auburn recruiting – Page 5 – Syndication Server

Five-star forward AJ Dybantsa places Auburn in top schools

The 6-9 small forward is the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class.

Forward [autotag]AJ Dybantsa[/autotag] narrowed his favorite list of schools down to seven on Friday morning. The No. 1 overall recruit in the class, Dybantsa’s list includes BYU, North Carolina, Kansas State, Kansas, Baylor, Alabama, and Auburn.

The 6-9, 200-pound small forward rates at a “100” on the recruiting scale according to most scouts. That scouting report has made him an early favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, something that has weighed heavily on Dybantsa’s decision regarding where he would like to play college basketball.

Out of the seven schools he listed, Auburn is the only one in which he has already visited. The Brockton, Mass. native spoke highly of his time with [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] on the Plains, specifically stating Pearl’s ability to develop him into a scorer at the next level.

“They were saying that if I came here, they would play me a lot at the wing, the 2-guard ..I’d be a scorer and a playmaker,” Dybantsa said in a recent interview with On3’s Joe Tipton. “That’s what I’m trying to do at the next level.”

While many experts currently give Auburn the edge in landing the most coveted recruit in the 2025 class, fans will receive more clarity after Dybansta finishes his visits later this year. If he were to become a Tiger, Bruce Pearl would land his biggest recruit since [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] came to the Plains as the No. 7 ranked prospect in the nation.

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Four-star TE Kaiden Prothro enjoys recent visit to Auburn

Auburn is in the mix to land one of the top tight ends from the 2026 recruiting cycle.

Auburn football looks to build upon its top-ranked 2026 recruiting class by showing interest in one of the cycle’s top tight ends.

[autotag]Kaiden Prothro[/autotag], a four-star tight end from Bowdon High School (Ga.), visited the Plains earlier this week where he spent time with tight ends coach [autotag]Ben Aigamaua[/autotag] and head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] as well as touring the campus and the program’s facilities.

Following his visit, Prothro spoke with Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live, where he shared his excitement over being on campus and how he fits at Auburn.

“I feel like Auburn is a great school to be at,” Prothro said in an interview with On3. “I’m always going to keep my options open. I feel like Auburn is going to be a good school in the next couple of years. I can’t really say much because I’m still looking at other schools, but I think Auburn is going to be a pretty good school for me.”

Prothro also broke down his visit with Aigamaua. He is intrigued by Aigamaua’s development of [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and the potential of Auburn’s offense taking a positive step under new offensive coordinator [autotag]Derrick Nix.[/autotag]

“He’s a great coach,” Prothro said of Aigamaua. “I feel like he knows what he’s doing. The tight end (Rivaldo Fairweather) led the team in receptions and yards last year, so that’s big. Just seeing what they’re doing with the tight end, they’ve got Coach (Derick) Nix, who’s a great offensive coordinator. I just feel like they’re going to be a big powerhouse this year.”

Prothro is the No. 2 tight end for the 2026 class according to On3 and Rivals, and is considered the nation’s best tight end according to ESPN. He ranks as high as No. 2 in Georgia’s 2026 rankings. Auburn holds the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2026, with OL [autotag]Kail Ellis[/autotag] being the lone commitment from Georgia at this point in the cycle.

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__

Recruiting expert expects Auburn to flip three-star WR from ACC program

Could Auburn flip another playmaker before signing day?

Auburn football has been on a roll lately by flipping talented playmakers such as [autotag]Derick Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag] from rival Alabama.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff want to make the most of their luck by trying to flip another 2025 recruit, this time from an ACC program.

[autotag]Sam Turner[/autotag], a three-star wide receiver from Southwest DeKalb High School in Metro Atlanta, was a guest during Big Cat Weekend last weekend on Auburn’s campus. The Georgia Tech pledge had a great visit to the Plains, which is giving a recruiting expert the sense that Auburn may sign him to its 2025 haul. Cole Pinkston of Auburn Live has submitted a prediction in favor of Auburn landing Turner with 60% confidence.

Turner said that Auburn made a positive move during Big Cat Weekend, with the atmosphere of campus and the program sticking out. He is also a fan of the coaching staff’s priority of faith and their passing scheme.

“It’s a big deal,” Turner said in an interview with On3. “I like the faith part and they’re going to throw the ball. You’ve probably got five receiver guys as coaches from the OC (Derrick Nix) to the head coach, the head guy (Marcus Davis), the assistant receiver coach was the OC at Jackson State (Maurice Harris). There’s a lot of like-minded guys on the offensive staff.”

Following Pinkston’s prediction drop, Auburn now has an 87.5% chance to land Turner according to On3. He plans to announce his final decision on August 8.

2025 DL Antonio Coleman stands firm on Auburn commitment

Auburn has taken the four-star DL away from rival Alabama twice.

The recruitment of four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag] has been a roller coaster ride for Auburn and Alabama fans alike.

So it comes as no surprise that Auburn fans were skeptical of Coleman’s commitment announcement last week after he backed off his pledge to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Tigers once before. He put those doubts to bed Tuesday during a High School media day event near his hometown of Saraland.

“I want to say, hey, War Eagle. I’m not going nowhere else,” Coleman said Tuesday. “You don’t have to worry about anything. This is home.”

Coleman committed to Alabama last September but changed his mind three months later following the retirement of Nick Saban and the hiring of Kalen DeBoer, which led to his commitment to Auburn. His original pledge to Auburn lasted until March, when he had a change of heart. He re-committed to Alabama and DeBoer, but ultimately went back to Auburn where he says he plans to stay.

As has been the case with several recruits that have originally committed to other programs over Auburn, Freeze and his staff never stopped recruiting Coleman. The persistence paid off as Coleman returned to Auburn’s 2025 haul.

“Well basically, I just want to first off say that I love Auburn, I love what they’ve got going on up there,” Coleman said. “I love to be a part of that. That came into me committing and flipping to Auburn.”

Auburn has added four members to its 2025 recruiting haul since Saturday, which has lifted their national ranking to No. 5 according to 247Sports. Coleman is the seventh top-10 recruit from Alabama to join Auburn’s 2025 class.

Auburn receives predictions to land 2026 wide receiver Cederian Morgan

Could Auburn’s 2026 class be the best in program history?

Auburn football’s 2026 class is shaping into one of its best classes in program history.

After landing three four-star prospects during Big Cat Weekend, Auburn wants to keep the momentum by landing a four-star wide receiver from Alexander City to its collection.

Following the busy weekend, Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente and Jason Caldwell have submitted “crystal ball predictions” in favor of Auburn landing [autotag]Cederian Morgan[/autotag], a four-star wide receiver from Benjamin Russell High School (Ala.). The predictions from Clemente and Caldwell outweigh a previous prediction from 247Sports National Recruiting analyst Tom Loy’s prediction from June in favor of Alabama.

Morgan was one of many 2026 prospects to visit Auburn for Big Cat Weekend, where he spent his time getting to know Auburn coaches and spending time with current players, including his former high school teammate [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag].

“I got a chance to get closer with all of the players and coaches,” Morgan said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “They just made me feel like home. It would be a good place for me to be.”

Morgan is a four-star wide receiver according to 247Sports. He is the No. 4 overall wide receiver from the class and is the No. 2 recruit from Alabama, trailing Auburn target [autotag]Anthony Jones[/autotag] for the top spot. Auburn possesses three of the state’s top 10 recruits from the 2026 cycle on their recruiting board: EDGE [autotag]Hezekiah Harris[/autotag] (No. 3), LB [autotag]Shadarius Toodle[/autotag] (No. 6), and LB [autotag]JaMichael Garrett[/autotag] (No. 8).

Auburn flips 2025 DL Antonio Coleman from rival Alabama

After backing off his pledge to Auburn in March, the Saraland product has returned to Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class.

College football recruiting is filled with drama, twists, and turns, making it one of our nation’s most popular reality television shows today. [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag] proved that theory Saturday with his commitment to Auburn.

Coleman, a four-star defensive lineman from Saraland High School (Alabama), announced his commitment to Auburn for the second time during his recruitment. Coleman infamously backed off his Auburn pledge in March to join Kalen DeBoer’s debut signing class at Alabama. Before that, he changed his commitment to Auburn last December after originally committing to Nick Saban and Alabama three months prior.

During a visit to Auburn in June, Coleman told reporters that Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze never stopped recruiting him despite his decision to flip back to Alabama.

“Coach (Hugh) Freeze told me he’s not giving up even when I did commit (back to Alabama),” Coleman said. “That’s what I like about him. He’s determined, and that’s the type of people I would like to be around, but I’m still going through my recruitment.”

Coleman joined four-star cornerback Blake Woodby by committing to Auburn’s 2025 class Saturday. Auburn now owns the No. 11 recruiting class according to 247Sports’ 2025 recruiting rankings.

Another one! Shadarius Toodle becomes second 2026 commitment of Big Cat Weekend

The four-star linebacker joins EDGE Hezekiah Harris by joining Auburn’s 2026 recruiting class.

Auburn football’s 2026 class just keeps getting better.

Not even an hour after receiving the commitment of four-star EDGE [autotag]Hezekiah Harris[/autotag] for its 2026 class, Auburn football landed another talented recruit in linebacker [autotag]Shadarius Toodle[/autotag].

Auburn has been the front runner for Toodle since extending an offer to him in February. He included Auburn in his top-10 last month along with programs such as Ohio State, LSU, and Texas A&M. Over the last month, Jeffrey Lee and Chad Simmons, both of On3, shared predictions in favor of Auburn landing Toodle. Those projections came true Saturday during the early stages of Big Cat Weekend.

After announcing his commitment, Toodle told On3’s Chad Simmons that he enjoys watching Auburn coaches interact with players, and that he is a great fit within Auburn’s linebacker room. When discussing head coach Hugh Freeze, Toodle predicts that he will lead Auburn to playoff contention very soon.

“Coach (Hugh) Freeze is changing the program,” Toodle said in an interview with On3. “He’s turning the program back into a national championship contender. He had a big recruiting class with the 2024 class and I feel like he can do that with the 2026 class too.”

Toodle is a four-star rated linebacker from Cottage Hill Christian School in Mobile. He ranks as high as No. 3 nationally at his position, and No. 2 among 2026 recruits from Alabama. Auburn’s 2026 recruiting class now ranks No. 2 in the nation according to 247Sports.

2026 DE Hezekiah Harris announces commitment to Auburn

The first commitment of Big Cat Weekend has surfaced. Who will be next?

The first commitment of Big Cat Weekend has officially surfaced.

Auburn earned the commitment of 2026 EDGE [autotag]Hezekiah Harris[/autotag] early Saturday morning. Harris is Auburn’s third commitment to the 2026 class, and becomes the top commit so far as a four-star rated EDGE.

Harris’ commitment comes as no surprise as predictions began flying in for Harris to land with Auburn in April with Cole Pinkston of Auburn Live submitting his projection. Earlier this week, On3’s Steve Wiltfong also submitted a prediction ahead of Big Cat Weekend.

When discussing his commitment, Harris told Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover that he has known since A-Day in April that he wanted to be a Tiger. He cites the effort Auburn coaches put in to recruiting him as a key reason for committing.

“I really like Auburn. The people that are recruiting me, they really put a lot of effort in,” Harris said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “My position coach, Coach (Josh) Aldridge he’s a great guy. Coach (Hugh) Freeze is a great guy. I like that they’re family-oriented guys.”

Harris is a four-star rated EDGE from Mae Jemison High School in Huntsville. He is the No. 3 EDGE from the 2026 class according to 247Sports, and is the No. 3 overall recruit from Alabama for the cycle. Harris held notable offers from Alabama, USC, and Florida State.

A look at four ‘flip’ candidates ahead of Big Cat Weekend

Will Auburn end the weekend by flipping these four talented recruits?

Guests are beginning to arrive on Auburn’s campus for the biggest recruiting event of the season, Big Cat Weekend.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his coaching staff will welcome several uncommitted recruits and even more talented 2026 targets. However, its toughest recruiting effort will be spent on four players committed to playing college football elsewhere.

A total of 22 known recruits from the 2025 cycle will be present during Big Cat Weekend, with four committed to fellow Power Four programs. According to Auburn Undercover’s running list of Big Cat visitors, four-star athlete [autotag]Derick Smith[/autotag] (Alabama), four-star EDGE [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag] (Ohio State), three-star RB [autotag]Daune Morris[/autotag] (USC), and three-star WR [autotag]Sam Turner[/autotag] (Georgia Tech) will all participate in this weekend’s activities.

Smith pledged to Alabama in March, and still appears to be leaning towards the Crimson Tide. However, Steve Wiltfong of On3 places Smith at the top of Auburn’s flip wish list. The Selma native is being recruited by Auburn to play wide receiver and in the secondary according to Wiltfong. The possibilities are endless with Smith, as he enters the weekend as the No. 2 athlete in the nation according to 247Sports.

Grady has flipped his commitment from Georgia to Ohio State this calendar year, but his recruitment is not quite finished. Auburn has already landed a commitment from one of Grady’s high school teammates from Enterprise High School, four-star safety [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag]. Winters will also attend Big Cat Weekend and could work some magic in order to shift Grady’s pledge to the Tigers.

Morris is a three-star running back from Murfreesboro, Tennessee and is pledged to USC. However, a few programs including Auburn, Ole Miss, and Tennessee are also candidates to flip him. Can Auburn get the upper-hand and sway Morris to stay closer to home?

The final candidate is Dekalb County, Georgia native Sam Turner. Turner earned an Auburn offer in June and is quickly shooting up the recruiting board for Auburn. Turner, a Georgia Tech commit, says that he is building a relationship with Auburn wide receivers coach [autotag]Marcus Davis[/autotag] and that his recruitment is not over.

Auburn’s coaching staff will need to bring their best efforts in order to steal these talented prospects away from their respective commitments. The great news for Auburn is that 12 of their commitments will also be on campus this weekend working as extra recruiters.

Four-star WR Davion Brown gaining interest in Auburn

The 2026 playmaker looks to build a strong connection with Auburn’s coaching staff as his recruitment continues.

Auburn football is planning for the future by reaching out to the best recruits that the class of 2026 has to offer.

Auburn has already gained ground on several in-state prospects including JaMichael Garrett and Shadarius Toodle. Now, Auburn’s staff is beginning to strike up a relationship with a talented playmaker from Virginia.

[autotag]Davion Brown[/autotag], a four-star wide receiver from Richmond, Virginia, is in the beginning stages of his recruitment. Nearby programs such as Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Penn State are taking notice of Brown’s abilities, with Auburn being the top SEC program on his radar.

In a recent interview with On3’s Chad Simmons, Brown says that he looks forward to building relationships with Auburn’s staff has his recruitment builds.

“I talk to the coaches and they contact me,” Brown said about Auburn. “I have a great relationship with them, so I want to build a better connection with them.”

When breaking down his “ideal program”, Brown says that he wants to play for a program that he will not have to transfer away from.

“What’s important to me is player development,” Brown said. “I want to go to a university where I can be developed on and off the field and I don’t want to transfer from that school. Whichever school I pick, that’s the school where I want to stay, develop and win a national championship.”

Brown is a four-star rated wide receiver, and is the top recruit from Virginia according to 247Sports and ESPN. Penn State is the program to beat at the moment but Auburn has plenty of time to build a relationship with Brown, which could lead to a commitment.