Auburn just added a big piece to its 2026 recruiting class - and it's one that came together quickly.
Bear McWhorter, a 6-foot-3.5, 293-pound interior offensive lineman out of Cass High School in Georgia, has flipped his commitment to the Tigers after initially signing with Michigan. Following the firing of Sherrone Moore, McWhorter was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent, reopening his recruitment - and Auburn didn’t waste any time.
Offensive line coach Tyler Hudanick and head coach Alex Golesh moved fast, and their efforts paid off. McWhorter officially committed to Auburn on Monday, giving the Tigers a late but meaningful boost up front.
This isn’t McWhorter’s first brush with Auburn. He held an offer from the Tigers during his original recruitment, though he wasn’t a priority for the previous coaching staff.
Back in February, he chose Michigan over Alabama in what was a tightly contested decision. But with a new staff in place on the Plains and Michigan’s coaching situation in flux, the door swung open - and Auburn walked right through it.
McWhorter brings a solid pedigree with him. He’s ranked as the No. 514 overall player and the No. 40 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 class according to the 247Sports Composite.
Within Georgia, he checks in at No. 53.
The in-house 247Sports rankings are a bit lower on him, listing him as the No. 124 interior lineman and No. 163 in the state, but his stock has been on the rise.
That rise was fueled in part by a strong performance at the Under Armour Atlanta camp earlier this year - a showing that earned him an invite to the prestigious Under Armour All-American Game in January. That’s no small honor, and it speaks to McWhorter’s potential as a high-upside interior presence.
There’s also a reunion storyline here. McWhorter is a former high school teammate of current Auburn freshman lineman Kail Ellis. The two helped anchor the line at Cass and now get a chance to do it again at the college level, this time in SEC country.
With McWhorter in the fold, Auburn’s 2026 class now sits at 19 signees - and five of them are offensive linemen. He joins tackles Wilson Zierer and Mason Mathis, along with interior linemen Parker Pritchett and Mykall Lundy-Foster. That’s a strong foundation for a unit that’s always in demand in the SEC.
The addition also gives Auburn a bump in the national rankings. The Tigers move from No. 41 to No. 35 in the 247Sports team rankings for the 2026 cycle - a tangible sign that this staff is building momentum on the recruiting trail.
For Auburn, landing McWhorter is more than just a numbers game. It’s about fit, familiarity, and finding value late in the process. And in McWhorter, they’ve added a tough, technically sound lineman with room to grow - the kind of player who could thrive in the trenches at the next level.