The 2025 recruiting cycle is beginning its final stretch, but there is still plenty of time for Auburn to build its strongest class under [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s watch.
One of the top targets that Auburn continues to pursue is five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, a USC commit. Lewis announced his commitment to Lincoln Riley’s program last fall. However, Auburn is the closest program in proximity to Lewis, which has the Carrollton, Georgia native thinking hard about his choices.
In a recent episode of The Five-Star Flex, On3’s Philip Dukes shared intel regarding Lewis’ standing with USC as well as the Trojans’ biggest threats: Auburn and Colorado. Dukes feels that USC remains heavily in the mix, but Auburn is the most attractive program for Lewis for two reasons: personnel and location.
Dukes cites Auburn’s 90-mile distance from Lewis’ hometown compared to Los Angeles, which is over 2,100 miles away.
“The proximity to home, being able to hit (Interstate) 85 and being right back in the area…there’s a lot of things that Auburn does present,” Dukes said.
The other factor is Auburn’s recent track record of recruiting valuable pieces to surround Lewis. Auburn’s receiver haul last cycle was historic, and the Tigers have added 11 offensive linemen between 2023 and 2025, which is its best stretch for the unit in quite some time. Having a solid supporting cast could be enough for Lewis to consider a flip.
“Can they continue to recruit, continue to stockpile on the offensive line so they can prove they can protect Juju, and how do they finish with these other top receivers?” Dukes added.
Lewis visited Colorado last weekend, where the university and city pulled out plenty of stops. One Boulder restaurant even named a burger after Lewis during his official visit. Lewis’ recruitment will continue to provide a wild experience to everyone involved before he officially signs in December, but Dukes feels adamant that Auburn and Colorado will be USC’s biggest threats until then.
“If I had to bust it down the middle, I wouldn’t lean any way with any of these schools,” Dukes said. “What I do think is that Colorado really gave the Lewis family a lot to think about this weekend. I think that Auburn is going to continue to push and I think that USC — as long as he’s committed to USC, I think you can never count them out, and I’d still say they are the leader, because that’s where he’s committed to.”
Lewis is the No. 1 overall 2025 recruit according to both ESPN and Rivals, and is a top-five quarterback by 247Sports and On3’s rankings.
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