There are just three weeks left in the 2026 regular season for college football, meaning the Auburn Tigers have three opportunities to notch their sixth win of the season and gain bowl eligibility.
It is another road test for Alex Golesh’s squad up next, as it takes on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi, another team looking for a solid end to the season so that it can extend its year into the postseason.
Jeff Lebby’s squad is entering the weekend contest with a 4-5 record following a 25-23 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores at home, marking the fifth-straight loss after a 4-0 start to the year. The Bulldogs have been operating though without the likes of their star quarterback Kamario Taylor, who is out for the season with injury.
Mississippi State has now called on a lot of players to step up, some of whom are transfers into the program.
Here are five transfers for the Bulldogs to know before the game on Saturday in Davis Wade Stadium.
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Jardin Gilbert, safety
Previous school: LSU
As a sixth-year senior, Jardin Gilbert is once again getting the playing time he has wanted as a football player in the SEC. Having spent his entire college career within one of the nation’s top conferences, he knows the standard that is expected of him, and he is translating that to the field in the 2026 season.
It is not truly that often that a team sees a safety become their top tackler for the year, but Gilbert has been that rare instance. The senior currently has 53 total tackles to go along with one sack and two forced fumbles. Easily put, he has been all over the field this year in Starkville and is seeking to end this year on a high note.
Gilbert also had his best game of the season last week against Vanderbilt and has put up some of his better performances here in the back half of the season. Recording double digits in tackles for a singular game is good no matter who the opponent is. Gilbert did that with 13, and will now carry momentum into this game against Auburn.
Kendel Dolby, cornerback
Previous school: Oklahoma
Alongside Gilbert in the secondary room stands Kendel Dolby, who is also a veteran senior that makes this secondary room stick out in terms of an ability to gravitate towards the football. He is finally getting to show that now after not getting much playing time when he was at Oklahoma for the last three years.
Like Gilbert, Dolby has also put up the production to make a good impression, notching 45 tackles with two fumble recoveries. Seemingly, the duo is making strides to get this defense where it needs to be, which is one that some Tigers players and others have pinned as being feisty. He is a little smaller at 5-foot-11, but him making the tackles necessary has driven up his production and made him a veteran leader.
Amaree Williams, EDGE
Previous school: Florida State
After two seasons in Tallahassee, Florida, Amaree Williams decided it was time for a change, making his way to Strakville this season. He only got sparing playing time as a part of the Seminoles. Now, he is a full contributor and doing what he can on the outside of the defensive line in both coverage and forcing pressure.
With 46 total tackles and two sacks, Williams has made his plays with his size, with most of those tackles coming as solo ones. He is head and shoulders above the rest of the defensive line in terms of number of tackles that he has put up, making himself a force up front.
While he has only had seven tackles combined between the last two games, his size at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds has allowed him to take height and weight balance and use it to his advantage. There is no surprise why Mississippi State recruited a player of his caliber out of the portal.
AJ Swann, quarterback
Previous school: Appalachian State
Since the injury to Kamario Taylor, the Bulldogs have been trying to make sure they have the best plan in place in order to have a good leader at quarterback. As of the last couple of games, that seems to be AJ Swann, who has been at a number of schools over the course of his college career, including Vanderbilt.
Swann threw for 254 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Mississippi State’s most recent outing, showing why he has the caliber to be an SEC quarterback. Alex Golesh touted him as being a quarterback who can simply make every throw that he tries, while also having an innate run ability. Only having a couple of games of film on him from this season, there is a particular challenge, but there is also looks on him from his time from Appalachian State, where he got a lot of time on the field.
Marquis Johnson, wide receiver
Previous school: Missouri
The theme of this transfer portal class for the Bulldogs is that there are a lot of players from fellow SEC programs. That includes Marquis Johnson, who continually has made an impact on this offense and been someone to rely on.
Johnson was tasked with being more of a rotational receiver in Columbia, but now has increased his production in a big way. That has included only having one game without multiple catches and posting season highs in each of the last two games. He has seen more chunk plays come his way as a result, and while he only has one touchdown on the year, he is averaging 12.5 yards per catch. He will definitely be someone to watch as a shorter, speedy receiver sitting at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
