Auburn Poaches No. 2 Athlete from Alabama in Recruiting Coup

The Auburn Tigers have landed one of the top players in the country after poaching him from Alabama's commitment list.

The Auburn Tigers and Hugh Freeze get a commitment from one of the nation's top prospects in Derick Smith from Selma, Ala. / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

The Auburn Tigers landed a commitment from in-state athlete Derick Smith on Monday. Just two days after the Tigers hosted him on Big Cat weekend.

WDE !🦅 pic.twitter.com/XksBG3jgx3

— Derick Smith (@BEENONE_1) July 29, 2024

Smith, the No. 45 player and No. 2 athlete in the class per On3 Sports had been committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide since March.

The commitment of the 6’1, 185-pound Smith makes the third commitment for the 2025 class and the sixth overall coming off the big weekend of visits.

From Southside High School in Selma, Ala., Smith was being recruited to Alabama to play Safety while Auburn reportedly sees him as a wide receiver. This belief was also a large factor for Smith who prefers to play on offense in college.

Through three seasons at Southside, Smith has amassed 4,075 receiving yards and 30 receiving touchdowns along with over rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons.

He is equally as skilled on defense where Smith has combined for 268 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 21 interceptions and 14 pass breakups. 

Whether he remains a receiver for the Tigers or he eventually finds his way to the defense, Smith is an elite athlete and a key commit for coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers 2025 class.  

Smith bumps Auburn up to No. 8 in the country by On3's metrics. The Tigers are up to No. 7 in the country on 247 Sports.

Auburn has a chance to continue rising up the ranks today with 4-star safety Anquon Fegans making his announcement on Monday afternoon as well.