WAR ROOM: Vanderbilt

The Tigers wrapped up their three-game road trip with a win against Kentucky last week and return home Saturday to face a Vanderbilt team that's been a surprise this season. This weekend will also be a chance for commits to get back on campus and for some others to experience an Auburn game day in November, which means it's time for another AuburnSports.com WAR ROOM, presented by Lynch Toyota of Auburn.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

There's just one official visitor this weekend and a couple of other 2025 prospects committed elsewhere coming to town. Five-star Justus Terry was once expected to visit Auburn, but that's no longer the case.

Auburn is expected to host the usual crowd of commits, plus some that are attending their first home games as Auburn commits after flipping last month. Let's get into the expected visitors for this weekend.

COMMITS ARE COMING

2025: QB Deuce Knight, RB Alvin Henderson, TE Ryan Ghea, WR Sam Turner, DL Jourdin Crawford, DL Malik Autry, DE Jared Smith, S Anquon Fegans, OL Kail Ellis, OL Tavaris Dice, LB Jakaleb Faulk, CB Dante Core, P John McGuire

2026: LB Jamichael Garrett, LB Shadarius Toodle

OFFICIAL VISITOR

This could be a big weekend for Vontrell King-Williams, who's already put together an impressive class along the defensive line this cycle. Joseph Mbatchou will be the only official visitor this weekend and Auburn is trending up with the 6-foot-6 defensive end.

We'll see how this weekend goes for Mbatchou, who could be on commit watch, with Texas, USC, Michigan, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee also in pursuit.

BRING OUT THE BIG DOGS

Two Rivals250 players committed elsewhere will be on campus.

Shamar Arnoux returns to Auburn after logging a visit back in September, as the Tigers continue to stay heavy on the USC commit. He's now visited twice since his pledge, once for Big Cat Weekend and a second time for the Arkansas game. Arnoux has also logged a return trip to USC and a visit to Miami this fall.

Offensive tackle Nicolai Brooks is the other 2025 prospect expected to visit this weekend. He initially pledged to Iowa before reopening his commitment and he's now found a future home at Texas. Auburn is expected to get him back on campus this weekend and the Tigers could make a heavy push now that Andrew Babalola is seemingly locked in with Michigan.

FOCUS ON THE FUTURE

One-time Georgia commit Jared Curtis will check out Auburn this weekend, as the top player in the state of Tennessee has heard plenty from Auburn's staff recently.

"I've been talking a lot with (OC Derrick Nix) and Hugh Freeze the last few days," Curtis told Rivals. "I can't wait to get up there and get a chance to talk more to Coach Freeze. They've been sending me some plays and I'm excited to get up there."

Auburn is just one of several stops planned for this month, with Oregon, Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama also expected to get him on campus in the weeks following.

Marquez Daniel visits Auburn frequently and is set to return for the first visit opportunity in over a month. He likes how honest wide receivers coach Marcus Davis is with him and how the ball gets spread around amongst the receivers. Tennessee, Texas and Florida are some other early contenders in this one.

Four-star wide receiver Jonah Winston, the younger brother of Browns' quarterback Jameis Winston, is expected in Auburn for the first time since last fall, when the Hoover, Ala., native visited for the Iron Bowl.

Florida State, Alabama, Florida and Penn State seemingly are the other ones involved in his recruitment and Winston logged a visit to Mississippi State last week.

Auburn is one of several programs pursuing Nalin Scott, who was just in College Station on a weekend visit. Georgia, UCF, Michigan and Texas A&M are some others most involved in his recruitment. This will be his first fall visit this year after visiting back in the spring.

Aiden Harris and Andrew Harris will make the trip to Auburn from Matthews, N.C., this weekend for their first visit. The brothers have already logged tandem visits to North Carolina State, Oregon and South Carolina this fall, with programs like Ohio State, Tennessee and Miami also in the picture early on. We'll see if Auburn can jump in the mix.

Jamarion Matthews was just in Tuscaloosa to visit Alabama and now the in-state three-star is heading to Auburn this weekend. Auburn was the team he grew up watching — his mother's favorite team — and he'll get a first-hand look at what it's like being in the recruiting section at Jordan Hare Stadium for the Vanderbilt game.

Three schools stick out to him the most at this point. Alabama, Ole Miss and Penn State round out his current top three, although a trip to Auburn could certainly change that. He'll have a busy month, visiting Georgia next weekend, Florida Nov. 16, back to Auburn Nov. 23 and back to Alabama Nov. 30.