receiver that was available this offseason. Now, as Auburn’s 19th commitment from the portal, he’ll be a big help in getting the Tiger’s passing game going in 2023 in what will be his fifth collegiate season.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay? The school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.

Track transfer portal activity

While the NCAA transfer portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement.

If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Consensus recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and senior national college football reporter Matt Zenitz’s Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.