Auburn surging for elite EDGE Jared Smith with commitment looming

Earlier this month, Hoover (Ala.) Thompson four-star EDGE Jared Smith locked in a commitment date of Aug. 3. As of now, six programs will have hats on the table for the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder.

For a majority of the spring and entering the summer, it was South Carolina that was viewed as the favorite to land Smith’s pledge. While the Gamecocks remain atop the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), there’s another SEC program charging with momentum.

Auburn was not one of the many that had Smith on campus for an official visit last month, but the Tigers did get him to The Plains in March and are expected to have him back on campus at the end of the month for Big Cat Weekend.

Ahead of that anticipated visit, On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons and Auburn insider Cole Pinkston have each logged picks in the On3 RPM in favor of the Tigers winning the race for Smith at the beginning of next month.

“Coming out of the visits and looking ahead to his commitment, Auburn has picked up some momentum,” Simmons wrote. “Auburn has made a big push for Smith. His recruitment is far from over, but the Tigers are surging late with a commitment less than a month away.”

Smith did camp at Auburn alongside his team in June and was able to spend time with the staff. Defensive ends coach Josh Aldridge is leading AU’s push for Smith, though head coach Hugh Freeze and others are also involved. The Tigers have pushed the right buttons in his recruitment and are working hard to keep him home.

Auburn looking to double-dip at Thompson High

The Tigers currently have the No. 16 class in the nation and No. 9 class in the SEC, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Smith could be one of the key pieces coming to reinforce the class in the near future, however.

In fact, Freeze and his staff are looking for a major double-dip at Thompson High School in the coming weeks. Just before Smith’s Aug. 3 announcement, Thompson four-star safety Anquon Fegans is set to commit on July 29. Auburn is currently trending for the fellow top-60 recruit ahead of Georgia, LSU and Clemson.

“Coach Kelly, coach McGriff and coach Freeze are good people. The program is headed in the right direction,” Fegans recently told On3.

Smith is the No. 42 overall prospect and No. 4 EDGE in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 2 player in Alabama. Fegans is right behind, checking in at No. 57 overall, No. 5 at safety and No. 4 in the Yellowhammer State.

Auburn’s class already features five of the top 15 in-state recruits this cycle: Enterprise four-star safety Eric Winters, Opelika four-star defensive lineman Malik Autry, Highland Home four-star EDGE Jakaleb Faulk, Elba four-star running back Alvin Henderson and Birmingham Parker four-star DL Jourdin Crawford.