A little offseason nugget to whet yer whistle from SI.com
Auburn Tigers cornerback and recent portal addition Raion Strader received some notoriety on Tuesday. The College Sports Network has named him as one of the best players returning to play this fall.
He’s ranked as the No. 1 cornerback and the No. 9 player overall in these rankings.
Strader committed to Auburn via the portal on Dec. 16, just a week after he entered. He was an everyday starter for the Miami (OH) RedHawks.
In 25 games played, he made 110 tackles, 80 solo, made three interceptions and broke up 32 passes. In 2023, he was named an FWAA All-American and a College Football News Freshman All-American Award winner. Last season, he was named First-Team All-MAC.
His time in Oxford, Ohio, helped him greatly boost his stock. Coming out of high school, he was entirely unranked. He had no stars on his 247 Sports recruiting profile. However, in the portal, he is considered the No. 22 cornerback in the portal and a four-star quality transfer.
Strader will fill a key hole left by departing players. Back in January, cornerback Keionte Scott transferred out to Houston for his final year of eligibility. He’ll join a cornerback room that consists of Kayin Lee and Jay Crawford - who tied for the lead in pass defended. Lee also matched safety Jerrin Thompson in interceptions with two.
The Tigers look to continue building up the defense’s reputation - perhaps even establish themselves as a DBU.
Strader will get his first action in a Tigers uniform when Auburn travels to Waco, Texas, to take on Baylor Aug. 30. Head coach Hugh Freeze and company look to improve upon their 5-7 finish that saw them miss out on a bowl game for the second time in three seasons.
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