Tag: auburn recruiting

Social media reacts to Trovon Reed leaving Auburn for UCF

The Auburn family wished Trovon Reed well as he leaves the Plains for his first on-field coaching job at UCF.

One of Auburn’s most important recruiters is leaving the Plains.

[autotag]Trovon Reed[/autotag], who has been Auburn’s director of football and player relations since 2022, has been hired by Gus Malzahn as UCF’s cornerbacks coach. It is Reed’s first on-field coaching job.

Reed played for Malzahn at Auburn from 2010-2014 and after a four-year NFL career, was hired by Auburn as a player relations coordinator in 2021. He was a key factor in helping Auburn land several top recruits and often spent time on the road recruiting whenever the Tigers’ had an opening on the coaching staff.

He is the third former Auburn player to join Malzahn’s coaching staff for the 2024 season, with [autotag]Kam Martin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nate Craig-Myers[/autotag] already in Orlando. The news shocked Auburn fans who took to social media to wish Reed well at UCF. Here is a look at some of the top reactions.

5-star CG Jasper Johnson includes Auburn in top 10, schedules official visit

Auburn is a top 10 school for 5-star combo guard Jasper Johnson, who has scheduled an official visit to the Plains.

[autotag]Jasper Johnson[/autotag] is one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class with over 25 scholarship offers to his name, but the five-star combo guard is trimming his list to 10 schools moving forward.

He announced a top 10 of Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Alabama, Baylor, Louisville, North Carolina, USC, and West Virginia, Thursday on social media. The Lexington, Kentucky native also scheduled official visits to North Carolina (Feb. 3), Kentucky (Feb. 10), and Auburn (Feb. 17).

That visit will be Johnson’s first visit to the Plains and will give him a chance to see the Tigers in action. They are set to host Kentucky in what could be a top-10 matchup inside Neville Arena.

He is the No. 10 overall player and No. 2 combo guard in the 247Sports composite ranking. Playing for Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, he is also the No. 1 player from the Show-Me State.

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Auburn is one of 4-star RB Akylin Dear’s ‘favorite offers’

Auburn is looking to land some impressive running backs in the 2025 recruiting cycle and Akylin Dear is a name to know.

Auburn has a major need at running back in the 2025 recruiting cycle and one of their top targets is four-star prospect [autotag]Akylin Dear[/autotag]. Head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and new offensive coordinator and running backs coach [autotag]Derrick Nix[/autotag] visited the Quitman, Mississippi, product on Tuesday.

It was a big visit for Dear, who told On3’s Cole Pinkston that it “went great.”

“Actually, Auburn is one of my favorite offers I have,” he added. “Growing up, they were my favorite team. It went great, Auburn is recruiting me hard.”

The Tigers are not the only school pursuing the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder with Florida, Alabama, USC, Florida State, and others visiting him recently. While they have competition, Dear admitted that the Tigers are in a great spot to land the talented tailback.

“They’re in my top for sure,” Dear said. “I don’t want to say where, but just know, yes sir.”

Dear is the No. 148 overall player and No. 10 running back in the On3 industry ranking. He is also the No. 4 player from Mississippi.

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Ryan Williams recommits to Alabama, cancels official visit to Auburn

A top target for the 2024 class has recommitted to Alabama after a successful official visit with new Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer.

Dreams of “The Freeze Five” have officially vanished.

[autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag], a top target for Auburn’s 2024 class, announced Wednesday that he has recommitted to Alabama following an official visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend. He was pursued heavily by Auburn after Williams reclassified to the 2024 class to pair him with [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], and [autotag]Bryce Cain[/autotag] in Auburn’s wide receiver room.

The news comes as a surprise, as Williams originally planned to announce his college decision and sign on his birthday, Feb. 9. Williams took his official visit to Alabama last weekend to meet with new Crimson Tide head coach, Kalen Deboer. The meeting went well, as he decided to return his pledge to Alabama.

Following Williams’ announcement, Hayes Fawcett of On3 reported that Williams is shutting down his recruitment, which means that his official visit to Auburn on Feb. 3.

Auburn currently holds the No. 8 recruiting class according to 247Sports with three five-star signees: Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, and [autotag]Amaris Williams[/autotag]. Alabama moves to No. 3 following the commitment of Ryan Williams.

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Wesley McGriff’s return is ‘big’ for 5-star Auburn target Zelus Hicks

Auburn is firmly in the running for five-star safety Zelus Hicks and Wesley McGriff is a major reason why.

[autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] was a member of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s first coaching staff at Auburn and despite a brief stint at Texas A&M, he will be a part of the second one.

That development was significant for five-star safety [autotag]Zelus Hicks[/autotag]. McGriff coaches the cornerbacks but he has taken the lead for Hicks.

“It was very important actually. I was shocked that he came back so quick,” Hicks told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente. “He was only up there for like a week. When he came back it definitely surprised me and it was big that he came back. The main thing that he said to me today is that he’s here and he wants me here with him. He’s not going nowhere. After leaving, he’s not going nowhere. That’s big.”

From Georgia, Hicks has spent plenty of time on Auburn’s campus and that won’t be stopping soon. He visited for three games last season and after stopping by on Saturday, he plans on spending plenty of more time on the Plains.

“Oh yeah, I’m definitely going to be back as much as I can,” Hicks said.

He is the No. 31 overall player and No. 3 safety in the 247Sports composite ranking. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is also the No. 4 player from Georgia.

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Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford, Jahki Howard both climb in final 247Sports ranking

Tahaad Pettiford and Jahki Howard both made slight moves up in the final 247Sports ranking for the 2024 recruiting class.

The 2024 recruiting cycle for basketball is all but complete and 247Sports did a final update to their rankings on Monday. The update was good for both of Auburn’s signees, who each saw their rankings increase.

Point guard [autotag]Tahaad Pettiford[/autotag] headlines the class and is now one of the highest-rated signees in program history. He made a slight move up, going from the No. 25 overall player to No. 22. Committing to Auburn in February of 2023, he is also the No. 1 point guard in the country and the No. 3 player from New Jersey.

[autotag]Jahki Howard[/autotag] is Auburn’s other signee and the small forward is now the No. 69 player in the country. An exceptional athlete, Howard was a late addition to Auburn’s class after officially visiting in November and signing with the Tigers later that month.

The duo gives [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] and Auburn the No. 27 ranked class in the country but that is only because of its size. Their average rating of 98.11 is the 10th best in the country and is exactly how Pearl wants to build his rosters.

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Auburn offers elite 2026 CB Dorian Barney

The Auburn Tigers have entered the race for Dorian Barney, one of the top players in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

The Auburn Tigers extended an offer to four-star cornerback [autotag]Dorian Barney[/autotag] on Sunday, putting themselves in the race for one of the best cornerbacks in the country.

A member of the 2026 recruiting class, Barney already has a dozen scholarship offers, including from Florida, Tennessee, and LSU. The Suwanee, Georgia native has not visited Auburn.

He is the No. 39 overall player and No. 8 cornerback in the 247Sports composite ranking. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder is also the No. 8 player from the Peach State.

Barney is coming off an extremely productive sophomore season for Peachtree Ridge. He recorded four interceptions, defended 10 passes, and made 32 tackles in 11 games. That was enough to land him on the second team of the MaxPreps 2023 Sophomore All-America Team.

While the 2024 recruiting cycle isn’t even finished yet, Auburn has already landed two promising 2026 prospects in Denairius Gray and interior offensive lineman Kail Ellis. The two commitments are enough to give Auburn the No. 8 class in the country

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Four-star ATH Cameron Sparks: Auburn is ‘definitely up there’

Auburn is in the mix for four-star athlete Cameron Sparks, who had another good visit to the Plains.

Four-star athlete [autotag]Cameron Sparks[/autotag] made his return to Auburn on Saturday and the Tigers made quite an impression on him.

“It’s been great being here all day. Getting around campus and talking to coaches,” Sparks told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente. “Just how family-oriented it is. They’re real big on faith here and culture. I love it.”

Listed as an athlete, Auburn is recruiting him to play tight end and [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] has a specific role in mind for the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder.

“It wouldn’t be a traditional tight end,” Sparks said. “I’d be spread out all over the field, kind of how they do Rivaldo (Fairweather) right now. I’d be single receiver, slot receiver, sometimes winged up. Just all over the field.”

Sparks is the No. 40 overall player and No. 1 athlete in the 247Sports composite ranking. The Chattanooga native is also the No. 2 player from Tennessee.

The visit has Auburn in a good place with Sparks, who admitted Auburn is “definitely up there.”

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Auburn Tigers make three-star TE’s Hollis Davidson’s top seven

The Auburn Tigers have made the cut for tight end Hollis Davidson, who is down to seven schools.

The Auburn Tigers are looking to sign multiple tight ends in the 2025 recruiting class and one of their targets is [autotag]Hollis Davidson[/autotag]. The interest is mutual as the three-star prospect included Auburn in his top seven schools on Friday.

The Tigers are battling Miami, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Florida, and Cincinnati for him. Auburn and tight ends coach [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] offered him a scholarship on Oct. 21, 2023, and have been pursuing him ever since.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and Aigamaua stopped by McIntosh High School on Thursday to visit Davidson. It was their first time getting to see him since he visited the Plains for the Iton Bowl last season.

Davidson is the No. 365 overall player and No. 20 tight end in the 247Sports composite ranking. The Peachtree City native is also the No. 40 player from Georgia.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder caught 30 passes for 436 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Auburn has already landed one tight end in the 2025 recruiting cycle in three-star [autotag]Ryan Ghea[/autotag], who is also from Georgia. The Tigers have not signed a highs chool tight end since [autotag]Micah Riley[/autotag] in 2022 and are looking to add some much needed youth to the room.

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Five-star QB Julian Lewis to visit Auburn

Auburn is set to host five-star Julian Lewis, the No. 2 quarterback in the 2025 cycle.

Five-star quarterback [autotag]Julian Lewis[/autotag] is one of the best players in the 2025 recruiting cycle and Auburn is starting to enter the mix for him.

According to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, the Carrollton, Georgia native will visit the Plains this weekend. He will follow that up by visiting Colorado and Georgia over the next two weekends. Lewis has been committed to USC and Lincoln Riley since August but recently reclassified to the 2025 class from the 2026 cycle and is exploring his options.

Lewis is the No. 9 overall player and No. 2 quarterback in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is also the No. 3 player from Georgia.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder has been incredibly productive for Carrollton High School, completing 65.9% of his passes for 7,212 yards and 96 touchdowns in 28 over his past two seasons. He was named the MaxPreps Freshman and Sophomore of the Year for his great work.

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