Auburn has made a strong early impression on one of the country’s top young offensive line prospects, and Samuel Bailey isn’t shy about saying it.
Bailey, a 2028 four-star lineman from Mae Jemison High School in Huntsville, Alabama, is already drawing attention from a heavyweight list of programs. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and several others have extended offers, and the competition around him is only getting louder.
After Mae Jemison’s win over Columbia on Thursday night, Bailey ran through a list of schools that are pushing hardest for him right now.
“I feel like Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State,” Bailey said. “I definitely feel like those and Auburn and Alabama too, Oh my God.”
For Auburn, the connection appears to be more than just routine recruiting contact. Offensive line coach Tyler Hudanick has helped put the Tigers in a favorable position with Bailey, and the prospect made it clear that the relationship matters.
“They just been showing a lot of love,” Bailey said. “Coach Hudanick probably don't know this, but I actually really, really like him because when I worked with him this summer, It was like probably one of the best experiences.”
Bailey’s game has already stood out to observers from Touchdown Alabama and Touchdown Auburn, who have watched him multiple times. He has drawn notice for his agility and hand placement as a blocker for the Jaguars, and he has also shown a mean streak and physicality that make him easy to notice in the trenches.
At 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds, Bailey looks like the kind of lineman who is going to be at the center of a major recruiting battle in next year’s class.
In Other News...
LSU Just Dropped Auburn Into A Fresh SEC Eligibility Fight
A Louisiana judges ruling in favor of LSU players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright has added another layer to the SECs eligibility headaches just as the season is getting underway. The court allowed both players to regain college football eligibility despite their recent NFL roster status, and it blocked the SEC, NCAA and LSU from taking actions that would hurt their standing, putting the conference in a spot Auburn fans know well: another rules fight with real on-field consequences.
Harris and Wright have already been practicing with LSU as the Tigers prepare for their opener against Clemson, and the final decision on whether to add them to the roster now sits with LSU. For Auburn, the broader significance is hard to miss. Anything that shifts the SECs eligibility landscape can ripple through the league, and this latest ruling only deepens the uncertainty around how schools and conference officials will handle similar cases moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has Another SEC Problem To Watch Closely
Auburns attention may be split between the usual late-summer roster questions and the broader SEC chessboard, because a new court ruling has suddenly opened the door for more than 40 athletes to remain eligible under NCAA and league rules. Among the players affected are former NFL players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright, both expected to land on LSUs football roster, a development that could ripple beyond Baton Rouge as conference programs monitor how the eligibility landscape is being handled.
The SEC is planning to appeal the injunction, and it has also filed a separate lawsuit aimed at enforcing new punishments against teams that add ex-professional players. For Auburn and the rest of the league, the practical issue is less about one roster move than the possibility of a longer fight over who can play, who can be added, and what penalties might follow while the legal process continues to work itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns First Captains Under Alex Golesh Just Sent A Clear Message
Auburn named five captains for its upcoming game against Baylor, giving Alex Golesh a first look at which players the team is leaning on as his tenure begins. Quarterback Byrum Brown, safety Champ Anthony, offensive lineman Cole Best, safety Cade Carlson and linebacker Elijah Melendez will wear the honors when the Tigers open at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as part of the Aflac Kickoff.
The list says plenty about how Auburn wants to frame this matchup: leadership on both sides of the ball, from the quarterback to the trenches to the back end of the defense. For Golesh, it is also an early snapshot of the voices in the room as he gets ready for a spotlight game that will serve as his debut on the Auburn sideline. [Read more 🡒]