2025 In-State Linebacker Is A Top Recruit, Tigers A Team To Watch

Talented linebacker will garner heavy interest from Auburn and SEC programs

The Auburn football program is coming off of a national top-10 recruiting class.

Hugh Freeze and his coaching staff are riding high in part because of their ability to land top in-state 2024 prospects like the four talented wide receivers the Tigers were able to sign, including Bryce Cain, Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, and Perry Thompson.

For Auburn's class of 2025, there's an obvious emphasis on landing linemen and defensive talent overall. One of the prospects that Auburn would love to sign would be Enterprise (Ala.) High School's Eric Winters. Watching the film of Winters, it's hard to argue with the notion that he is a playmaker. 

Now, where exactly will this young man line up as a college player?

Nestled down in the southern part of Alabama, Enterprise is a program that relies on Winters to participate at multiple positions. Despite being projected to play linebacker at the Power 4 level, he's a really good running quarterback for his prep team. 

Powerful hands help him fend off defenders and he has the moves to avoid tacklers altogether. He's also fast enough to go the distance and score. It's still the other side of the football that college coaches see him excelling long-term.

Seeing him run and hit on defense are two of several reasons that Auburn is coming off a weekend in which Winters came to the Plains for an unofficial visit, per Fly War Eagle and writer Mary Kate Hughes. Georgia, Florida, Clemson, LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M are some of the other schools to extend Winters a football scholarship offer.

Watching the 6-foot-2 and 200-pound do-it-all athlete play in pads provides an interesting perspective. Winters is not yet filled out and already shows a penchant for physicality when he's playing defense.

Whether Winters is patrolling the secondary as a free safety and making hits on wide receivers, blitzing off the edge to sack a quarterback, or chasing down a running back from across the field, he's physical each time he makes contact. He also has the speed to be a versatile college defender.

Regardless of the defensive package, Winters' primary role could be as a safety, nickel, or linebacker. There's even better news to define. 

Winters could also play a combination of those positions when one considers the need for modern defenses to play five or six defensive backs during obvious passing downs, i.e. nickel and dime packages. 

Winters can be utilized in various ways that keep opposing offenses from knowing where he will line up. That will help to maximize his skills.

When evaluating the complete package that Winters brings, there's no doubt that he's one of the top Yellowhammer State prospects. Look for Auburn's football staff to continue to vigorously pursue Winters.