In this state, Saturdays have always been reserved for football.
The final one in November might as well be a holiday.
It's the Iron Bowl, the clash between two of the most bitter rivals in the country — Auburn and Alabama. This isn't just a rivalry on the field, it's one off the field, too. Both teams have often found themselves battling each other for recruits, with flips and down-to-the-wire decisions a common occurrence.
Let's review some of the more recent recruiting battles between the Tigers and the Crimson Tide.
CLASS OF 2022
Robert Woodyard flipped his commitment from Alabama to Auburn on signing day, as Woodyard felt like Auburn was the better fit for him. Currently in his redshirt sophomore season with Auburn, he's tallied 20 career tackles for the Tigers.
It was a signing day battle for Khurtiss Perry, who named Auburn his leader after an official visit, but Alabama swooped in and landed the defensive end out of Montgomery. Perry didn't spend much time in Tuscaloosa, opting to transfer to Virginia Tech this past spring.
He's appeared in two games and recorded no stats this year for the Hokies.
CLASS OF 2023
Perhaps the biggest battle of the Bryan Harsin era, Qua Russaw and James Smith visited Auburn frequently, but ultimately picked Alabama over Auburn.
Russaw took a redshirt in 2023 and has seen significant playing time this season, tallying 27 tackles, two TFLs, one sack, a fumble recovery and two interceptions.
Smith is a sophomore for Alabama this season and has 18 total tackles through two seasons with the Tide.
Tony Mitchell was thought to be a potential Auburn flip at one point, before signing with Alabama.
Mitchell was arrested in Florida in March 2023 and temporarily suspended from the program. He was reinstated that summer and played limited snaps in the 2023 season, before entering the transfer portal this past spring.
He landed at East Mississippi C.C., where he played this fall and recently committed to finish his career out with Mississippi State.
CLASS OF 2024
Perry Thompson may be one of the most memorable flips in Auburn history.
He made the move to switch his pledge from Alabama to Auburn during Big Cat Weekend in July 2023, as Auburn's 2024 class began to pick up steam. One of the eventual "Freeze Four," Thompson was the second wide receiver to commit that day, along with Malcolm Simmons.
It was a massive recruiting win for Auburn, as Thompson was the second-highest rated signee in the Tigers' class, only outdone by Cam Coleman.
Since arriving on the Plains, he's recorded five receptions for 126 yards receiving and caught his only touchdown in his collegiate debut against Alabama A&M.
Demarcus Riddick's made headlines this week, letting it be known that he "will not lose to Bama" while he's at Auburn ahead of the Iron Bowl.
It wasn't always Auburn, though. He was committed to Georgia for eight months before both in-state programs got heavily involved. Riddick began trending toward a flip, with Auburn and Alabama the two favorites to get it done.
In a final decision announcement, Riddick announced he would sign with Auburn.
Since arriving on the Plains, he's been a key piece on the defense as a true freshman, often focusing on quarterback containment. Riddick's tallied 25 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks in his freshman year, appearing in all 11 games.
Only playing his first season of football last fall, Favour Edwin was a signing day addition for Auburn, as he signed with the Tigers over Alabama and Florida. He arrived on campus in the spring and will likely take a redshirt following this fall.
One of the most electric wide receivers in the country and taking the sports world by storm, Ryan Williams is already showing that he's everything that was advertised.
The five-star from Saraland, who reclassified into the 2024 class, committed to Alabama in October of 2022. However, Hugh Freeze got heavily involved in the recruitment of Williams when he was hired and the Tigers began to chip away, hosting Williams on visits and giving him plenty to think about in his recruitment.
Things changed when Nick Saban retired, as in the days following, Williams backed off his Alabama pledge. However, once Alabama announced the hire of Kalen DeBoer, the two built a quick relationship and Williams jumped right back in the class, signing in February of this year.
Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, Williams has excelled. He's Alabama's leading wide receiver, with 42 receptions, 803 yards receiving and eight touchdowns as a true freshman.
Auburn made a heavy push for defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman out of Birmingham, hosting him multiple times throughout the fall and even attending Beaman's final game of his high school career.
However, Beaman decided to stick with his Alabama pledge that he made in May and signed with the Crimson Tide.
Beaman has not recorded any stats this season for Alabama as a true freshman.
CLASS OF 2025
It was anything but a normal recruitment for Antonio Coleman, who flipped from Alabama to Auburn, then back to Alabama, before finally shutting it down and flipping back to Auburn — his third flip.
Coleman is will sign Dec. 4 and enroll in the spring.
Marcus Davis is making it a tradition.
For a second consecutive year, he flipped an Alabama wide receiver in July.
This cycle it was Derick Smith, who flipped from Alabama to Auburn in the days following a visit to the Plains for Big Cat Weekend. He'll be at the Iron Bowl this weekend, but is still expected to sign with Auburn next week and enroll in the summer.
Darrell Johnson committed to Alabama back in March and took his official visit to Alabama a week before his official to Auburn.
It was a tough break for the Tigers, who still hosted Johnson on an official a week after he told reporters “You’d have to pry and just hope for Jesus for me to decommit right now." Johnson was rumored to visit Auburn for Big Cat Weekend in July, but was a no show at the event, essentially ending Auburn's chances.
Auburn was in the mix for California tight end Kaleb Edwards, who picked Alabama over Auburn and several other programs back in early July. He officially visited Auburn in mid-June, with Alabama getting him on campus in the days following for an official visit.
He'll be back in Tuscaloosa this afternoon for the Iron Bowl.
