Florida makes top 5 for blue-chip 2025 Cotton State safety

Florida football has been hot on the recruiting trail of late coming off a successful spring practice season that culminated in the annual Orange and Blue game last Saturday. Make no mistake – while Billy Napier and Co. were certainly busy with …

Florida football has been hot on the recruiting trail of late coming off a successful spring practice season that culminated in the annual Orange and Blue game last Saturday. Make no mistake — while Billy Napier and Co. were certainly busy with offseason workouts they still pressed hard for the top prep prospects in the nation.

The Gators’ efforts have come to fruition of late as many high school players have set official visits with the program as well as mentioning the Orange and Blue among their top collegiate destinations. One such student-athlete is four-star safety Eric Winters out of Enterprise (Alabama) in the 2025 cycle.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound defender recently announced his top 5 schools and included Florida among them.

Per Swamp247:

“It’s just something about Napier that excites me. He’s a really good dude. I went up there this past spring and we talked for quite a bit and I got a good first impression from him. Coach Harris too, he’s got a lot of experience. He knows what it takes because he’s done it at every level. The environment too. It’s something a lot of kids dreamed of as kids.”

Per Gators Online:

“When hanging around coach Harris, he gives you those vibes that he’s a guy that you would like to go to work with every day and he makes your day easier. Florida has a rich history of doing things the right way and they’re trying to get back to the top and where they were.” 

The Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers are also among his top 5 collegiate destinations.

Auburn: “Auburn is self-explanatory. Who wouldn’t want to stay home?”

Georgia: “As a prospect that plays defense, how can you say no to Georgia? Georgia recruits themselves.”

Miami: “It’s more than just ball with them. If you go there, you know you’re going to be successful on the field and off the field.”

Tennessee: “Those are the most down-to-earth guys I’ve met. They produce talent year and year out.”

“I’m looking for somebody to really separate themselves,” Winters told Gators Online. “Honestly, I want to commit as quickly as I can, even sometime before I start spring ball. But if not, I’ll take my OVs, weigh my options, name the pros and cons of each school and make a decision from there.”

Winters is ranked No. 79 overall and No. 8 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 79 and 9, respectively.

Auburn currently holds one crystal ball prediction from 247Sports while also commanding a massive lead in On3’s recruiting prediction machine with a 92.2% chance of signing him. Georgia (3.8%) and Miami (1.7%) trail a very distant second and third, respectively.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

2025 safety Eric Winters includes Tennessee in top five

2025 safety Eric Winters includes Tennessee football in top five.

2025 safety prospect Eric Winters announced his top five schools.

Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Miami and Auburn are Winters’ top five schools.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound four-star safety prospect is from Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Alabama.

Winters ranks as the No. 79 overall player in the class of 2025. He also ranks as the No. 8 safety and No. 7 player in Alabama.

Tennessee offered a scholarship to Winters on June 21, 2023. UAB was the first school to offer a scholarship to him on April 15, 2022.

The Vols have eight commitments in its 2025 recruiting class: Quarterback George MacIntyre, defensive lineman Ethan Utley, tight end Jack Van Dorseiaer, cornerback Dylan Lewis, running back Justin Baker, wide receiver Joakim Dodson, cornerback Tyler Redmond and safety Sidney Walton.

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].

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__

Auburn trending for elite 2025 in-state linebacker

Four-star linebacker Eric Winters has been projected to Auburn.

The Auburn Tigers are no longer taking a back seat in recruiting under [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the biggest indicator is their ability to recruit elite in-state talent.

They still have to sign, but Auburn currently has commitments from three of the top five players in the 2024 recruiting cycle from Alabama, including five-star wide receivers Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson.

The Tigers are also making hay in the 2025 cycle with three of their five blue-chip commits being from the Yellow Hammer state and they are now the favorites to land another. On Saturday, Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente cast a crystal ball for four-star linebacker [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] to commit to Auburn.

Winters is from Enterprise, Alabama, and has visited Auburn numerous times this season, including for the Iron Bowl.

He is the No. 110 overall player and No. 14 linebacker in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is also the No. 10 player from Alabama.

Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class already has commitments from four-star defenders Malik Autry (defensive line), Kendarius Riddick (safety), Jakaleb Faulk (edge), Jourdin Crawford (defensive line) and Kalen Edwards (defensive tackle).

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 JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

Priority in-state linebacker Eric Winters projected to Auburn

He is one of the top players from Alabama in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is off to a great start after landing four-star athlete [autotag]Kendarius Reddick[/autotag] and they could be adding another top target soon.

Listed as a safety, Auburn is recruiting four-star prospect [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] to play linebacker and On3’s Cole Pinkston believes the Tigers are the favorite for the the Enterprise, Alabama product. In fact, he’s so confident that he logged a prediction for Auburn to land him on Friday.

His prediction gives Auburn a 93.4% chance to get Winters according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. Auburn extended Winters an offer on Feb. 16 and he has taken multiple visits to the Plains since. He has visited Auburn a total of five times, three more than he has visited any other campus.

Winters is the No. 106 overall player and No. 9 safety in the On3 industry ranking. He is also the No. 9 player from Alabama in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

In addition to Reddick, Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is full of impressive defensive prospects including edge-rusher [autotag]Jakelb Faulk[/autotag] and defensive linemen [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag].

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 JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

In-state OL Spencer Dowland to attend Auburn vs. UMass

He is one of several targets who will be in attendance for Auburn’s season opener.

[autotag]Spencer Dowland[/autotag] is quickly emerging as a key Auburn target in the 2025 recruiting class and he is set to return to the Plains this weekend, according to a report from Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover.

Dowland will be in Auburn for the season opener against UMass, giving him a chance to check out Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“Yessir, I’m very excited to see the gameday atmosphere with a new coach and a rebuilt program, I feel like the atmosphere is going to be crazy,” Dowland told Clemente. “I am looking forward to experiencing the family atmosphere and just how the people are.”

Dowland may be unranked in the 247Sports Composite ranking but he already has offers from Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida State and Ole Miss.

He won’t be the only major Auburn target in attendance as four-star linebacker [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] will also be visiting.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1367]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

Elite in-state linebacker Eric Winters locks in return visit to Auburn

Auburn is getting one of its top targets in the 2025 recruiting cycle back on campus this weekend.

[autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] is one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class and the Enterprise, Alabama product is a major Auburn target.

The Tigers offered him a scholarship on Feb. 16 and he visited on March 22. He has now set a return visit as he will be on the Plains when the Tigers face UMass on Saturday to start the [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] era.

Freeze and the feeling he gets from Auburn’s staff is a major reason why Winters is interested in Auburn he told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.

“Just the family feeling they bring and the big recruitment jump they’ve made since bringing in the new staff.”

He added “It’s hard to say no to coach Freeze. Just the guy he is and the energy he brings just feels different.”

Winters is the No. 96 overall player and No. 11 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is also the No. 10 player from Alabama.

The four-star prospect is coming off a breakout sophomore season for Enterprise High School. He made 54 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, forced one fumble and caught a 70-yard touchdown as a receiver.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1367]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

UGA football offers 2025 LB Eric Winters

UGA has offered a scholarship to four-star linebacker recruit Eric Winters

The Georgia Bulldogs are the latest school to offer a scholarship to four-star linebacker recruit Eric Winters. Winters is a member of the class of 2025.

Eric Winters plays high school football for Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Alabama. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound linebacker is the No. 96 recruit in the class of 2025. Winters is the No. 10 linebacker and the No. 10 recruit in Alabama.

The Enterprise star holds recent scholarship offers from LSU, Miami, Clemson, and Texas A&M. Eric Winters also plays high school basketball.

The four-star prospect has excellent speed. Winters plays wide receiver in addition to playing linebacker. He makes plays on special teams. The 2025 linebacker is versatile and is good in coverage.

How does Kirby Smart and Georgia football’s class of 2025 look at the moment?

Georgia has commitments from five recruits in the 2025 cycle. The Bulldogs already have commitments from four five-star recruits in the rising junior class. Linebacker Jadon Perlotte is among Georgia’s top-ranked class of 2025.

The four-star linebacker announced his scholarship offer from Georgia football via social media:

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

LSU offers top 100 safety from Alabama

LSU is searching for a star safety in the 2025 recruiting class.

LSU is searching for a star safety in the 2025 recruiting class. That search has led them to Enterprise, Alabama, where it found a four-star safety that has Auburn as his top school at the moment.

[autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound, four-star safety who plays for Enterprise High School. The Enterprise Wildcats finished the 2022 season 8-4 with a loss to Central in the second round of the AHSAA 7A playoffs.

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections for Winters, but Auburn is a 62% favorite to land him per On3.

Film Analysis: Winters is a high-IQ player that can make plays from anywhere on the field.

FILM

Sooners building foundation for future with flurry of offers for 2025 and 2026

Oklahoma gets a jump on its recruiting future, extending offers to a number of 2025 and 2026 prospects.

While the 2024 class is next up for the calendar year, recruiting future classes starts with years of relationships. Those relationships take time to build and don’t always develop overnight. It’s imperative to lay the foundation early on, which is why it should come as no surprise that the Sooners sent a  flurry of offers to 2025 and 2026 prospects in recent weeks.

Recruiting services have hardly evaluated them enough to rank them all just yet. These players have already received Power Five offers and look to be premier players who will eventually be significant prospects come their senior year.

We’ve taken the liberty to take a brief look at these 2025 and 2026 offers and offer a bit of insight about each.