Auburn rises in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings after latest commitment

Auburn has long been trending for Enterprise (Ala.) four-star safety Eric Winters. On Saturday, Hugh Freeze and the Tigers finally landed a commitment from the touted in-state prospect.

The No. 65 overall prospect and No. 8 safety in the On3 Industry Ranking, Winters is the highest-ranked commit in Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class. His pledge bumped the Tigers up two spots to No. 8 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

“Auburn is the school I have visited the most. I have been going there since my freshman year, and it feels like family,” Winters told On3 upon his commitment. “Since coach Freeze took over, the atmosphere has changed and I like the feeling when I am there. I was always looking for that comfortable feeling and I found that at Auburn. I like it and my family does too.”

Auburn jumped Texas A&M and Oregon with the addition of Winters. The class now checks in at No. 4 in the SEC, behind just LSU, Georgia and Alabama.

Tigers raking in top in-state recruits

Auburn now has 15 commits in its 2025 class. Six of those pledges are in-state, five of whom are among the top 15 players in Alabama overall.

Opelika (Ala.) four-star defensive lineman Malik Autry has continued to rise ahead of his senior season and is now the No. 109 overall prospect and No. 8 DL in the cycle. He’s been pledged to the hometown Tigers since Feb. 1, 2023.

Highland Home (Ala.) four-star EDGE JaKaleb Faulk checks in right behind Autry at No. 110 overall. Both are top-10 players in the state. Birmingham (Ala.) Parker four-star DL Jourdin Crawford and Mobile (Ala.) Williamson four-star OT Carde Smith are also in the mix.

Earlier this month, Freeze and Co. landed a major commitment from Bixby (Okla.) four-star OT Broderick Shull. The 6-foot-5.5, 275-pounder is On3’s No. 19 overall prospect and No. 5 tackle in the 2025 cycle. He’s one of five offensive linemen in the class, alongside the likes of Smith and Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes four-star OT Tavaris Dice.

Winona (Miss.) Secondary four-star linebacker Tyler Lockhart announced a surprise commitment to AU on May 6. One of five top-150 pledges in the class, Lockhart is also a top-five prospect in Mississippi.

Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood four-star cornerback Donovan Starr committed to Auburn earlier this month, becoming the third corner in the class. Buford (Ga.) four-star CB Devin Williams is a top-250 prospect, while Fort Walton Beach (Fla.) three-star Dante Core bolstered the class last month.

Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton three-star tight end Ryan Ghea, Kannapolis (N.C.) A.L. Brown three-star IOL Tai Buster and Athens (Ala.) three-star OT Spencer Dowland round out the top-10 class.