It was always Auburn for Jared Smith.

The Rivals100 defensive end has signed with the Tigers.

South Carolina made a strong push down the home stretch, but Smith elected to remain firm in his commitment and signed with the Tigers Wednesday morning, becoming the seventh signee of the day for Auburn.

With the departure of Nate Marshall from the class Tuesday, Smith is now the highest-ranked signee in Auburn's 2025 class. He's the highest-rated defensive signee for Auburn since Keldric Faulk in 2023, who similarly plays the same position.

Smith, 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, spent his final high school season at Thompson and will play in the state title game Wednesday night against Central Phenix City. Throughout his senior year, he's tallied 83 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and even an interceptions.

Live updates for signing day can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y8nvduxj