Ole Miss linebacker Austin Keys announces transfer to Auburn football
AUBURN — The transfer portal pickups keep coming for Auburn football.
Ole Miss linebacker Austin Keys announced via Instagram on Saturday he will be transferring to the Tigers and coach Hugh Freeze. He's the 12th player and the second linebacker from the portal to head to the Plains this offseason, as DeMario Tolan came over from LSU earlier this month.
Keys appeared in four games as a freshman on special teams before redshirting in 2020. He saw action in six games the following year before injuring his knee and missing the rest of the season. In 2022, Keys finished with 39 total tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble for Ole Miss.
It appeared Keys, who entered the portal Jan. 6, took a visit to the Plains on Friday, per a post to his Twitter account.
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The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Keys was a three-star recruit coming out of Seminary High School in Mississippi. The 247Sports Composite had him tabbed as the No. 688 player in the class of 2020 and the 32nd-best inside linebacker. He was also rated as the No. 21 player in the state.
Keys had other offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana and Southern Miss.
With Owen Pappoe declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft in December, Keys and Tolan will likely be prominent pieces in Auburn's linebacker room that also has returns Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner.
Richard Silva is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Ole Miss linebacker Austin Keys announces transfer to Auburn football
