Auburn Tigers Commitment Predicted to Flip to SEC Rival

The Auburn Tigers may not be able to hold on to one of their defensive back commitments according to a recent prediction from 247 Sports.

Dante Core is an Auburn Tigers commitment from Choctawhatchee (Fla.) High School / Brian Smith, On SI

One of Auburn’s 2025 commitments might have changed his mind and could be trending toward another SEC football program.

While interviewing cornerback Dante Core on Nov. 1, he mentioned that Ole Miss could be a player. At that time, it was still unclear just how much of a factor the Rebels would be. He was still very appreciative of being an Auburn commitment and even discussed how Auburn planned to utilize his skills in the secondary. He was rocking Auburn gloves during the game, too.

I’m really impressed with ⁦@Dante_Core3⁩ after watching last night. He’s a playmaker with excellent speed. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/VQza2gMGRU

— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) November 2, 2024

Here’s what Core stated about Ole Miss 10 days ago. “I am going to take a couple more visits and then be done,” Core began. “I am going to visit Ole Miss next week.”

The No. 59 cornerback for Rivals is coming off his intended trip to the Grove. By all accounts, things are not trending well for the Tigers to keep the Fort Walton Beach (Fla.) Choctawhatchee prospect in the fold. 247 Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy has a flip prediction for Core to select the Rebels. 

Additionally, 247’s Inside The Rebels placed a crystal ball pick for Core to the Rebels. The Rebels 28-10 victory over Georgia probably helped Core’s enthusiasm for Ole Miss.

“I thought it was great," Core told David Johnson. "Everybody came out excited. They broke the attendance record. It was loud, it was exciting, it was a fun game to watch.”

Perhaps Auburn can keep Core from switching his commitment, but there have been too many signs he’s headed toward signing with Ole Miss to ignore them. Auburn’s recruiting class was ranked No. 5 by each of Rivals, 247, and On3 coming into the day and had 27 commitments. Before long, those team recruiting rankings might have dropped if Core flipped his commitment.

To provide more insight into Core as a prospect, here’s part of his evaluation from Auburn On SI:

Speed is the obvious first choice. His mid-season senior film helps to confirm the burst and open-field acceleration. Seeing it live is an even better barometer. Playing against Enterprise (Ala.) High School where fellow Auburn commitment Eric Winters plays safety, there’s one particular play that truly stands out.

Playing receiver, Core’s short reception toward the right sideline looks like there’s no chance for a big play with defenders flanked on three sides of him, and he’s not far from being out of bounds. He overcame the odds in the blink of an eye. Few athletes turn and reach top speed so quickly, nor are they as fleet of foot in the open field.

Going across the gridiron to beat multiple defenders with an angle advantage, Core’s speed provides the biggest gain for Choctawhatchee’s squad for the night at roughly 30 yards; for most players that ends up being less than a 10-yard completion. His sprinter ability also helps Core to be an aggressive man-to-man cornerback.

Even if he misses his initial attempt to redirect the wide receiver, Core’s makeup speed allows him to trail the opponent and make a play on the football. No receiver flat out ran by him all night. In large part because of his speed, Enterprise’s efforts to throw at Core did not provide many dividends.