Auburn Target ‘Really Close’ to Making a Decision
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Auburn football target, four-star WR Marquez Daniel, announces commitment decision
Auburn loses four-star wide receiver Marquez Daniel to Florida. Daniel was on his way to Florida to meet with Auburn’s coaching staff. The Tigers are still in the hunt for a new wide receiver for the 2026 season. The team is also looking for a tight end and running back to replace Daniel. The school is also in the market for a defensive back, but has not yet made a decision.
Daniel, a four-star wide receiver from Booker T. Washington High School in nearby Tuskegee, Alabama, chose Florida over Auburn on Saturday morning according to a report by Tyler Harden of Swamp247. Daniels made the decision while on his official visit to Florida this weekend.
According to Harden, Daniel’s relationship with Gators’ wide receiver coach Billy Gonzalez, who is known to be a coach that “wasn’t afraid to coach him up.” His relationship with Auburn wide receivers coach Marcus Davis was strong as well, as he spoke about during his official visit to the Plains last weekend.
“It was a great weekend, I was glad to see everything. I spent a whole day on campus and had a great time,” Daniel said to Auburn Undercover last weekend. “Chopped it up with Coach Davis and Coach Mo (Maurice Harris), had a great time. It was very important to see how they show real and true love to me. I’m glad I’ve got them.”
Where does Auburn turn for a wide receiver in 2026? The Tigers have two commitments at the position from four-star Devin Carter and three-star Denarius Gray, and are in the mix for several others including four-star Jase Matthews, three-star Jonah Winston, and three-star Deion Thomas. Auburn took a giant hit in recruiting this week after losing the pledge of four-star linebacker JaMichael Garrett, and will not fight the likes of Ole Miss, Miami, and Texas A&M to try to win it back.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football target, four-star WR Marquez Daniel, announces commitment decision
Auburn Target ‘Really Close’ to Making a Decision
Auburn Target ‘Really Close’ to Making a Decision. Four-star receiver Jase Matthews’ finalists are Auburn, the LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels and Texas A&M Aggies. The prospect is the No. 10 wide receiver in the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2026 class. The Tigers no longer have receiver commits from the class after Devin Carter flipped to the Florida State Seminoles.. Auburn opens the year with the Baylor Bears on August 29. The team enters 2025 with an 11-14 record.
The Auburn Tigers need a recruiting win after recent developments with their commitments from the 2026 class.
In June, Auburn lost linebacker commit Shadarius Toodle after he flipped to the Georgia Bulldogs. The Tigers then had receiver pledge Denairius Gray flip to the Kentucky Wildcats on July 1.
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On Sunday, On3’s Chad Simmons reported that one of Auburn’s targets is “really close” to making a decision. Four-star receiver Jase Matthews’ finalists are Auburn, the LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels and Texas A&M Aggies.
Adding Matthews would be a nice rebound after losing the likes of Gray. The Tigers no longer have receiver commits from the class after Devin Carter flipped to the Florida State Seminoles.
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze.© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK
“I am really close to making a decision,” Mathews told Rivals. “It is something I am thinking a lot about. My commitment should come before the season starts. I don’t have a date set yet, but I am getting close.”
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The prospect is the No. 10 wide receiver in the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2026 class.
Matthews is a native of Leakesville, Mississippi and attends Greene County High School. He is listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds.
The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has Ole Miss as the favorite, with a 35.7% chance to land Matthews. Auburn (23.5%) is in second, followed by LSU (10.2%) and Texas A&M (8.5%).
Auburn’s class is led by four-star edge rusher Hezekiah Harris, four-star athlete Peyton Falzone and three-star inside offensive lineman Parker Pritchett.
Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze enters 2025 with an 11-14 record. Auburn opens the year with the Baylor Bears on August 29.
Related: CFB Analyst Names Auburn’s ‘Achilles Heel’ in 2024
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Auburn target Adam Bologoun-Ali changes commitment date
Adam Balogoun-Ali, a four-star linebacker from West Palm Beach, Florida, will now commit on July 8, two days after his original date. Auburn, Missouri and Kentucky are in the mix to land the top-30 linebacker. Auburn currently ranks No. 89 in 247Sports’ 2026 recruiting rankings and has no linebacker commits. The Tigers have lost several blue-chip players to other programs in the past few years, including QB Peyton Falzone and EDGE Hezekiah Harris.
Auburn, Missouri, and Kentucky are the finalists for Balogoun-Ali, a top-30 linebacker prospect.
Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin is reportedly a key factor in Balogoun-Ali’s recruitment.
Auburn currently ranks No. 89 in 247Sports’ 2026 recruiting rankings and has no linebacker commits.
Auburn football is in a great position to land a talented linebacker from Florida. However, Auburn fans will need to wait an extra two days to learn if he will be a Tiger.
Adam Balogoun-Ali, a four-star linebacker from West Palm Beach, Florida, shared on social media Wednesday that he will now commit on July 8, two days after his original commitment date of July 6. Auburn, along with SEC rivals Missouri and Kentucky, are in the mix to land the commitment of the top-30 linebacker.
Last month, Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live submitted a prediction that favored Auburn landing Balogoun-Ali, which would be massive for a program that has fallen over 60 spots in 2026 recruiting after losing several blue-chip players to other programs. Balogoun-Ali shares that defensive coordinator DJ Durkin is the biggest factor in Auburn remaining in his final three.
“Coach Durkin is great,” Balogoun-Ali said. “He is a genuine dude, and someone I listen to and believe in. His main message to me is that I am the main guy that he wants. He has to recruit others because I am taking visits, but if I committed, he tells me he would shut down the recruitment of others.”
Auburn ranks No. 89 in 247Sports’ 2026 recruiting rankings, with zero linebacker commits. Should Balogoun-Ali commit to Auburn, he would join EDGE Hezekiah Harris and QB Peyton Falzone as a four-star commitment in Auburn’s 2026 haul.
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Colorado football top 2026 target announces finalists, nearing commitment decision
Colorado wide receiver Jase Mathews announced his final five schools on Wednesday. Mathews will be choosing from the Texas A&M Aggies, LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, Auburn Tigers and Colorado Buffaloes. He’s ranked as the No. 103 overall player in the class of 2026. The 6-foot-1 receiver took official visits to Colorado on May 2, Olemiss on May 30, Auburn on June 6, Texas A &M on June 13 and LSU on June 18.
While Mathews has not locked in a commitment date, he is nearing a decision. Mathews will be choosing from the Texas A&M Aggies, LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, Auburn Tigers and Colorado Buffaloes.
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247Sports lists Mathews as a four-star recruit. He’s ranked as the No. 103 overall player in the class of 2026, the No. 12 wide receiver and the No. 4 player from his home state of Mississippi. The 6-foot-1 receiver took official visits to Colorado on May 2, Ole Miss on May 30, Auburn on June 6, Texas A&M on June 13 and LSU on June 18. With all of his official visits wrapped up, he appears close to making a decision.
247Sports does not have a projection for the top prospect, but On3’s recruiting service believes the race will come down to the wire. Currently, it gives Ole Miss a 35.7% chance to land his commitment, Auburn a 23.5% chance, LSU a 10.2% chance, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Colorado an 8.5% chance.
Mathews’ commitment would be a significant win for the Buffaloes, who only have three hard commits to their 2026 class. Even with blue-chip cornerback Preston Ashley entering the fold yesterday, Colorado still owns the lowest-ranked recruiting class in the Big 12 and the No. 112-ranked class in the country.
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Deion Sanders and the Buffs are also scheduled to hear decisions from several top 2026 targets over the next few weeks, which should provide plenty of upward momentum.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado recruiting target Jase Mathews finalists
Auburn football target Vodney Cleveland to announce commitment this week
Four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland will announce his college commitment on Saturday, June 21. Texas and Florida are reportedly the frontrunners, with Auburn and Georgia close behind. Cleveland previously committed to Alabama but withdrew his pledge in December. Auburn signed a plethora of defensive line talent in 2025, including Jourdin Crawford, Malik Autry, Antonio Carter, and Darrion Smith. The Tigers have one EDGE rusher in its 2026 haul currently, Hezekiah Harris, who is a junior. The 2026 recruiting cycle runs from January 1 to June 30..
Auburn is vying for Cleveland, who is the No. 4 recruit in Alabama for the 2026 cycle.
Cleveland previously committed to Alabama but withdrew his pledge in December.
Texas and Florida are reportedly the frontrunners, with Auburn and Georgia close behind.
Auburn football landed a defensive lineman from Parker High School in Birmingham last recruiting cycle, Jourdin Crawford. Now, they are looking to extend their luck into 2026 by securing another talent from the program.
Vodney Cleveland, a four-star defensive lineman from Parker High School in Birmingham, shared Monday that he is ready to announce his commitment. He will make his decision on Saturday, June 21, and Auburn is in the mix to land the state of Alabama’s No. 4 recruit for the 2026 cycle.
Cleveland backed off his pledge to Alabama last December, and he used one of his official visits to scout Auburn, doing so on May 16. While there, he spent time with former high school teammate Jourdin Crawford and Auburn defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams. King-Williams pitched Cleveland the opportunity to develop into a strong defensive lineman while being surrounded by other players who are comparable to his style of play.
“I was talking to Coach (King-Williams), he was like, if you go in somewhere else and they throw you in the fire, if they’re depending on you to come and start as a freshman, that’s not a good fit,” Cleveland said via Auburn Undercover. “Then you won’t get developed like you should and stuff like that. He was just saying I already have the talent. I can come here, he could coach me and develop me, and I could be unblockable. He was like, ‘You want to be surrounded by other dudes that are at your caliber.’ So that is a big deal.”
Will that be enough for him to commit to Auburn? According to Keith Niebuhr of On3, Texas and Florida appear to be the top two for Cleveland, with Georgia and Auburn following closely. Miami was originally in the mix, but he shared Monday that he has canceled his visit to Coral Gables.
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Auburn signed a plethora of defensive line talent in 2025, including Jourdin Crawford, Malik Autry, Antonio Carter, and Darrion Smith. Auburn has one EDGE rusher in its 2026 haul currently, Hezekiah Harris.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page onFacebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter@TaylorJones__