The recruiting trail hasn’t been particularly kind to Auburn during this cycle after the Tigers rattled off back-to-back top-10 classes in 2024 and 2025. Three of Hugh Freeze’s top commits decommitted and eventually flipped to new schools over the course of 10 days this summer, and coming into the week, Auburn had the No. 56 […]
The recruiting trail hasn’t been particularly kind to Auburn during this cycle after the Tigers rattled off back-to-back top-10 classes in 2024 and 2025.
Three of Hugh Freeze’s top commits decommitted and eventually flipped to new schools over the course of 10 days this summer, and coming into the week, Auburn had the No. 56 class nationally in the Rivals Industry Team Rankings. A lot has been made of Freeze and athletic director John Cohen’s comments and recruiting and revenue-sharing this summer, and the issues with landing top targets have caused a lot of consternation on The Plains.
But could things finally be turning around for the Tigers? On Friday night, they beat out LSU, Ole Miss and a host of other’s for the nation’s No. 2 wide receiver, Jase Mathews. The race to land him was hotly contested until his announcement. And it will certainly continue until signing day.
It did, however, provide some momentum for Auburn heading into the season. With Mathews’ commitment, they jumped from that No. 56 spot all the way to No. 37 — nearly a 20-spot jump. The class still ranks a paltry 12th in the SEC, but the Tigers have managed to jump over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
If there’s a silver lining to be found though, it’s that AU’s class currently checks in at 19th nationally when it comes to average rating per commitment. The Tigers have six four-stars in the fold, including five Rivals300 prospects, to go along with six three-stars.
And as Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong tweeted on Thursday, if Auburn can have the kind of success on the field they’re hoping for this fall they will be in the market to flip some major targets down the line.
Auburn commitments in the 2026 cycle
Running back
Three-star Eric Perry, No. 1071 NATL. (No. 65 RB)
Wide Receiver
Four-star Jase Mathews, No. 83 NATL. (No. 9 WR)
Offensive Tackle
Four-star Wilson Zierer, No. 292 NATL. (No. 26 OT)
Three-star Nikau Hepi, No. 761 NATL. (No. 59 OT)
Interior offensive lineman
Three-star Parker Pritchett, No. 681 NATL. (No. 65 IOL)
EDGE
Four-star Jaquez Wilkes, No. 95 NATL. (No. 14 EDGE)
Four-star Hezekiah Harris, No. 99 NATL. (No. 15 EDGE)
Three-star Wayne Henry, No. 1109 NATL. (No. 101 EDGE)
Linebacker
Four-star Adam Balogoun-Ali, No. 336 NATL. (No. 25 LB)
Athlete
Four-star Peyton Falzone, No. 198 NATL. (No. 7 ATH)
Three-star Kentrell White, No. 642 NATL. (No. 34 ATH)
Specialists
LS Travis Wakefield
Category: General Sports
