Early 2025 Hot Board: Offense
This time next year, Auburn will have its 2025 class signed and ready to get to work.
What could that class look like? Well, the Tigers currently have eight commits and rank No. 7 in the country with plenty of high-priority targets still out there. With the momentum that Auburn's gaining, It seems inevitable that several will jump on board — it's just a matter of who.
There's still plenty of time until early signing day, which is seemingly becoming the time for most recruits to sign, but lets gander at some of the top targets and Auburn's chances with them.
Here's an early hot board, starting with the offense.
QUARTERBACK
Needs: 0-1
Commits: 0
Targets (4): KJ Lacey (25%) Julian Lewis (15%), TJ Lateef (TBD), Ryan Montgomery (15%)
The Skinny: Auburn secured a quarterback in the 2024 class with Walker White, but there's obvious room to add another in the next class.
Especially when there's a prospect like KJ Laceylocated in-state that Auburn keeps working on. Lacey committed to Texas in the summer, but visited Auburn several times in the fall alongside his teammate and eventual Alabama signee Ryan Williams. The recruitment of Lacey wasn't just a way to make Auburn a more attractive landing spot for Williams, either, there's big-time interest in the Saraland quarterback.
Expect Auburn to keep pushing for Lacey and to see the high four-star QB back on Auburn's campus down the road, although Texas has done a nice job of keeping him locked in.
Auburn hosted Julian Lewis in January and it's a place he could be back to in the spring.
The current USC commit who recently reclassified into the 2025 class will likely be the most sought after quarterback in the class, with plenty of powerhouses pushing for him to flip.
Georgia is considered to be the biggest threat right now, but Auburn will try to stay in the race.
This is an interesting one.
Without ever logging a visit to Auburn, TJ Lateef included the Tigers in his top seven schools he released a month ago.
The Tigers are in the mix along with Colorado, Florida State, Ole Miss, Arizona, Georgia and Texas A&M. This could be a name to watch in the spring as relationships continue to develop and a possible visit emerges.
Auburn hosted Ryan Montgomery in the fall, and while he noted that it was a place he'd like to see more of, some other programs appear to be ahead in this one.
Florida, South Carolina and Georgia seem to have separated themselves from the rest, hosting Montgomery on visits within the last month. Auburn's chances at landing the Findlay, Ohio, native seem low for now.
RUNNING BACK
Needs: 1-2
Commits: 0
Targets: Alvin Henderson (90%), Akylin Dear (20%)
The Skinny: Auburn didn't add a running back in its 2024 class, so expect the Tigers to make this position a huge priority in the 2025 class.
It's top target is Alvin Henderson out of Elba, Ala., who Hugh Freeze has been working on for years. Derrick Nix made it one of his main jobs to get to know Henderson when he took over as running backs coach. Not to mention that Charles Kelly has known him for years.
With three coaches working on Henderson, this is one Auburn can't let get away and it feels like it won't. Miami, Florida State, Georgia and Alabama are also working extremely hard for Henderson.
One of Mississippi's best players, Akylin Dear, also has Auburn intrigued.
Members of the coaching staff went to see Dear at his school in January, and as he's getting closer to narrowing things down, it'd be shocking to see the Tigers left out.
Several SEC schools are making their move for Dear, with programs like Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama all showing high interest.
WIDE RECIEVER
Needs: 3-4
Commits: 0
Targets: Derick Smith (80%), Dillon Alfred (65%), Daylyn Upshaw (60%), Caleb Cunningham (40%), Travis Smith Jr. (30%).
The Skinny: Auburn's 2024 class was impressive, but Marcus Davis wants to keep the ball rolling.
There are several targets still out there, but we'll limit this list to five receivers that I consider the biggest targets and the most likely to end up at Auburn.
The Tigers have put a big-time target on Derick Smith, the talented wide receiver out of Selma, Ala., who's visited campus plenty of times. Other SEC programs are generating interest from him, but I consider Auburn to be the favorite at the moment.
His relationship with Davis is a driving factor in why the Tigers could be the school to beat, as well as his frequent visits to Auburn's campus.
Two other in-state receivers that Auburn has an eye on include Daylyn Upshaw and Dillon Alfred. The Tigers have been on both since the beginning of their recruitments and were one of the first big-name programs to offer.
Alfred is getting closer to a decision, with around five programs sticking out the most. Auburn is high in the mix alongside Missouri, Tennessee, South Carolina and Ole Miss. Auburn was his second offer and there may not be a program he's visited more.
Meanwhile, Upshaw saw plenty of Auburn in the early days of his recruitment, but has since started exploring other programs more in-depth. Nonetheless, I still consider Auburn to be one of the main programs that, when Upshaw gets to a decision, will be right there on the table.
Auburn really impressed the No. 17 player in the country, Caleb Cunningham, during his visit in January.
His relationships with Freeze and Davis are strong, while it definitely helps having someone like Nix now on staff. Nix was Cunningham's primary recruiter while on staff at Ole Miss, as the Mississippi roots continue to run deep for Auburn.
However, Mississippi State is considered to be a strong factor in this one, as Cunningham just recently narrowed things down to 12 programs, Auburn included.
Just a few days ago, Travis Smith Jr. announced a top eight of Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Colorado, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and Oklahoma.
The 6-foot-3 Atlanta native visited Auburn in January, and clearly it impressed enough for the Tigers to make the cut. Listed as 6-foot-3, Smith fits the build that Davis tends to favor when recruiting his outside receivers.
Alabama and Georgia could be the biggest battle Auburn faces in this one.
TIGHT ENDS
Needs: 2-3
Commits (2): Ryan Ghea, Hollis Davidson
Targets: Cameron Sparks, Elyiss Williams, Kaleb Edwards
The Skinny: Ben Aigamaua landed his second tight end commit in Hollis Davidson just days after Davidson wrapped up his visit.
Now what? Well, it's likely the Tigers pursue a third tight end, with the room emptying out a bit after this season. It's plausible that Auburn goes after several big names and if the Tigers fall short, grab a tight end out of the portal.
Three prospects have my attention, with Cameron Sparks being the most likely pull out of the three right now. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native was on campus in January and is a big fan of what Freeze is building.
He recently dropped a top six of Auburn, Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia, Miami and Florida State. Tennessee could be the favorite, as the in-state school was his first offer and the Volunteers have been on him hard since.
Why not shoot for the stars? Auburn remains in pursuit of the top tight end in the 2025 class, Georgia commit Elyiss Williams.
Williams committed to Georgia in April of last year, but that hasn't stopped him from listening to some other schools. Florida State and Florida appear to be the two most in his ear right now, but Auburn is hoping to get in that group as well.
Kaleb Edwards, 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds out of El Dorado Hills, Calif., is a name to monitor heading into the spring.
The three-star is expected to visit Auburn for the first time at some point in the coming months after picking up the offer in early January. He holds 16 offers, with programs like Oregon, Texas, Washington, Michigan and Miami all showing interest.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Needs: 4-5
Commits (1): Spencer Dowland
Targets: Tavaris Dice (85%), Micah DeBose (65%), Mal Waldrep (55%), Dontrell Glover (35%), Mario Nash Jr. (20%), Tai Buster (TBD)
The Skinny: Two offensive lineman signed with Auburn in the 2024 class and the Tigers are sitting in a good spot with some of their top targets in the 2025 class.
Tavaris Dice named Auburn his favorite following his final visit before the dead period, and it makes sense. Dice hasn't visited any other program more than he's visited Auburn and brought his family on his latest trip so they could experience what he sees in the program.
Things are sitting pretty for Auburn right now in its pursuit of the four-star tackle.
Perhaps the No. 1 target for Auburn on the offensive line is former Georgia commit Micah DeBose.
DeBose backed off his Georgia pledge in late December, as some programs have made some ins with DeBose since his original commitment. One of them is Auburn, which didn't show much interest in him until Freeze and company arrived.
Auburn's hosted him on several visits since then and the Tigers appear to be in good standing with the No. 12 player in the country as of now.
Auburn's been after Central Phenix City offensive lineman Mal Waldrep for a while.
He's gotten to know offensive line coach Jake Thornton well and visits frequently, as Auburn's been one of his top schools for quite some time.
Waldrep most recently visited in January and got plenty of one-on-one time with the coaching staff, which was something he certainly appreciated and works in Auburn's favor.
However, Clemson is considered to be a massive factor in this one and could pose the biggest threat to Auburn. Clemson certainly poses the biggest threat to pulling him out of state.
Alabama is also working on Waldrep and the Crimson Tide can't be ruled out.
When Dontrell Glover visited Auburn in January, it was just days after Nick Saban retired from Alabama. It's an important note, as Glover was committed to Alabama at the time.
Not long afterward, Glover decided to reassess things and backed off his pledge to the Crimson Tide. The 6-foot-3 offensive lineman is one of several former Alabama commits that Auburn is pursuing, but the Tigers aren't alone.
Tennessee, Missouri, Miami and Texas are also going after him, with Alabama not completely out of the picture either.
Auburn made the cut for Mario Nash Jr., who cut down his list to 10 Monday.
The De Kalb, Miss., native was offered by Auburn in August of last year by Thornton. Although Nash never made it to Auburn in the winter, Thornton took to the road to show how much interest have in the 6-foot-5 tackle.
Thornton visited him in late January and Auburn sits in the company of Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, LSU, Georgia Tech, USC, Miami, Penn State and Florida State as his remaining top schools.
For the final offensive lineman, I'm throwing out a name that was recently offered by Auburn.
Tai Buster is an emerging offensive lineman out of Kannapolis, N.C., who's quickly compiled an offer list of 20 programs. Auburn was one of the first major schools to offer him in late January, as several power five schools offered him in the days following.
It's too early to get a read on Buster and what level of mutual interest is there, but he's a name worth noting heading into spring.
