Action on the gridiron is back for the Auburn Tigers and Head Coach Alex Golesh as they travel to Athens, Georgia on Saturday for the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry against the Georgia Bulldogs.
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The nation’s No. 1 team is seeking to make it 10 consecutive wins on the Tigers this weekend, and Kirby Smart’s squad is rolling after a big win in its most recent outing.
Georgia went out to Tuscaloosa and took down the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road, winning 20-17 after holding Alabama to just three points in the entirety of the second half of play.
With all of the success that Smart has built up since taking the job in Athens, the Bulldogs have had the fortune of not having to use the transfer portal a whole lot, retaining guys in-house for a number of years.
With some injuries being prevalent and few players getting considerable playing time, the usual list of five transfers to watch has been cut down to three. Here is that trio for Georgia on Saturday.
Khalil Barnes, safety
Previous school: Clemson
After three seasons spent with Dabo Swinney at Clemson, Khalil Barnes felt it was time for a change in his senior year, and for him, what better place to do it than a program that has cranked out the most NFL Draft picks in the last five years.
Barnes took a step down in his production levels last year, posting just 40 total tackles in 2025 after putting up 61 and four interceptions in 2024. The senior has now recorded stats in four of the six games for the Bulldogs so far, putting up multiple tackles in each of them. His most productive game came recently against the Crimson Tide, putting up five on the night.
At 6-foot, 200 pounds, he has decent size for someone sitting deep in the secondary, but has gone out to work, putting up the second-most tackles on the team among the safety room. If he is tested deep, look for him to be a reliable player to make a tackle.
Braylon Conley, cornerback
Previous school: USC
Conley’s numbers have not been anything that sticks out over the first two seasons of his college career, but that does not mean he does not have potential to make some noise. The junior has the tough task of sitting behind Ellis Robinson IV, who is destined to soon be the next in Georgia’s long line of young NFL talents.
At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, he proves to be a taller corner that can get around, and while he is not a starter on the defense, his experience in Power Four games at USC makes him a viable option to rotate in when and if Robinson needs a breather. Conley has seven total tackles this season, which ranks fourth among the team’s defensive backs.
Ja’Marley Riddle, safety
Previous school: East Carolina
Nobody ever said making the jump from a mid-major program to a Power Four is easy, but Riddle is doing it and fighting to prove himself as another talented junior for Smart. Kind of like Conley, it is not easy playing behind KJ Bolden, but with Bolden listed as questionable for Saturday after getting injured against Alabama, Riddle could see the field a little bit more.
At 6-foot, 185 pounds, he is on the leaner side of sizing for a safety, but he used that to his advantage at East Carolina. Riddle totaled 133 tackles and six interceptions in two years with the Pirates, and so while he may only have seven total tackles so far this year, his abilities to go get the ball are noted and can make a difference if he is in the right position.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
