Early national respect: Atkins and Brown named to On3’s 2026 Top 100

Auburn landed two early spots on On3 Sports’ Way-Too-Early Top 100 players for the 2026 college football season, with linebacker Xavier Atkins checking in at No. 16 and transfer quarterback Byrum Brown ranked No. 80.

Brown was also among Pete Nakos’ most impactful transfer portal additions across all of college football.

Atkins’ rise has been one of the most impressive portal success stories in the country. After transferring from LSU, Atkins emerged as one of the nation’s top off-ball linebackers.

Atkins earned AFCA All-America honors after the season, becoming Auburn’s first All-American linebacker since Karlos Dansby in 2003 and the program’s first All-American overall since Roger McCreary in 2021. The 6-foot, 210-pound defender led the Tigers with 84 tackles, paced the SEC with 17.0 tackles for loss and added 9.0 sacks.

His 17.0 tackles for loss set Auburn’s single-season record for an interior linebacker and marked the most by an Auburn freshman or sophomore defender since Antonio Coleman logged 18.5 in 2007. Atkins also finished third in the SEC in both total tackles and sacks, and his 13.0 tackles for loss in league play led the conference.

Atkins was also named a Walter Camp All-American and First-Team All-SEC. Atkins was also named one of the most impactful transfers of the 2025 season.

Brown’s inclusion reflects Auburn’s growing stability at quarterback. On3’s Pete Nakos noted that quarterback play was a constant storyline during the Hugh Freeze era, something new head coach Alex Golesh aimed to address immediately. Golesh brought in Brown, a quarterback he trusted from their time together at USF. The 2026 season will mark the fourth year the two have worked together. Brown has started 32 career games, posting an 18–14 record, including a 9–3 mark in 2025.

The presence of Brown will give Auburn its best situation at quarterback since Bo Nix was on campus.

Brown led all FBS quarterbacks in 2025 with 42 total touchdowns and averaged 347.2 yards of total offense per game. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior from Raleigh, North Carolina, completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,158 yards and 28 scores, while adding 1,008 rushing yards and 14 more touchdowns on the ground.

Brown redshirted at South Florida in 2022, then became the Bulls’ starter when Golesh arrived the next season. During his USF career, he threw for 7,690 yards and 61 touchdowns and added 2,265 rushing yards with 31 more scores.

With Atkins anchoring the defense and Brown leading the offense, Auburn enters the 2026 conversation with two of the nation’s top returning players already earning early national recognition.