Na’Eem Offord – Syndication Server

Five-star CB Na’eem Offord recaps Auburn visit

The No. 1 recruit from Alabama was on the Plains weekend. How much ground did the Tigers make up in his recruitment?

The future of Auburn football is bright, as eight of Alabama’s top 10 recruits from the 2025 recruiting cycle have pledged to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s program. Two Ohio State commits, CB [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag] and EDGE [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag], are preventing Auburn from completing the top-10 sweep for this season.

Auburn hosted Offord for the Vanderbilt game last Saturday in hopes of flipping him from Ohio State. During his visit, Offord spoke with Cole Pinkston of On3, where he discussed his interest in Auburn. He tells Pinkston that Auburn’s 3-6 record does not deter him from considering Auburn and that he was pleased with the Tigers’ defensive efforts on Saturday despite the loss.

What intrigues Offord the most about Auburn is the opportunity to play early. He cites freshman [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag] and his chance to play meaningful snaps early in his career.

“For him to come in and be a big time impact player, it showed me a lot,” Offord said in an interview with On3. “It showed that Coach Crime (Wesley McGriff) is a good coach and knows how to coach his players and develop you. Jay Crawford is a coachable player and that just shows you the development right there.”

Offord says that he has not planned a future visit to Auburn ahead of the early signing period in December, but Auburn remains in the mix. Offord is the No. 1 player from Alabama according to 247Sports. The Parker High School product ranks No. 12 nationally and is the No. 2 overall cornerback from the 2025 cycle.

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Report: Deuce Knight to visit Auburn for second-straight weekend

Four-star Notre Dame pledge will be on Auburn’s campus this weekend to watch the Tigers battle Cal.

Auburn football will get another chance to sway Notre Dame commit [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] this weekend.

According to a report from Steve Wiltfong of On3, Knight is returning to Auburn this weekend to watch the Tigers face California at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Knight was a part of a star-studded visitor list for Auburn’s season opener against Alabama A&M last weekend that included four-star linebacker [autotag]Elijah Melendez[/autotag], four-star running back [autotag]Ousmane Kromah[/autotag], and Alabama’s top 2025 recruit, [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag].

According to Wiltfong, Knight has built relationships with Hugh Freeze and the director of recruiting Kenyatta Watson has led to the upward trend. Also, the possibility of playing quarterback in the SEC intrigues Knight.

Although still committed to Notre Dame, Knight has remained a high priority for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers. Rumors began circulating about a possible flip since Big Cat Weekend in July, an event Knight attended. The Lucedale, Mississippi native has a 91.1% forecast from On3 to flip to Auburn while Steve Robertson and Tom Loy of 247Sports have submitted flip predictions in favor of Auburn.

Knight is a top-10 quarterback according to all major recruiting outlets for the 2025 class and ranks as high as No. 2 in the state of Mississippi.

Five-star Ohio State pledge Na’eem Offord to visit Auburn on Saturday

Auburn is working hard to flip Alabama’s top 2025 recruit from Ohio State.

Auburn football’s star-studded visitors list for the season opener against Alabama A&M just got brighter.

[autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], an Ohio State pledge and Alabama’s top recruit from the 2025 cycle, is scheduled to visit the Plains this weekend. Joining him are four-star quarterback [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] (Notre Dame commit), four-star linebacker [autotag]Elijah Melendez[/autotag] (Miami commit), and four-star running back [autotag]Ousmane Kromah[/autotag].

Saturday will be Offord’s first visit to Auburn since Big Cat Weekend last month. Offord says that he enjoyed the weekend visit and that Auburn coaches are working to keep him in the state.

“I’m currently committed to Ohio State, but still enjoying the process,” Offord said following his visit to Auburn for Big Cat Weekend. “With Auburn, I’m an in-state guy, so they want to recruit me as hard as they can.”

Offord is the No. 1 recruit from Alabama for the 2025 cycle according to 247Sports. Getting Offord on campus is important for Auburn as they look to complete the top-10 sweep of Alabama’s top recruits. Currently, eight of Alabama’s top 10 recruits are committed to Auburn with Offord and four-star EDGE [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag], a fellow Ohio State pledge, not following suit.

Could Auburn wrap up the weekend by gaining an advantage with both Knight and Offord?

Auburn named a ‘summer recruiting winner’ by ESPN

Hugh Freeze’s recruiting efforts were top notch over the summer as several notable recruits announced their pledge to Auburn.

As school returns to session, many are reflecting on summer memories. For Auburn football, their summer was one for the history books.

Auburn football landed several notable recruits for their 2025 class such as running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag], safety [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Anquon Fegans[/autotag]. The Tigers also got a head start on its 2026 recruiting efforts by landing four players, which caused Auburn to surge to No. 1 in 247Sports rankings.

The biggest takeaway of all from Auburn’s recent recruiting efforts is their knack for landing in-state talent. To this point in the cycle, Auburn holds commitments from eight of Alabama’s top 10 recruits from the 2025 cycle and is working towards a clean sweep by continuing to recruit [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag] (No. 1) and [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag] (No. 6) with full force.

Auburn’s recent success in recruiting has earned them a spot at the “winners” table according to ESPN’s Eli Lederman.

Lederman recapped the busy summer of recruiting by placing programs in a winners and losers category when it comes to summer recruiting. One Big Ten recruiting staffer says that the likelihood of Auburn keeping its strong class hangs in its 2024 record.

“I could see them continuing to charge on and sign a top-five class,” a Big Ten recruiting staffer said. “I could also see them going 7-5 and that class crumbling pretty fast.”

Lederman also posed a question regarding Auburn’s 2025 class.. will it rise? Lederman breaks down several ways that Auburn could make the most of the current cycle.

The Tigers are the favorites for Deuce Knight if the Notre Dame pledge pulls his commitment. Ditto for Ohio State cornerback pledge Na’eem Offord, the top cornerback in the 2025 class out of Birmingham, Alabama. The Tigers remain a long shot for four-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola (No. 51 in the ESPN 300), and should be well positioned for four-star linebacker Tyler Lockhart, No. 132 in the ESPN 300.

Auburn football’s 2025 class ranks No. 5 in 247Sports as the calendar turns toward the final portion of August.

Three Auburn commits listed on MaxPreps All-American Preseason Team

Safety Anquon Fegans, running back Alvin Henderson and safety/wide receiver Derick Smith made the cut.

As back-to-school advertisements air on television, the high school football season, specifically at schools below the Mason-Dixon line, is ready to begin.

With the start of “Friday Night Lights”, MaxPreps released its All-American Preseason High School Football Team. Three high-profile Auburn Tiger commits, safety [autotag]Anquon Fegans[/autotag] (First Team), running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] (Second Team), and safety/wide receiver [autotag]Derick Smith[/autotag] (Second Team) made the cut.

Fegans, who committed to Auburn last month, received the nod on the first team after MaxPreps named his to the All-American team as a junior. The No. 5 safety in the 2025 class is looking to build on a fantastic junior season in which he picked off opposing quarterbacks 5 times while racking up 50 tackles. Health permitting, the Alabaster, AL native should make an impact on the Plains as soon as he lands on campus next summer.

Four-star running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] is the only “full time” offensive Auburn commit to receive Preseason All-American honors. A consensus top 20 back in the 2025 class, Henderson originally chose Penn State before flipping his commitment to Auburn in June. Like Fegans, Henderson has an equal chance to make an immediate impact as a Tiger next season with current Auburn running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] entering his senior season in 2024.

Four-star athlete Derick Smith joins Henderson on the All-American Second Team just two weeks after flipping his commitment from rival Alabama to the Tigers. The talented two-way star will likely line up as a wide receiver once he makes his way to the Plains next summer but will continue to receive reps on both sides of the ball during his senior season at Southside High School in Selma, Alabama.

Besides the trio of highly-ranked Auburn commits, a few other Tiger targets received spots on MaxPreps Preseason Teams. 2025 recruits [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag], as well as 2026 linebacker [autotag]Tyler Atkinson[/autotag] were also featured on the All-American teams.

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Na’eem Offord makes return to the Plains for Big Cat

The state’s top 2025 recruit enjoyed a “fun” time on the Plains for Big Cat Weekend.

Auburn football is attempting to stay competitive in the race for many of the nation’s top players in the 2025 recruiting cycle. After a successful Big Cat Weekend, have the Tigers made any gains in tight races?

They certainly think so, especially on five-star cornerback [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], who committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Feb. 4.

Offord has been a star throughout his high school career at Parker (Ala.), doing whatever he can to make plays on the ball and cause havoc for opponents.

During the weekend’s festivities, Offord did not do a lot game-related activities. Instead, his visit was more focused on meeting others and seeing the culture that has been developed on the Plains.

“It was just a fun day,” Offord said. “It was more having fun and just hanging around. We did that little scavenger hunt and were running around. That was fun.”

Offord is currently ranked as the No. 9 overall player and No. 3 cornerback in the nation according to the On3 industry ranking, but is seen by all major outlets as the No. 1 player in the state of Alabama.

Former Buckeyes’ commit Blake Woodby already committed to Auburn on Saturday. Now, the Tigers are in heavy pursuit to get another top prospect on their side.

“I’m currently committed to Ohio State, but still enjoying the process,” Offord said. “With Auburn, I’m an in-state guy, so they want to recruit me as hard as they can.”

Auburn currently holds the No. 12 recruiting class in the country for the 2025 cycle, looking to continually improve as the fall season nears.

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2025 EDGE Zion Grady commits to Ohio State over Auburn, others

The Buckeyes now claim two of Alabama’s top 10 recruits from the 2025 cycle.

Auburn football has recruited its home state well this cycle by landing commitments from six of Alabama’s top 25 recruits. The bad news, unfortunately, is that Auburn can’t sign them all.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff worked hard to bring four-star EDGE [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag] aboard its 2025 haul after his de-commitment from Alabama in January. After a six-month battle, the Tigers ultimately lost out on Grady, as he announced his pledge to Ohio State on Monday.

Grady, the No. 6 recruit from Alabama in the 2025 recruiting cycle and the No. 10 EDGE in the national rankings kicked off his string of official visits in May by visiting Miami. He also visited Auburn, Florida State, and Tennessee before making the trek to Columbus last weekend. He ended his official visit to Ohio State by giving Ryan Day his commitment.

He tells 247Sports’ Bill Kurelic that Ohio State’s track record for development is unmatched, and that he is happy to shut down his recruitment.

“The coaching staff is A-1, the facility is great and people in Ohio are great,” Grady said in an interview with 247Sports. “I was very impressed with how detailed coach (Larry) Johnson is with his recruitment approach. Why not be a Buckeye. Hard to find a better program for development. Man, it feels great.. glad to get this over with.”

With Grady’s commitment, Ohio State now claims two of Alabama’s top 10 recruits from the 2025 cycle, joining five-star CB [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], the state’s No. 1 overall recruit out of Parker High School in Birmingham.

Lets go Bucks 🌰 #R2Xfamily #Rushmen #Brotherhood @R2X_Rushmen1 @R2X_Rushmen1 @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/KQIOUzpNLG

— Zion (Ziggy) Grady🦍 (@GradyZion) June 24, 2024

Four-star safety Eric Winters commits to Auburn

Alabama’s No. 5 overall recruit from the 2025 recruiting cycle commits to Auburn on his official visit.

Auburn target [autotag]Eric Winters[/autotag] is one of 12 recruits on campus for official visits this weekend. Speculation of a commitment to Auburn began to rise as soon as he stepped on campus, as recruiting analysts from multiple outlets projected Auburn to land Winters before the weekend ended.

Turns out, speculations were true as Winters announced his commitment to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Tigers on Saturday afternoon.

Winters, a four-star safety from Enterprise, Alabama, says that his relationship with Freeze led to his pledge to Auburn.

“(Freeze) is a big part of why I committed to Auburn,” Winters said after announcing his commitment to Auburn. “He loves his players, he is a family guy and we built a great relationship. Coach Freeze is doing big things at Auburn and he made me feel like a priority and made me feel comfortable.”

Auburn has always been near the top of the list for Winters, but they needed to make a giant stride this weekend in order to create separation between themselves, Georgia, and Miami. Between Freeze and the “home” atmosphere of Auburn University, the chose became simple for Winters.

Now, he wants several of the state’s top recruits to join him on the Plains.

“I am already working guys. It starts with my teammate [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag]. I am going after [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag], [autotag]Julian Lewis[/autotag], [autotag]KJ Lacey[/autotag] and some others,” Winters said. “Coach Freeze has this group of defensive players in Alabama he wants called the Super 7. Guys like [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Anquon Fegans[/autotag], [autotag]Naeem Offord[/autotag], and Zion are guys that haven’t committed yet. I will be on all of those guys.”

Winters is the No. 5 recruit from Alabama for the 2025 cycle, and is the fourth top-10 player from Alabama to pledge to Auburn. The 6-2, 200-pound safety ranks No. 5 overall at his position, and is the No. 53 overall recruit for the cycle. By landing Winters, Auburn now ranks No. 6 in 247Sports’ class of 2025 recruiting rankings.

BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Eric Winters has Committed to Auburn, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’2 205 S from Enterprise, AL chose the Tigers over Georgia, Miami, & Tennessee

“Why not Auburn?”https://t.co/005dvh4QTn pic.twitter.com/jwbYVbelIA

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 15, 2024

Auburn impresses offensive tackle target Broderick Shull on official visit

In the midst of many recruiting battles, Auburn offensive tackle target Broderick Shull has a highly positive view after his official visit

Auburn football is attempting to make massive moves on the recruiting trail in the summer, with many prospective players making official visits to the Plains.

One of those recruits is offensive tackle [autotag]Broderick Shull[/autotag], who made his visit to the Tigers this weekend and was highly impressed.

“This was definitely the experience I needed to kind of make my decision much easier,” Shull said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “I would say definitely getting more of the campus vibe was a good part of it. Also just seeing everyone again was a pretty good experience. The most important part was getting to see the players mainly because you can see what they’re really like off campus and seeing if it’s a fit for me. And which, these guys are pretty awesome, they fit me well. They’re responsible, mature guys.”

Shull made his second visit to Auburn after visiting earlier this spring. This time, he left with a very positive feel about what all Auburn had offer throughout its campus facilities.

The four-star offensive lineman is currently ranked as the No. 149 player in the country and the No. 13 offensive tackle recruit according to the On3 industry ranking. He is also ranked the No. 3 prospect in the state of Oklahoma.

A main reason why Auburn now sits in a good position to land Shull can be credited to the relationship that offensive line coach [autotag]Jake Thornton[/autotag] has built with him.

With a possible decision day nearing later in June, Shull is still set to visit the likes of Texas Tech and Texas A&M during the month, while he already visited Nebraska in May.

Auburn football hosted several notable targets for visits over the weekend including five-stars [autotag]Caleb Cunningham[/autotag] and [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], as well as former Ohio State pledge [autotag]Blake Woodby[/autotag]. Any commitments from these players would be monumental for the program, and coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is making sure that he does whatever he can to land the talented players.

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

Five-star Ohio State pledge recaps Auburn visit

Alabama’s top recruit for the 2025 cycle paid a surprise visit to the Plains over the weekend. Did Auburn impress?

Earlier last week, five-star Ohio State pledge [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag] told On3’s Cole Pinkston that he planned to save his official visit to Auburn for the season. So it was a surprise to many that he stopped by the Plains for a visit over the weekend.

Offord showed up for a star-studded recruiting weekend featuring five-star wide receiver [autotag]Caleb Cunningham[/autotag] and four-star OL [autotag]Broderick Shull[/autotag] as visitors. He spoke with Jeffrey Lee of On3 following his visit on Sunday afternoon by explaining his sudden appearance on the Plains.

“It was better because the coaches don’t have to focus on the game if you do it right now,” Offord said of his weekend visit. “They’re not doing anything now. It made sense for me to do it this weekend.”

He made the most of his visit by arriving on Friday and departing Sunday. Offord spent time with every coach including cornerbacks coach [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]DJ Durkin[/autotag]. Their pitch to Offord was the importantance of staying in-state and that he is their “No. 1 target.”

“They are the only school telling me that,” Offord said.

Offord is a five-star cornerback from Parker High School in Birmingham, and ranks as high as No. 6 nationally by 247Sports and ESPN. He announced his pledge to Ohio State since February, and has worked on flipping Auburn commit Malik Autry to the Buckeyes. Maybe this weekend’s trip will allow Autry to flip the script and sway Offord to commit to Auburn.