Auburn Recruiting Roundup, Tigers Closing in on Top Class

There was plenty of news on the Auburn Tigers recruiting front as official visits wrapped up for the early part of the summer.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY

Monday, June 24, 2024 began a month-long dead period for the 2025 football recruiting class as Auburn Tigers coaches and staff get a break from official visits before Big Cat Weekend on July 27 and the grind that is fall camp in early August. Dead period doesn't mean no contact with recruits. There just won't be any official visits through July 24.

Auburn had a flurry of official visitors throughout June, but a number of its top prospects visited other schools last weekend. Still there was plenty of news.

On the Auburn front it started on Friday with the 16th commitment of the 2025 class and the only running back commitment as Elba, Ala. running back Alvin Henderson announced that his commitment was changing from Penn State to Auburn. Henderson is a 4-star prospect, the No. 113 player in the country and No. 11 player in Alabama according to the 247sports Composite rankings.

Also over the weekend former Alabama and Colorado cornerback Jahquez Robinson announced that he is transferring to Auburn. Robinson was a reserve cornerback at Alabama from 2020 - 2022, appearing in just nine games. He had his first career interception at Colorado last season, playing in seven games for the Buffaloes.

Another possible pickup in the secondary could come on Wednesday. Cornerback prospect Shamar Arnoux from Carrollton, Ga. announced via X that he will choose Auburn, Georgia, USC, Florida State, Kentucky on Wednesday, June 26.

A pair of Edge prospects committed elsewhere, as Ohio State nabbed its second commitment from the state of Alabama. Zion Grady from Enterprise committed to the Buckeyes on Sunday. Isaiah Gibson of Warner Robins (Ga.) High School, who recently de-committed from USC, committed to Georgia on Monday.

What does that mean for Auburn? Both Grady and Gibson are Top 100 prospects according to the recruiting services, but at a position Auburn recruited well last year and has other options this year. Auburn has made progress on Jared Smith of Thompson High School in Alabaster, the No. 2 prospect in the state according to 247Sports, and Herbert Scroggins Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Ga.

Linebacker C.J. May from Highland Home, Ala. announced that he is down to four schools -- Louisville, Syracuse, Washington, and Auburn. May is 6-4, 225 and is a teammate of Auburn commit Jakaleb Faulk. He is projected as an edge rusher or linebacker in college.

There likely won't be as much noise going on over the next month, but perhaps the biggest recruiting event of the year will be on July 27 as many of the top prospects from around the country attend Auburn's Big Cat Weekend.

One prospect who won't be there unless things change is Michigan defensive tackle commitment Nathaniel Marshall, the No. 41 prospect in the country according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He took an official visit to Auburn on June 7, and he announced via X that he'll be in Ann Arbor the weekend of Auburn's Big Cat Weekend.

One of the nations top receivers and one of Auburn's top targets, wide receiver Caleb Cunningham took a visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend that apparently went really well for the Crimson Tide. His official visit to Auburn on May 31 also went really well at the time as he declared Auburn his No. 1 school.

He also took official visits to Tennessee and Florida in June. He announced his top six via X, and Auburn made the cut, but this feels like a Tide, Mississippi State battle.

It's a long day until Signing Day for this 5-star prospect, who is the Industry Composite 13th rated prospect in the country.

It's the calm before the storm of Big Cat weekend, but with a No. 6 ranking in the country, Auburn has the luxury of big-game hunting as they fill their final spots for the Class of 2025.