The Auburn Tigers secured their second transfer portal addition of the day by landing Preston Howard, a former Maryland tight end, as reported by Caleb Jones on X. Howard joins kicker Connor Gibbs as new additions to Auburn’s roster.
Howard, a 6-foot-4, 231-pound redshirt sophomore, recorded 37 receptions for 349 yards and a touchdown during his two seasons with the Maryland Terrapins. According to On3, Howard is rated as a three-star transfer and ranks as the No. 20 tight end available in the portal. Coming out of high school, ESPN had ranked him as a four-star athlete.
Tight end will be a revamped position for Auburn in 2025. Rivaldo Fairweather, the Tigers’ leading tight end since joining in 2023, posted 31 receptions for 372 yards and two touchdowns in 2024. Auburn also lost two tight ends—Grant Hidalgo and Micah Riley—to the transfer portal this cycle. To fill the gaps, the Tigers added two recruits for 2025: four-star Hollis Davidson and three-star Ryan Ghea.
With Howard’s addition, Auburn now has 12 portal recruits, giving the Tigers the No. 5-ranked portal class according to On3, trailing Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Michigan, and Oregon. Auburn has seen 14 players transfer out this cycle, tying them with Houston for the second-most departures among top-10 portal programs, behind Michigan’s 21.
Howard is among 19 Maryland players to enter the transfer portal this cycle. For more information on Auburn’s transfer activity, including the 14 players leaving the program, click here.
Preston Howard Bio (from Maryland Terrapins):
2024 Season (Redshirt Sophomore):
- Three receptions for 15 yards vs. Rutgers (11/16).
- Two catches at Minnesota (10/26) and at No. 1 Oregon (11/9), including 26 yards on two catches at Minnesota.
- Career-high five receptions for 59 yards vs. Northwestern (10/11).
- 38 receiving yards on three catches vs. Villanova (9/21).
- Career-high three receptions for nine yards at Virginia (9/14).
2023 Season (Redshirt Freshman):
- Played in all 13 games, starting 11.
- Recorded 13 receptions for 160 yards and one touchdown.
- Scored his first career touchdown in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl, putting Maryland ahead 14-0.
- Career-high 49 receiving yards on two receptions at Rutgers (11/25).
- Contributed across several games with consistent receptions and yardage.
- Highlighted by a #SCTop10-worthy 33-yard hurdle play vs. Virginia (9/15).
2022 Season:
- Redshirted.
High School:
- Top-ranked offensive player in Maryland and No. 6 overall according to ESPN.
- Played quarterback at McDonogh, achieving a 21-4 record as a starter.
- Notable performance in 2019 as a sophomore, with 899 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 540 rushing yards.
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