Former Auburn athletics department employee David Rudolph Jenrath was arrested Monday and now faces felony charges tied to the alleged leak of sensitive recruiting information to competitors.
The Auburn Police Department said Jenrath, 24, is charged with theft of trade secrets and computer tampering, both felonies under Alabama law. He was taken to the Lee County Jail after the arrest and was being held Tuesday afternoon on a $15,000 bond.
AL.com confirmed details that helped lead to the arrest, including reporting that the information at issue was connected to Auburn football recruiting. A source told AL.com the leaked material did not include game plans.
Police said the case began after “a business [with an address matching the location of Auburn’s athletic department] reported that sensitive information was stolen from the business and distributed to their competitors.” The department also said “the business reported that one of their competitors received the information and turned it over to them.”
Multiple outlets reported Tuesday that Jenrath had worked first under former head coach Hugh Freeze and later remained with the program under Alex Golesh. According to On3, he was dismissed earlier this year after being seen in the student section during Auburn’s NCAA super regional baseball game in June. Jenrath reportedly told Auburn staff he was sick and not working because of the illness, but he was fired after being spotted at the game.
After his dismissal, he reportedly sent an email to nearly a dozen other schools containing sensitive documents.
Auburn, through an athletics department spokesperson, declined to comment on the arrest.
Police identified Jenrath after an investigation. His LinkedIn profile, since deleted, said he worked at Auburn University as a Player Personnel Scouting Assistant from January 2026 through June 2026, with a focus on running backs and special teams.
Jenrath is a Franklin, Tennessee, resident. His LinkedIn profile also listed him as a sports analytics student at the University of Tennessee, though AL.com said it has not been able to confirm whether he is or ever has been enrolled there.
Charging documents say that on the computer tampering count, Jenrath is accused of disclosing, using, controlling or taking computer programs and data with the “intent to harass Auburn University Athletics by disclosing trade secrets of Auburn University Athletics to their opponents.”
The theft of trade secrets complaint says that while he was employed by Auburn University, Jenrath retained confidential information about Auburn University Athletics’ trade secrets and sent those trade secrets without the owners’ consent.
Theft of Trade Secrets and Tampering with a Computer are Class C felonies in Alabama. A conviction can carry a prison sentence of one to 10 years and possible fines of up to $15,000.
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