Auburn ‘showing a lot of love’ to 4-star tight end AJ Ia

Auburn is recruiting four-star tight end AJ Ia, who happens to play his high school ball with four-star quarterback target TJ Lateef.

[autotag]AJ Ia[/autotag] is one of the top tight ends in the 2025 recruiting cycle and teams all across the country are pursuing the four-star prospect. The Auburn Tigers are one of those teams and they have the attention of the Orange, California native.

“Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee, Brigham Young, Penn State have all been coming out and showing a lot of love recently,” Ia told 247Sports. “They’ve all told me I’m high on their list. It means a lot because obviously those are some schools that are long distance from here but they have told me they like my talent.”

Ia is the No. 306 overall player and No. 15 tight end in the 247Sports composite ranking. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder is also the No. 28 player from California.

He isn’t Auburn’s only target out of Orange Lutheran High School, his quarterback is four-star [autotag]TJ Lateef[/autotag], who recently included Auburn in his top seven schools. The two connected on 21 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns in six games as juniors.

Auburn and tight end coach [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] has already landed one tight end in the 2025 cycle in Ryan Ghea but the Tigers are looking to sign two to help replenish the depth at the position. Ia has the ability to help in the blocking game as well as run routes, making him exactly the kind of player Auburn is looking for.

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