Auburn Daily

Auburn Aims to Flip Tennessee 2026 DL Recruit

The Auburn Tigers look to pry away a four-star recruit from a fellow SEC program

Austin Walls

Auburn has its sights on an SEC commit
Auburn has its sights on an SEC commit / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Auburn Tigers are currently sitting at No. 4 in the team rankings for 2026. They already have six total commits, five of which are four-stars. Only Oregon, USC and LSU are ahead of them early. However, there are two recruits that have been rumored to potentially be added to the Tigers list.

Tyson Bacon, 4-Star Defensive Lineman

The defensive lineman is already committed to the Tennessee Volunteers who currently ranked sixth on the 2026 Team Recruiting rankings. However, Bacon still had 15 other offers from many other schools including Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Washington among others. 

Bacon said, “It's been really crazy," Bacon said. "I think I've got 15 offers in this last month. So, I mean, we've been very busy. That's getting called out of class, seeing a new coach in there every week."

For the Tigers, Bacon was visited by head coach Hugh Freeze and offensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams. 

“It was great," Bacon said. "Coach Freeze is a funny guy. He's a very funny guy. I mean, he makes you feel very comfortable. Coach Vontrell, he has a great resume also.  I train with Jayson Jones. You know, he's produced Freshman All-Americans. He's produced all-SECs. He's done a great job." 

With Freeze, King-Williams and Jones all making an impression on Bacon, it would come as a surprise if Auburn comes more into play in the coming months. So far, Bacon has had six official visits. While he hasn’t visited Auburn yet, that time could be coming. He may visit in the spring, per Auburn Rivals. The defensive lineman is third-best in his position, fifth-best in the state and 51st nationally. 

"I'm giving every school a fair chance," Bacon said. "I'm going to enjoy the recruitment process."

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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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