Sam Turner – Syndication Server

Three-star WR Erick Smith commits to Auburn

Smith joins his brother Derrick by committing to Auburn.

Auburn football executed the flip of four-star wide receiver [autotag]Derrick Smith[/autotag] from Alabama in July and has now completed the “Smith sweep.”

Wednesday, Auburn added three-star wide receiver [autotag]Erick Smith[/autotag], twin brother of Derrick, to its 2025 haul. Erick Smith is Auburn’s third wide receiver commit of the cycle, joining brother Derrick and three-star [autotag]Sam Turner[/autotag] of Decatur, Georgia.

Following his announcement, Smith told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente that the idea of continuing his playing career alongside his brother played a role in his commitment. It also helps that he feels at home on the Plains.

“Because every time I come up here, it felt like home,” Smith said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “Coach Marcus (Davis), he’s similar to my high school coach. They don’t sugarcoat anything and always show family-like and like a father figure. I don’t want a coach that shows different sides of themselves, I want them to show their true colors and he does exactly that.”

The Smith brothers have played a key role in Southside-Selma’s success on the field in 2024. The 9-2 Panthers defeated Hillcrest-Evergreen last Friday, 36-35, to advance in the AHSAA playoffs and will face Montgomery Academy on Friday.

According to 247Sports, Erick Smith is the No. 78 recruit from Alabama and is Auburn’s 27th commitment to its 2025 class.

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Auburn flips 2025 WR Sam Turner from Georgia Tech

Turner joins the long list of flips that Hugh Freeze and his staff have executed during the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Flipping is a common theme on the Plains, and it happened again Thursday night.

[autotag]Sam Turner[/autotag], a three-star wide receiver from Southwest DeKalb High School (Georgia), announced Thursday that he would join Auburn’s 2025 commitment class. Turner spent the previous four months committed to Georgia Tech.

Turner has been on Auburn’s radar since the summer months. Auburn extended an offer to Turner on June 26, and Turner visited campus one month later for Big Cat Weekend. Smoke surrounding Turner’s potential flip to Auburn began to emerge in July when Auburn Live’s Cole Pinkston submitted an RPM prediction in favor of Auburn landing Turner.

During his Big Cat Weekend visit, Turner shared with On3 his thoughts on the atmosphere Auburn presents.

“It’s the people, the culture, and atmosphere,” Turner said. “The culture here is just different. You can sense it as soon as you walk in from the coaching staff, from the players, from the community, it’s different.”

Turner is the No. 71 wide receiver from the 2025 class according to On3 and ranks as high as No. 29 among Georgia recruits according to Rivals. Auburn’s 2025 haul ranks No. 3 nationally according to 247Sports and No. 4 in On3‘s rankings.

Georgia Tech WR commit Sam Turner schedules official visit to Auburn

Auburn is looking to snag the three-star receiver away from an up-and-coming ACC program. Can the Tigers get it done?

Auburn football will have the opportunity to flip one of the nation’s top signal callers this weekend when Notre Dame pledge [autotag]Deuce Knight[/autotag] pays a visit to campus. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and staff will have another chance to sway a talented receiver at the end of September.

[autotag]Sam Turner[/autotag], a three-star wide receiver from Southwest DeKalb High School (Ga.), has scheduled an official visit to Auburn for the weekend of Sept. 27-29, the same weekend the Tigers host Oklahoma at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Turner has been a Georgia Tech pledge since June, but Auburn feels confident in their chances to sign him to their 2025 signing class.

Last month, Cole Pinkston of Auburn Live submitted a flip prediction in favor of Auburn landing Turner. As it stands, Auburn has an 87.5% chance to flip Turner according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. Turner shares that Auburn’s priority of faith and Freeze’s development of wide receivers is intriguing to Turner.

“What stands out about him is his faith,” Turner said of wide receivers coach Marcus Davis. “He leads on faith. That’s big for me and my family. That’s what he preached today and the culture. Just the tradition and trying to build on that. He said Coach (Hugh) Freeze has produced a lot of receivers like Van Jefferson and DK Metcalf and Laquon Treadwell, Elijah Moore. It’s a place of development for receivers and I believe that.”

Turner is a three-star rated wide receiver by 247Sports, On3, and ESPN while Rivals rates him as a four-star. According to On3’s Industry Ratings, Turner is the No. 74 wide receiver from the 2025 class and the No. 51 recruit from Georgia.

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.

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.