Deuce Knight tabbed most athletic quarterback in 2025 class by On3

Auburn’s newest quarterback has an elite combination of 6-foot-4 size and 4.53 second 40-yard speed.

The newest Auburn Tigers quarterback, five-star incoming freshman Deuce Knight, is already starting to earn some accolades.

On3 Sports recently released its ‘2025 Quarterback Superlatives’ list which outlines some of the best high school prospects in the country. Knight was given the ‘Most Athletic’ tag by columnist Charles Power, an accolade that makes sense given the Mississippi native’s rare combination of 6-foot-4 size and 4.53 second 40-yard speed.

Athleticism was never a knock for on the consensus top 6 quarterback in the 2025 class. A tri-sport athlete who also played basketball and won multiple state championships in the long jump in high school, Knight has not been shy when it comes to the comparisons between himself and former Auburn great Cam Newton during the recruitment process. The 18-year-old went as far as to say he models his game off of Newton’s, who was also his favorite player growing up, during his interview with the media on National Signing Day.

Now done with high school football and focused on winning the quarterback competition on the Plains next season, Knight will hope to channel his elite physical tools into becoming one of the best all-around quarterbacks in college football. While he is the likely favorite to start games for Hugh Freeze next season with the current roster, the Tigers seem certain to bring in a veteran transfer portal player to compete for the starting job alongside Knight and 2025 sophomore Walker White.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Auburn showing interest in transfer portal QB Jackson Arnold

Arnold has thrown for 1,984 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions in two seasons with the Sooners

The Auburn Tigers are among the programs showing interest in former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold, per an On3 Sports report. Hugh Freeze and his staff will likely be linked to an abundance of transfer portal signal-callers throughout the winter and early summer with Payton Thorne set to move on from the Plains.

After starting the season as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, and a ‘Heisman Trophy’ hopeful, Arnold struggled to flash the upside head coach Brent Venables thought he needed to compete in the SEC. The sophomore’s inconsistencies led to his benching mid-season in favor of freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., who lasted just three games as the starter after posing a 1-2 record.

Now 20 years old, Arnold still has two full years of eligibility remaining for whatever program he decides to join this offseason. He’d seemingly be a perfect fit for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers, as he could serve as a high-upside stop gap while recently signed five-star freshman Deuce Knight acclimates himself to the grind of the SEC.

In two seasons at Oklahoma, Jackson Arnold has thrown for 1,984 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. The Denton, TX native has also shown an ability to make plays with his legs, rushing for 560 yards and 4 touchdowns in 16 games. Other than Auburn, Georgia and Mississippi State are among the programs allegedly interested in bringing the 20-year-old to their campus next season.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Former Fresno State LB Phoenix Jackson schedules visit to Auburn

Johnson made 49 stops with four sacks as a senior at Fresno State in 2024.

Following a successful early signing period that saw the Auburn Tigers sign 25 high school recruits, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff are now shifting their focus to filling needs through the transfer portal.

One area of need is at linebacker, a unit that will need to replace key players such as [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag], [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag], and [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag]. One player who could fill one of those roles is [autotag]Phoenix Jackson[/autotag], a linebacker formerly of Fresno State. After a successful four-year career in Fresno, Jackson will look to use his final season of eligibility to play elsewhere.

According to a report by Pete Nakos of On3, there is mutual interest between Auburn and Jackson. Jackson has scheduled an official visit to Auburn for Dec. 13 and 14 and will also visit Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State this month.

Jackson had a solid career at Fresno State, where he recorded 101 tackles with five sacks and three interceptions over the last four seasons. The 2024 season was the strongest for Jackson, where he recorded 49 tackles with four sacks. Coverage was his strong suit, as he graded out at 90.3 in the category, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed 19 catches in 23 opportunities. However, he did not give up a touchdown while playing a coverage role on defense.

The winter transfer portal officially opens on Dec. 9 and closes on Dec. 28.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

‘This is a good day for us.’ Hugh Freeze recaps 2025 Early Signing Day

Freeze is excited for his 2025 recruiting haul to get to campus so he can continue to build a successful program.

Auburn football remains in “rebuild mode” after a 5-7 season in 2024.

However, after the success of the 2025 recruiting cycle, this chapter in Auburn’s football history appears to be nearing its end.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn coaching staff secured the No. 6 recruiting class for the 2025 cycle on Wednesday when it signed 25 recruits. Freeze shared his thoughts on the class following the busy day, declaring Auburn’s 2025 class to be a sign of great things to come.

“I’m really excited; this is a good day for us,” Freeze said Wednesday. “Today is one of those days where the first emotion you probably feel is relief and excitement is the next one. It looks like we’ll finish with another Top 10 class, one of the tops in the SEC; I’ve been very clear since my arrival that I thought it would take three Top 10 classes in a row to get to where it’s apples to apples. Let’s get these guys here and continue to change our roster.”

Freeze and the staff took a step forward on Wednesday by signing the No. 6 class, two spots higher than the 2024 haul which included key players such as [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag]. Freeze is pleased with the players he signed but understands that development is the next step toward success.

“Now, it’s our job to develop and create a culture with those young men,” Freeze said. “Our vision here is very clear and I think today is a sign that good players see it, their families see it and it’s a validation that we’re on the right track.”

The Auburn Tigers added 25 players to its 2025 roster on Wednesday, headlined by five-star EDGE [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag], five-star DL [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], and five-star QB [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag]. For a full rundown of Auburn’s 2025 signees, click here.

Auburn officially signs four-star cornerback Donovan Starr

Auburn finished National Signing Day by securing another great prospect

The Auburn Tigers coaching staff finished National Signing Day on an extremely positive note on Wednesday evening. One of the premier defensive members of the class, consensus top 20 2025 cornerback Donovan Starr, stayed true to his commitment by signing his national letter of intent with Auburn towards the end of signing day.

Starr’s signing was important for a variety of reasons, one of which being the fact Auburn was unable to flip fellow cornerback Na’eem Offord from Oregon despite the staff’s best efforts. Starr, who ranks as the No. 1 prospect from the state of Tennessee, was reportedly considering a flip as well before he put pen to paper.

With the 6-foot, 176-pound star now signed, Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is likely to finish among the top five or six classes in the country. Starr was the 24th player to join the 2025 Auburn class. He was also the fourteenth recruit to join the class that had a four-star or better ranking.

Starr, along with the rest of his new Tigers teammates, will look to help turn around an Auburn program that missed only it’s second bowl game since 2012 after a disappointing season this fall. With plenty of youth throughout the defensive backfield, the No. 1 prospect from the Volunteer State should have every chance to lend his talents to defensive coordinator DJ Durkin on game days in 2025.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Why three-star DL Darrion Smith flipped to sign with Auburn over Tennessee

Smith joins high school teammates Bryce Deas and Blake Woodby by signing with Auburn.

Opening day of the early signing period is flipping to the afternoon hours, and Auburn has already taken a prized recruit away from an SEC rival.

Hayes Fawcett of On3 reports that Auburn has officially flipped [autotag]Darrion Smith[/autotag], a three-star defensive lineman from Baltimore, Maryland, from Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers.

How did Auburn pull off the flip? They can credit their performance against Texas A&M as a major factor.

Smith took his official visit to Auburn during the weekend of Nov. 23 for the Texas A&M game and came away impressed with Auburn’s 43-41, double-overtime win over the Aggies. He broke down his visit with Cole Pinkston of Auburn Live.

“It was definitely amazing,” Smith said of his official visit to Auburn in November. “It was one of the best college visits I have had. The game, I don’t even know what type of words to put it in. It was a thriller. It was definitely the craziest game I have been to so far.”

It helped matters that he is teammates with two fellow 2025 Auburn commits: [autotag]Bryce Deas[/autotag] and [autotag]Blake Woodby[/autotag]. Deas was the first St. Francis prospect to commit to Auburn, doing so in June. Woodby followed suit by committing to Auburn during Big Cat Weekend in July.

The trio has officially signed with Auburn, becoming part of one of the nation’s top classes for the 2025 cycle.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDK1g0sPTjb/?img_index=1

Record-setting running back Alvin Henderson signs with Auburn

The four-star running back from Elba holds several AHSAA records. How many records will he break at Auburn?

A record-setting running back is on his way to the Plains.

[autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag], who holds 12 AHSAA records including yards per carry, season rushing yards, and touchdowns per season, is officially an Auburn Tiger after signing with the program on Wednesday.

Henderson’s recruitment was a roller coaster. The four-star running back from Elba was favored to commit to Auburn earlier this year before changing course and committing to Penn State in April. However, he backed off his pledge to the Nittany Lions in June and reaffirmed his plans to join Auburn’s 2025 class.

“Deep down and truly I know where home is and I knew where home was from the beginning,” Henderson said of Auburn in an interview with Auburn Undercover in June.

What is Auburn getting in Henderson? Henderson is the No. 9 running back in the nation according to 247Sports, and is the No. 12 recruit from Alabama for the 2025 cycle. He rushed for 3,456 yards as a senior at Elba High School and scored 61 touchdowns, which are state records. In Elba’s 80-78 loss to McKenzie High School in September, Henderson set another state record by rushing for nine touchdowns and three two-point conversions, resulting in 60 points.

He looks to break into the Tigers’ running back rotation next season alongside [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. How many records will Henderson break at Auburn?

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDKgqOTx_Jb/?img_index=1

Auburn target Na’eem Offord signs with Oregon

Auburn lost to Oregon in the attempt to flip Alabama’s top recruit from Ohio State on Wednesday.

Five-star cornerback and consensus top 12 overall recruit [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag] chose to play his college football at Oregon on Wednesday.

The No. 2 cornerback in the 2025 class, Offord had been committed to Ohio State since February of this year before flipping to Oregon on Early Signing Day. While Offord was never strongly predicted to flip to Auburn, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff made a last-minute push for his talents, leading many experts to believe the Tigers stood a solid chance of earning his commitment.

Auburn’s inability to land Offord brought a disappointing end to what was a very productive National Signing Day. Although the Tigers were unable to land the star cornerback from Birmingham, Alabama, Freeze and his staff did manage to bring five-star targets [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], and [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] to the Plains. The Tigers 2025 class also has nine four-star prospects currently signed as well, including Offord’s high school teammate, defensive lineman [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag].

The eyes of the Tigers staff will now be fully on four-star cornerback [autotag]Donovan Starr[/autotag], who committed to the program in June but has teased a possible flip to Alabama or Vanderbilt. The No. 1 prospect from the state of Tennessee, a commitment from Starr could move the Tigers back into the top 5 overall class rankings before National Signing Day comes to a close.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Brotherly love: Auburn inks brothers Derick, Erick Smith to 2025 class

The pair from Selma will bring plenty of talent to Auburn’s receiver room.

When receiving gifts, it is always better to get them in pairs.

Auburn secured two gifts on Wednesday in the form of brothers Derick and Erick Smith, as the pair from Selma signed with Hugh Freeze’s program.

[autotag]Derick Smith[/autotag] committed to Auburn’s program after a successful stay at Big Cat Weekend, joining the Tigers’ 2025 haul in July after previously pledging to Alabama. The four-star receiver is the No. 5 receiver from the 2025 cycle and is the No. 9 player from Alabama.

[autotag]Erick Smith[/autotag] brings quite a presence to Auburn’s receiver room as well by standing at 6-6 and weighing 190 pounds. He did not receive as much attention from recruiting sites as he is only tabbed a three-star. However, he made an impact this season at Southside by recording 116 receiving yards per game and is sure to be a force in Auburn’s receiving game over the next several seasons.

Derick and Erick are two of three wide receiver commits who are expected to sign with Auburn this week. At the time of this post, three-star wide receiver commit Sam Turner has not signed.

Four-star defensive lineman Jourdin Crawford signs with Auburn

The Alabama native is widely considered to be one of the best interior defensive lineman prospects in the 2025 cycle.

Auburn’s fantastic 2025 signee class continues to get stronger. [autotag]Hugh Freeze [/autotag]and his staff inked another top-ranked recruit on Wednesday, as four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag] officially signed his letter of intent to join the Tigers.

The Birmingham, Alabama native is widely considered one of the best interior defensive linemen prospects in the 2025 cycle. A consensus top-11 recruit from Alabama, Jourdin committed to the Tigers in the fall of 2023. The 6-1, 300-pound run-stuffer took two visits to Auburn in 2024, unofficially spending time on the Plains in March before officially visiting during the Tigers’ early-season victory against New Mexico.

Crawford’s official commitment adds another four-star rated athlete to what has become one of the best recruiting classes in Auburn football history. He is the fourth defensive lineman to sign his letter of intent today, joining five-star edge rusher [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag], five-star interior lineman [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], and fellow four-star interior lineman [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag] as pass rushers who will play their first collegiate snaps on the Plains next fall.

Auburn’s 2025 class is now officially up to 16 total athletes. Crawford is the seventh four-star recruit to join the class. At least nine other high schoolers are expected to sign letters of intent, with plenty of flip candidates still possible.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch