AUBURN | Auburn will welcome a talented group of official visitors this weekend including four members of the Rivals100.
This weekend kicks off a crucial two weeks of recruiting that will include more than 30 official visitors and five prospect camps.
Below is a breakdown of where the Tigers stand with their eight visitors this weekend, who hail from eight different states.
BIG CATS
Auburn will host the nation’s No. 15, No. 22, No. 38 and No. 81 overall prospects this weekend led by five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord from Parker in Birmingham, Ala.
It’s another great indication of the hard work Hugh Freeze and his staff are putting in on the recruiting trail.
Offord, who is currently committed to Ohio State, also plans to visit Oregon, Ohio State and possibly Alabama. This will be a key visit for Auburn, which hasn’t got Offord on campus since hosting him for a few games last fall.
The three other elite prospects that will be on campus include four-star Caleb Cunningham, the nation’s No. 3 wide receiver, four-star Blake Woodby, the nation’s No. 6 cornerback, who recently de-committed from Ohio State, and four-star Elijah Melendez, the nation’s No. 2 inside linebacker, who is currently committed to Miami.
Cunningham, who is from Ackerman, Miss., is also visiting Florida, Tennessee and Alabama, and considering Ole Miss and Mississippi State, with no clear leader or leaders at this time.
Woodby de-committed shortly after receiving an Auburn offer a couple of weeks ago. Georgia, Oregon, Maryland are also expected to receive visits from the Baltimore, Md., native with Cincinnati and Florida possibilities.
Melendez, from Kissimmee, Fla., committed to Miami last December but has remained open to other schools including Auburn, Michigan and Oklahoma.
FEELING GOOD
The Tigers probably feel pretty good about their chances with two of the official visitors coming into the weekend in four-star offensive tackle Broderick Shull and four-star defensive lineman Kalen Edwards.
AU made a big impression on Shull during a March visit and has continued to recruit the Bixby, Okla., native hard.
Nebraska, Texas Tech and Texas A&M also remain in the mix.
Edwards, who committed to Auburn last November before de-committing in March, has continued to stay in close contact with AU’s staff.
He’s also planning to visit Louisville, Memphis and Georgia with the Bulldogs expected to be AU’s biggest challenge.
Of course, AU also feels good about offensive lineman Tai Buster, who committed to Auburn in March and hasn’t scheduled any other official visits. He’s from Kannapolis, N.C.
BUILDING MOMENTUM
The Tigers are making strong moves for four-star tight end Emaree Winston along with Woodby and Melendez.
Winston committed to Texas last December and seemed pretty solid with his decision until setting up the AU visit.
The Tigers’ staff led by tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua have made Winston a priority and can offer him early playing time and an opportunity to play much closer to his home in Calhoun, Ga.
Woodby has already de-committed from Ohio State and appears open to playing in the SEC.
Auburn flipped a handful of their signees in the 2024 class and Melendez is certainly a candidate in ’25. He’s a perfect fit as a Mike ‘backer in D.J. Durkin’s defense.
COMMIT WATCH
The correct answer is probably no one this weekend, and probably not many over the next few weeks. Late May through the first three weeks of June are official visit weekends and I’d expect a lot of decisions to come after those visits, at the end of June and into July and August.
Auburn will have another key recruiting event, Big Cat, at the end of July. The Tigers currently have 11 commitments in the 2025 class and should be close to 20 or more before the start of the season if all goes well.
If I had to pick the most likely player to be AU’s next commitment, it would be four-star safety Eric Winters from Enterprise, Ala. He’s scheduled to officially visit Auburn June 14.
NEXT UP
Next week will be another busy one for official visits. Right now, two are scheduled for Tuesday in four-star offensive tackle Josh Petty from Fellowship Christian in Roswell, Ga., and three-star cornerback Donovan Starr from Ravenwood in Brentwood, Tenn.
Next weekend, AU is scheduled to host four-star athlete Derick Smith from Southside in Selma, Ala., who is committed to Alabama, four-star wide receiver Travis Smith from Westlake in Atlanta, Ga., four-star offensive tackle Tavaris Dice from Langston Hughes in Fairburn, Ga., an Auburn commit, and three-star offensive guard Jacobe Ward from Benedictine in Savannah, Ga.
The Tigers will also host two elite camps, two passing camps, one specialist camp and a OL/DL big man camp beginning Sunday and going through next week.
