Former Auburn defensive lineman Antwuan Jackson Jr. claims the school is blocking him from transferring within the SEC, to Clemson and other schools on Auburn's 2017 schedule and Ohio State.

Jackson, who left Auburn along with defensive back Marlon Character Jr. last month, told The State newspaper he has an appeal in Auburn on June 8 regarding the transfer restrictions, which are similar to those Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has imposed on prominent transfers, such as former defensive back Derrick Moncrief, in the past.

A former four-star prospect and top 50 recruit in 2016, Jackson in interested in transferring to South Carolina, which he said was "at the top" of his list because of his relationship with Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson from when they recruited him to Auburn.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they gave me a call (if he's released)," Jackson told The State. "They (Auburn) don't want me in the SEC at all, not even the SEC East."

Jackson, who has not returned multiple messages from AL.com, told the State he is unsure where he'll go if his appeal is denied, but he'd consider a season of junior college or elsewhere in the ACC, Big 10 of Big XII.

"My question was: Why are they blocking Ohio State for no reason?" Jackson said. "They just put Ohio State on there for no reason. My question to them is why are they blocking me from a Big Ten school when they don't have anything to do with Big Ten schools? Why didn't they block me from Michigan or Indiana or any other Big Ten school? Why would they do that immediately?"

The State claims South Carolina could also be an option for Character, who has not spoken publicly on the matter and not returned multiple messages from AL.com.

Malzahn and several other SEC coaches, including Nick Saban, have spoken out against restrictions on coaches in a new NCAA recruiting rule that prohibits college teams from hiring individuals associated with a prospect, specifically high school coaches, to non-coaching roles for two years before and after that player enrolls in college. However, those same coaches routinely restrict where players can go if they choose to transfer, including as graduate transfers.

Last month, Malzahn said he did "not at all" see how the issues were correlated.