Alex Golesh’s first full recruiting run at Auburn is already turning heads, and the early numbers are loud.
The Tigers sit fourth in the SEC in the 2027 class, according to 247Sports, trailing only Mike Elko and Texas A&M, Steve Sarkisian and Texas, and Brent Venables and Oklahoma. That means Golesh is currently ahead of Lane Kiffin and LSU, Kirby Smart and Georgia, Kalen DeBoer and Alabama, and the rest of the league.
Nationally, Auburn’s class checks in at No. 10, a strong start for a coach still settling into his first full recruiting cycle in the conference. The Tigers have built that momentum by landing talent from inside the state and beyond it, with Georgia, Maryland and Tennessee all part of the mix.
The headliners are already easy to spot. Isaac McNeil, a four-star linebacker, had been viewed as a Georgia lean before a final trip to the Plains changed the picture and pushed him toward Auburn. Chance Gilbert, Auburn’s third-ranked recruit in the class, was also trending toward the Bulldogs before Golesh and his staff pulled him in.
The biggest swing, though, may be Deshawn Hall. He was reportedly more than a 90% favorite to end up at Penn State before Auburn’s push altered the race and brought him to the Plains.
Golesh may also be getting some help from timing. Auburn has not yet taken the field under him, and that can work in a coach’s favor on the trail. Recruits can sell themselves on being part of the group that helps define what comes next.
Jon Sumrall, another first-year SEC head coach, is also off to a strong recruiting start and has assembled a class that stacks up well with Auburn’s.
For now, Golesh has Auburn in a strong spot. The class is loaded, the momentum is real, and the Tigers still have time before anyone signs later this year.
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