Florida A&M transfer DL James Ash commits to Auburn

Former Florida A&M defensive lineman James Ash has committed to Auburn via the NCAA Transfer Portal. Ash spent three seasons at Florida A&M, where he amassed 34 appearances.

Ash tallied a career-high 44 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season. In his three years with the Rattlers, Ash compiled 86 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass deflections and an interceptions.

James Ash played high school football at Chamberlain (FL), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1,382 overall player and No. 122 defensive lineman in the 2020 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

He is the 18th player Auburn has added via the transfer portal this offseason. The Tigers have also lost 22 players to the portal. They’re currently ranked No. 7 in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

Moreover, Auburn has the No. 7 incoming freshman class in the country. The crew is highlighted by five-star prospect Deuce Knight. Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze is excited to see what Auburn is capable of in the 2025 campaign.

“It’s quite different and in a good way,” Freeze said. “Obviously, you know, anytime you take over a program of this magnitude that has the expectations Auburn does, there’s a reason you got it. And that’s certainly not casting a judgment on anyone else because you never know really what happens until you walk into someone else’s shoes. But, you have to have Top-10 recruiting classes in this league to form an elite roster. And I felt like we could do that at Auburn. 

“… I do feel optimistic that with the two we’ve had, we can compete, should compete this year. And so it does look different. So let’s go line up and see what we got.”

Next season will be Freeze’s third at the helm of the program. The Tigers posted an 11-14 overall record and a 5-11 mark in conference play in Freeze’s first two seasons as Auburn’s head coach. Now, with so many fresh faces by his side, Freeze will look to lead the Tigers to new heights in 2025.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.