Tag: Alvin Henderson

2025 OT Carde Smith decommits from Auburn

Alabama’s No. 15 recruit from the 2025 cycle is re-opening his recruitment after committing to Auburn in April.

One of Auburn’s top pledges has re-opened his recruitment.

[autotag]Carde Smith[/autotag], a four-star OT from Mobile, shared to X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday that he has backed off his pledge to Auburn and will look to sign elsewhere this cycle.

Smith joined Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class on April 10, choosing the Tigers over Florida State and Mississippi State. At the time, he was the third offensive lineman to commit to Auburn’s haul after striking a relationship with offensive line coach [autotag]Jake Thornton[/autotag]. Since then, he has earned offers from Tulane, Colorado, and USC. He officially visited USC over the weekend before announcing his decision to resign from his commitment to Auburn.

With Smith’s de-commitment, Auburn now sits at No. 8 in 247Sports’ 2025 recruiting rankings, down four spots from last week when four-star running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] flipped his commitment from Penn State to Auburn. The Tigers have four offensive line commits so far, headlined by four-star OT [autotag]Tavaris Dice[/autotag].

 

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Alvin Henderson’s pledge to Auburn among top commitments of the week

Henderson’s decision to come “home” has boosted Auburn’s stock in this year’s recruiting rankings.

Auburn football received a pleasant surprise last week.

After missing out on four-star running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] in April to Penn State, Auburn found a way to reel him back in and flip his commitment. Henderson became Auburn’s fifth 2025 commitment of June last Friday, and arguably the most notable.

On3 dropped their selections for last week’s top commitments from across the country, and included Henderson’s pledge to Auburn on the list. Henderson’s flip from Penn State to Auburn was one that On3’s Collin Ginnan saw happening.

Alvin Henderson committed to Penn State on April 11 despite Auburn being a longtime favorite in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. On Friday, the Tigers flipped Henderson back to the home-state team.

Henderson shared his reasoning for the swap, saying that he feels Auburn is “home.”

“Auburn is home,” Henderson told On3 in a recent interview. “I really appreciate Penn State and I love it up there and their coaches, but Auburn is home. It always has been.”

Henderson’s commitment bumped Auburn to No. 4 in 247Sports’ 2025 recruiting rankings, which is a six-spot increase from their No. 10 ranking to begin the month of June. Henderson joined four-star OT [autotag]Broderick Shull[/autotag], four-star safety [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag], and four-star CB [autotag]Donovan Starr[/autotag] by committing to Auburn this month.

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Penn State running back commit flips to SEC program

Running back Alvin Henderson has decided to walk away from his commitment to Penn State to stay closer to home.

Penn State was riding the wave of good news when they added two new members to their 2025 recruiting class. While verbal commitments aren’t binding, it indicates that these players will likely suit up for the Nittany Lions.

However, the process is never over until a prospect officially signs a letter of intent. Until then, other schools can continue working on players with the possibility of flipping the recruit’s commitments.

That just happened to Penn State.

According to Greg Pickel of On3, [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] has flipped from the Nittany Lions to Auburn. Henderson has since confirmed his commitment update via social media.

“Auburn is home. I really appreciate Penn State and I love it up there and their coaches, but Auburn is home. It always has been,” he told Auburn Live.

Henderson is an Alabama native and it was really surprising for many in the recruiting world that he gave his commitment to the Nittany Lions in the first place. There was always a possibility that this could happen considering how much the Tigers wanted him and how hard they continued to recruit him.

In fact, Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong of On3 both logged their picks that Auburn would be able to flip this recruitment on Thursday following his trip back home.

Something clearly changed his mind, but those around Penn State might be taken aback based on the comments the running back made just a few days ago.

“Coach [James] Franklin and [Ja’Juan] Seider know that I am locked in and I don’t really feel like they are even worried about anything. It was a great visit from the time I got there up until I left. I really loved everything about the visit and was mainly just happy that I could get around my brothers and everyone else that’s committed, as well as a few dudes who could potentially come and play at Penn State. Me and a few others tried to do some convincing with a few other recruits,” he told BlueWhiteIllustrated after his official visit to Happy Valley last weekend.

This highlights just how quickly things can change on the recruiting trail, but it also is surprising that these comments were made when there was clearly some things going on that led to this decision.

Penn State already has two other running backs committed to them in this class, but Henderson was the highest-ranked as a four-star. Tiqwai Hayes and Kiandrea Barker are both listed as three-stars heading into their senior seasons.

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Auburn flips 2025 RB Alvin Henderson from Penn State

The four-star RB has changed course after choosing Penn State over Auburn in April.

After choosing Penn State over Auburn in April, class of 2025 running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] is changing course.

Henderson, a four-star running back from Elba, shared Friday that he has backed off his pledge to Penn State in favor of committing to a home-state school. This flip comes days after recruiting experts from 247Sports and On3 submitted predictions favoring Henderson switching to Auburn.

Auburn appeared to be the frontrunner to land Henderson in April before a last-minute visit to Happy Valley changed his mind. Penn State sold him the idea of being the next great running back. However, a few unofficial visits to Auburn post-commitment forced him to make a decision that best suited him.

“Deep down and truly I know where home is and I knew where home was from the beginning,” Henderson told Auburn Undercover following his switch to Auburn.

Auburn has made giant steps forward this month by landing five commitments for its 2025 class and jumping six spots in recruiting rankings. Henderson’s pledge has improved Auburn’s 2025 recruiting ranking to No. 4 in 247Sports’ 2025 rankings, up from No. 10 at the beginning of the month.

Henderson is a top-20 running back for the 2025 class, he is also seen as a top-20 recruit from Alabama. Rivals ranks Henderson at No. 3 in both position and state rankings.

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Four-star safety Eric Winters commits to Auburn

Alabama’s No. 5 overall recruit from the 2025 recruiting cycle commits to Auburn on his official visit.

Auburn target [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] is one of 12 recruits on campus for official visits this weekend. Speculation of a commitment to Auburn began to rise as soon as he stepped on campus, as recruiting analysts from multiple outlets projected Auburn to land Winters before the weekend ended.

Turns out, speculations were true as Winters announced his commitment to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Tigers on Saturday afternoon.

Winters, a four-star safety from Enterprise, Alabama, says that his relationship with Freeze led to his pledge to Auburn.

“(Freeze) is a big part of why I committed to Auburn,” Winters said after announcing his commitment to Auburn. “He loves his players, he is a family guy and we built a great relationship. Coach Freeze is doing big things at Auburn and he made me feel like a priority and made me feel comfortable.”

Auburn has always been near the top of the list for Winters, but they needed to make a giant stride this weekend in order to create separation between themselves, Georgia, and Miami. Between Freeze and the “home” atmosphere of Auburn University, the chose became simple for Winters.

Now, he wants several of the state’s top recruits to join him on the Plains.

“I am already working guys. It starts with my teammate [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag]. I am going after [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag], [autotag]Julian Lewis[/autotag], [autotag]KJ Lacey[/autotag] and some others,” Winters said. “Coach Freeze has this group of defensive players in Alabama he wants called the Super 7. Guys like [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Anquon Fegans[/autotag], [autotag]Naeem Offord[/autotag], and Zion are guys that haven’t committed yet. I will be on all of those guys.”

Winters is the No. 5 recruit from Alabama for the 2025 cycle, and is the fourth top-10 player from Alabama to pledge to Auburn. The 6-2, 200-pound safety ranks No. 5 overall at his position, and is the No. 53 overall recruit for the cycle. By landing Winters, Auburn now ranks No. 6 in 247Sports’ class of 2025 recruiting rankings.

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SEC program in hot pursuit of Penn State commit

Penn State may have to fend off pressure from this SEC school to keep this commitment on the board.

The thing about recruiting is that it’s really never over until the prospects are officially signed and enrolled at the school, no matter if they’ve given a commitment or not.

Prospects get flipped all the time, especially in this NIL era where money is now legally allowed to get thrown at recruits.

Penn State is currently in the process of trying to flip top instate quarterback [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag] back to their program even though he’s already committed to Missouri, but they’re going to have to fend off a program who is heavily going after their four-star running back commit.

According to Hunter Shelton of On3, Auburn is still heavily pursuing [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] who committed to the Nittany Lions back on April 11.

The Alabama native is listed as the 55th overall player in the 2025 class by ESPN and the fourth-best running back. It was a huge win for Penn State to land someone of this caliber out of state.

But, Henderson is coming off a recent visit to Auburn and there are many people who follow recruiting who believe he is going to wind up staying at home and playing for the Tigers.

“I believe a lot of people close to his recruitment — including myself — believe he’s going to end up at Auburn. Auburn has prioritized him for years, even when Hugh Freeze and Derrick Nix came on. It was kind of a surprise when he committed to Penn State, at least in the days leading up to his commitment,” Auburn insider Jeffrey Lee said on “Inside the Scoop.”

Henderson isn’t the only running back in Penn State’s class as they have two other commitments from [autotag]Tiqwai Hayes[/autotag] and [autotag]Kiandrea Barker[/autotag], but losing him would be a major blow to how strong their 2025 cycle would be on paper.

It will be interesting to see what ultimately comes of this.

The Nittany Lions are schedule to have him on campus for an official visit on June 14 with a chance to firmly lock down his commitment and move him closer to signing.

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Auburn’s recruitment of four-star RB Alvin Henderson is not finished

The possibility of Henderson joining Auburn’s 2025 signing class remains high despite his commitment to Penn State.

Auburn was believed to be the front-runner to land four-star running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] for months. However, thanks to a late push, the Elba native chose Penn State over the Tigers in April.

Despite Henderson’s pledge to Penn State, many believe that Auburn’s chances are not completely erased including Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live.

In a recent episode of The Inside Scoop, Lee says that Henderson has visited campus since his commitment to Penn State. He believes that [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff will not yield until Henderson officially signs.

“I believe a lot of people close to his recruitment — including myself — believe he’s going to end up at Auburn,” Lee said. “Auburn has prioritized him for years, even when Hugh Freeze and Derrick Nix came on. It was kind of a surprise when he committed to Penn State, at least in the days leading up to his commitment.”

The lack of knowledge surrounding Auburn’s running back development under new offensive coordinator/running backs coach Derrick Nix played a factor in Henderson choosing Penn State over Auburn. He stated that Penn State’s “tradition for running back development” stood out the most to him. A successful early start for Auburn’s offense could change his tune.

Henderson is the No. 16 running back in the nation for 2025 according to both On3 and 247Sports, and is the No. 17 recruit from Alabama for the cycle.

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Penn State lands huge commitment from Alvin Henderson, who ran for 61 touchdowns last year

Alvin Henderson commits to Penn State football.

It was a huge Thursday for Penn State as four-star running back Alvin Henderson gave his commitment to the Big Ten program. And all Henderson seems to do is run for touchdowns.

Penn State fought off several big names to land Henderson, a player ranked by Rivals as the third-best running back in the nation and the No. 36 overall recruit. He is a member of the 2025 recruiting class.

ESPN ranks him as the No. 55 player in the nation and the sixth-best player in Alabama this recruiting cycle.

Last year, Henderson ran for 3,253 yards and a staggering 61 touchdowns for Elba High School (Elba, Alabama) in 14 games played.

He picked Penn State from an offer list that included Auburn, Florida State, Miami and Oregon among others.

The Nittany Lions now have 12 commits in the class of 2025. Henderson is one of four recruits ranked as a four-star by 247Sports.

Four-star RB Alvin Henderson chooses Penn State over Auburn

A late push by Penn State erased Auburn’s chances of landing the talented in-state running back on Thursday.

Penn State made a late push in [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag]’s recruitment in an effort to steal him away from the state of Alabama, and it worked.

Henderson, a four-star running back from Elba High School in Elba, Alabama, chose Penn State on Thursday over Auburn, Florida State, Oregon, and Miami. Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the newly hired offensive coordinator [autotag]Derrick Nix[/autotag] worked to maintain their relationship with Henderson following the departure of former running backs coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag]. The effort worked for a while but was not enough to close the deal.

Henderson was expected to commit on April 4, but the announcement date was altered by a week thanks to a late visit to State College. In a recent interview with Tom Loy of 247Sports, Henderson cited that Penn State has recruited him the hardest despite him not mentioning their involvement in his recruitment until the final stages. In their recruiting pitch, Penn State tells Henderson he can be the next great star.

The thing about Penn State is that they consider me as a dude that can come in and be the next Nick Singleton or Kaytron Allen. They are going to leave this year and they consider me the dude that can replace them. Their development at the running back position over the past few years, it’s real. They believe in what coach (James) Franklin has done. They want me to jump on the train and carry the torch that the running backs have started over the years.

Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is still strong despite Henderson’s decision to commit to Penn State. The Tigers rank No. 8 in 247Sports’ rankings thanks to the commitments of [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag], and [autotag]Devin Williams[/autotag]. Auburn’s class added a talented offensive lineman earlier this week in [autotag]Carde Smith[/autotag], and are in prime position to land four-star linebacker [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] and three-star cornerback [autotag]Dante Core[/autotag].

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Four-star RB Alvin Henderson sets commitment date

Will Auburn land one of Alabama’s top recruits from the 2025 class?

As four-star running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] inches closer to his commitment date, Auburn is beginning to create separation between themselves and Florida State.

Henderson visited the Plains earlier this week, where he revealed his commitment date to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover. The Elba native will choose between Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Oregon, and Penn State on April 5 during a ceremony at his high school.

In an interview with Clemente, Henderson says that relationships will be an important factor with his decision. He also mentions his level of comfort within Auburn.

“If it was Auburn it’d just be the relationship and obviously you know, I feel at home here,” Henderson said. “Even the resources off the field if I was to come here and if I was successful or not successful, once I graduated I’d always be able to come back here and feel welcome.”

What are Auburn’s chances of landing Henderson? The Tigers currently hold two crystal ball predictions from 247Sports, including one from Zach Blostein of Noles247. Auburn also has an 88.4% chance to earn Henderson’s commitment according to On3. Alabama is next in line with a 3.7% forecast, followed by Florida State and Miami.

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