Auburn Daily

The Alabama Juggernaut That Has a Sports Pipeline to Auburn

One in-state high school has developed into a pipeline of talent for the Auburn Tigers in multiple sports

Austin Walls

Auburn loves the talent coming out of this one high school
Auburn loves the talent coming out of this one high school / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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The Auburn Tigers are no stranger to recruiting within their own state. They are also quite successful at it. However, there is one school that continues to prove that they are the cream of the crop in all sports in the state of Alabama. 

That is Thompson High School in Alabaster, Ala. The Warriors have players on all three of the “big” teams and there is a possibility for more in the future. 

Auburn Football

At spring practice, there will be four players from the high school. AnQuon “Newboy” Fegans, Jared Smith, Kaleb Harris and John McGuire all are graduates of Thompson. Harris will be the only sophomore among the group as the others are all part of the 2025 recruiting class. Smith and Fegans both won a state championship together after dominant careers at the high school. Smith is also a five-star and is expected to get significant action this upcoming fall. 

Fegans can join Harris who started as a freshman a season ago, making 44 tackles in his first year as a Tiger. The former Warriors have other teammates who could be joining them in future recruiting classes. One notable player is four-star quarterback Trent Seaborn who has been the Warriors varsity quarterback since he was in eighth grade. He is in the class of 2027 and the Tigers have him on their watch list as the recruits can’t officially commit just yet. 

Auburn Basketball 

If you thought it was just football, you'd be sorely mistaken. Head coach Bruce Pearl’s team also has a player from Thompson, that player being senior forward Chaney Johnson. Johnson has been an integral part of the Tigers' success this season as they are in pursuit of their first national championship as a program. 

So far this season, Johnson is averaging 9.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0. 7 steals in 23.2 minutes per game. While it is not Johni Broome’s numbers, it is part of the reason why the Tigers have gotten to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

Auburn Baseball

Similar to basketball, there is only one baseball player that has come from Thompson. That player is no slouch either. That player is Bub Terrell, who chose to go to Auburn over going to MLB. He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 19th round coming out of high school. Instead, he joined the Auburn Tigers and it’s safe to say he made the right decision. Terrell, in just a few short weeks, has won the SEC Freshman of the Week, one of three freshman Tigers to do so already. He also is hitting .300 BA with three home runs, making almost all of his appearances out in the outfield. 

Thompson may be a football-heavy school, but in the end, a good chunk of their top athletes are recruiting and signing with the Auburn Tigers. Considering they are less than two hours away, it is not surprising to see the steady pipeline of high school athletes heading to The Plains. 

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Austin Walls
AUSTIN WALLS

Austin Walls is a University of Florida Sports Journalism graduate. He has covered different sports, from motorsport, professional and college football, professional and college basketball, women's basketball and hockey among others. He has spent most of his time focusing on the SEC Conference, but has spent time covering the AAC, MWC and ACC.

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