Tag: Jakaleb Faulk

Four-star EDGE plans to officially visit Auburn this summer

CJ May is high on Auburn’s recruiting board. Can Hugh Freeze secure May’s commitment this summer?

He is only heading into his second season as Auburn’s head football coach, but we have learned early on that [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is fond of the small town of Highland Home, Alabama.

Freeze flipped Highland Home native [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] from Florida State during his first recruiting effort, and currently has Keldric’s brother, [autotag]JaKaleb Faulk[/autotag], in his 2025 haul. Could 2025 recruit [autotag]CJ May[/autotag] be the next Highland Home prospect to join Auburn’s roster?

May chose Notre Dame over Auburn last September, but backed off his pledge in February. Since then, he has visited several schools including Auburn, Washington, and Ole Miss. In a recent interview with On3, May shared that his dream is to compete with the Faulk brothers again on the Plains.

“I’ve got family there, one of my 2025 linebackers, (Auburn commit) JaKaleb Faulk, that’s my second cousin, current (Auburn) player right now Keldric Faulk is also my cousin. We’re all a tight family. It’s family, going into college football, the opportunity to play with them, that’s major. It’d be a dream, all three of us, they call it the ‘Highland Home Trifecta.’”

May has not set a date for his Auburn visit, nor has he set a commitment date. He tells Philip Dukes of On3 that he will reveal his top schools after taking his official visits, and will not rush his decision to commit to a program.

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__

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 EDGE target CJ May decommits from Notre Dame

After being committed to Notre Dame since September, Alabama native and Auburn EDGE target CJ May has decommitted from the Irish and reopened his recruitment.

Auburn’s 2025 defensive recruiting class is continuing to build up as time goes on, and the door swung wide open for a target that Auburn has been heavily pursuing.

Four-star EDGE [autotag]CJ May[/autotag] out of Highland Home High School (Ala.) announced his de-commitment from Notre Dame on Sunday after having been committed to the Irish since September.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder now has the opportunity to join high school teammate and Auburn EDGE defender commit [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag] on the Plains with his de-commitment. Faulk ranks as the No. 12 EDGE defender in the country. He can also join the rest of Auburn’s stout defensive class, including the likes of [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag] and [autotag]Kalen Edwards[/autotag].

According to the On3 industry rankings, May ranks No. 224 amongst the nation’s recruits overall, and at No. 18 in the EDGE class. He also ranks No. 14 in the state of Alabama.

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 Tyler on Twitter @traley34

Former Auburn football commit Kendarius Riddick flips to UCF

After he committed to Auburn on Oct. 19, 4-star safety Kendarius Riddick flipped his commitment to the UCF Knights and former Tiger coach Gus Malzahn.

Auburn’s recruitment of the 2025 class has been going particularly well. It hit a bump on Saturday when Thomas County Central High School (Ga.) and four-star safety Kendarius Riddick unexpectedly flipped his commitment.

The No. 7 ranked safety according to On3 industry ranking committed to the UCF Knights and former Auburn head coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag] after having been committed to the Tigers since Oct. 19.

The Georgia native is also ranked as the No. 74 overall player, and No. 12 in the state in the class.

Auburn’s 2025 class is now ranked No. 9 in the country following the flip, while UCF ranks No. 12. This is the Knights’ first safety in the class. The class has five defensive commitments, mostly on the defensive line. Opelika’s Malik Autry remains the class’ top commitment by being the No. 7 defensive lineman for 2025, and the No. 8 overall prospect from Alabama. Four-stars [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag], and [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag] also occupy the class.

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 Tyler on Twitter @traley34

USC commit Julian Lewis reclassifies to 2025, Auburn remains in the hunt

Could Lewis join Auburn’s top-five 2025 haul?

One of the best high school recruits in the nation has announced the decision to reclassify from the 2026 cycle to 2025.

[autotag]Julian Lewis[/autotag], a five-star quarterback from Carrollton High School in Carrollton, Georgia, revealed Tuesday that he will graduate one year early, and will now be a part of the 2025 class. He is now the No. 2 overall quarterback for the class behind LSU commit Bryce Underwood.

Lewis has been a pledge to Lincoln Riley and USC since August, but Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports reports that Auburn remains in the hunt to potentially land Lewis during the upcoming cycle. Alongside Auburn, Lewis is also considering Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, and Indiana in addition to USC.

The Georgia High School Association, which is the organization that Carrollton High School is a part of, recently voted to allow its student-athletes to sign NIL deals last October, and Lewis has become the poster child. Shortly after the NIL bill was passed, Lewis signed a NIL deal with Leaf Trading Cards which is reportedly worth six-figures. He also has a deal with Jaxxon, which is a jewelry brand. According to On3’s NIL Valutation, Lewis has an annual NIL value of $476,000.

Auburn’s 2025 haul currently ranks No. 4 in the nation according to 247Sports. The class is headlined by five four-star recruits including [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], [autotag]JaKaleb Faulk[/autotag], and [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/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__

Zac Etheridge departs Auburn, expected to be hired at Houston

Etheridge resigns after spending three seasons on his alma mater’s staff.

The Auburn coaching staff continues to see shake-up as the offseason heats up.

Late Thursday, Auburn associate head coach and running backs coach Cadillac Williams announced his resignation from the staff to “explore other opportunities.” Early Friday, another alum followed suit.

[autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], a former Auburn defensive back who spent three seasons on Auburn’s staff, also announced his resignation via X (formerly Twitter). Matt Zenitz of 247Sports has reported that Etheridge’s next move will be joining the staff at the University of Houston.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] released a statement Friday to show gratitude for Etheridge’s service to Auburn’s staff.

“Auburn football would like to thank Zac for his contributions to the program the last three years. He played a vital role in establishing the foundation of the future. Zac is a relentless recruiter and tireless worker who has a bright future in this profession. I look forward to watching his career develop and wish him nothing but the best.”

Etheridge joined Auburn’s staff in 2021 as part of [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s first staff. He was retained by Freeze and continued his role as defensive backs coach for the 2023 season. It was announced on Dec. 30 that Charles Kelly was hired to serve as co-defensive coordinator with an expected role working with defensive backs. Since then, both defensive backs coaches from the 2023 staff, [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] and Zac Etheridge, have both departed.

In addition to his on-field role, Etheridge was known as an elite recruiter. Etheridge played a role in Auburn landing four-star talent such as [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Woodyard[/autotag]. He was also the primary recruiter for current commits [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Kendarius Reddick[/autotag], and [autotag]JaKaleb Faulk[/autotag].

Etheridge’s departure is the fifth move of the offseason for Auburn’s coaching staff. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag], defensive coordinator [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag], defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff, and running backs coach Cadillac Williams have also departed the staff.

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 flips 2025 DL Antonio Coleman from Alabama

Auburn’s 2024 recruiting haul is ranked No. 7 nationally, and their 2025 class is shaping to be even better. 

Auburn’s 2024 recruiting haul is ranked No. 7 nationally, and their 2025 class is shaping to be even better.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers have kicked off the holiday weekend by flipping four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Antonio Coleman[/autotag] from rival Alabama.

Coleman is a member of Saraland High School’s football program, which is home to several Auburn targets such as 2024 five-star wide receiver and Alabama commitment [autotag]Ryan Williams[/autotag] and 2025 quarterback [autotag]KJ Lacey[/autotag], who is currently committed to playing for Texas. Landing Coleman is a step in the right direction when it comes to flipping those other two prospects.

Over 12 Power Five programs have extended scholarship offers to Coleman, including USC, Florida, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M. Auburn first extended an offer to Coleman on June 1 according to 247Sports, and he took an unofficial visit to campus during the weekend of the Iron Bowl.

Coleman, who has played for multiple state championships with Saraland, tells Auburn Undercover that he enjoyed playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium during the Spartans’ AHSAA 6A state championship game in 2022.

“I played at Jordan-Hare Stadium for a state championship,” Coleman said in an interview last spring with Auburn Undercover. “I loved the field and playing there. I would definitely love to learn more about the school.”

Coleman is the No. 9 prospect from Alabama for the 2025 cycle, and is the No. 8 defensive lineman overall according to 247Sports. His commitment bumps Auburn up to No. 3 overall in 247Sports 2025 rankings. The 2025 haul currently holds four-star DL [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], four-star EDGE [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag], and four-star athlete [autotag]Kendarius Reddick[/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__

Four-star DL announces commitment to Auburn

Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers have landed another talented addition to its 2025 haul.

There is less than a month remaining until the early signing period begins for members of the 2024 class. Still, Auburn is continuing to build toward its future by landing a talented member of the 2025 cycle.

[autotag]Kalen Edwards[/autotag], a four-star defensive lineman from Dyersburg, Tennessee, announced Monday that he has committed to Auburn. He chose the Tigers over many Power Five programs such as Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri.

Edwards earned an offer from Auburn last January, his third offer at the time. Since then, Edwards has fielded 10 additional offers. He visited Auburn during Iron Bowl weekend and left the visit feeling optimistic about Auburn’s future under head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

“The environment was electric and Coach Freeze is going to take the program to a special place in the near future,” Edwards said in a recent interview with Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.

The Tigers are now No. 7 in 247Sports 2025 recruiting rankings following Edwards’ commitment. The class is headlined by four-star DL [autotag]Malik Autry[/autotag], four-star EDGE [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag], and three-star TE [autotag]Ryan Ghea[/autotag].

Edwards is the No. 9 overall prospect from the state of Tennessee from the 2025 cycle and is the No. 28 defensive lineman for the class.

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 lands from Georgia’s top athlete for the 2025 class

The Tigers scooped up a valuable addition to its 2025 class on Thursday when Kendarius Reddick announced his commitment to Auburn.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers have added another valuable piece to its already impressive 2025 haul.

[autotag]Kendarius Reddick[/autotag], a four-star athlete from Thomasville, Georgia, announced Thursday that he has committed to Auburn. He chose the Tigers over Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Georgia Southern.

Reddick visited Auburn twice since receiving an offer on April 5. He received an offer on his first visit, and he took in a game earlier this fall as well. Defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge has been his primary recruiter and has done a great job of swaying Reddick to join the 2025 class.

“It was a great experience to come up here,” Reddick said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “Listen to Coach (Etheridge), talk about the experience, the growth of the team, and what they’re trying to build. I really like the environment around here. I think I’d fit good in this environment so I’ll be looking into it.”

Reddick’s commitment is the second commitment that Auburn has received for the cycle this week. Monday, four-star DL [autotag]Jourdin Crawford[/autotag] announced his pledge to Auburn.

Reddick’s commitment sends him to the top of the class. He is the No. 1 athlete from the state of Georgia and the No. 41 overall recruit according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He jumps [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag] as the top commitment for the 2025 class.

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 in top group for 5-star QB George MacIntyre

Auburn is firmly in the mix for one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

[autotag]George MacIntyre[/autotag] is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting cycle and nearly every school in the country is recruiting him. Unfortunately for most of them, he has trimmed his recruitment to 10 schools and one of them is the Auburn Tigers.

He revealed a top 10 of Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, FIU, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and UCLA, Monday night on social media.

MacIntyre is the No. 13 overall player and No. 2 quarterback in the 247Sports composite ranking. The Nashville native is also the No. 1 player from Tennessee.

Auburn extended an offer to him on Oct. 20, 2022, and is looking to get him on campus for his first visit to the Plains.

The Tigers have already landed several recruits in the 2025 cycle, including four-star edge rusher [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag] and four-star defensive lineman [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