Be sure to take it all in, folks.
Auburn football“s 2025 class is shaping to be one of the best, if not the best, classes in program history. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is building Auburn’s next class to be one of historical proportions by sealing the deal with the top recruits from the state of Alabama.
[autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag], a five-star EDGE from Thompson High School in Alabaster, pledged to Auburn’s 2025 class on Saturday evening during an intimate ceremony in Uptown Birmingham, becoming the eighth recruit from Alabama’s top-10 rankings to join Auburn’s recruiting haul. He cited that fact while sharing his reasoning for choosing the Tigers over programs such as Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Georgia.
“Why not stay in-state?,” Smith said in an interview with Auburn Live. “You know, play for your people. Just the culture that (Auburn has) built, the atmosphere. Even if they’re losing, every game the atmosphere (is great).
In addition to the close proximity of Auburn to Smith’s hometown, Smith says that Auburn’s coaching staff played another major role in his decision to pledge to the Tigers. He developed strong relationships with Auburn’s coaches during his visit to campus for Big Cat Weekend.
“It was big, real big,” Smith said. “Just seeing those guys trust in the coaching staff, trust in Auburn. It was really good. Just getting with all the recruits, talking to Coach (Hugh) Freeze, Coach (Josh) Aldridge, Coach (DJ) Durkin, it was a great day. The scavenger hunt, just running around with all the recruits, talking about recruiting with them.”
Smith joins safety [autotag]Anquon Fegans[/autotag] and punter [autotag]John Alan McGuire[/autotag] by committing to Auburn from Thompson High School this week. Auburn will now look to flip five-star CB [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag] (No. 1 from Alabama) and four-star EDGE [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag] (No. 6 from Alabama) to sweep the top-10 from Alabama for the 2025 cycle.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: ‘Why not stay in-state?” Jared Smith sheds light on commitment to Auburn
