A former Auburn football staffer is facing felony charges after police say he shared confidential recruiting documents with rival programs.
Auburn police arrested David Rudolph Jenrath on Monday on charges of theft of trade secrets and computer tampering, according to police documents and sources familiar with the case. Investigators say Jenrath transmitted athletics information to other schools without permission and 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.’”
Sources told CBS Sports that Jenrath, 24, was hired by first-year coach Alex Golesh’s staff in January before being fired in the spring. Those same sources said he used a pseudonym email account, “Don Julio,” to send 10 documents containing personnel information on high school recruits Auburn had targeted for the classes of 2027, 2028 and 2029. The subject line of the email also included Golesh’s home address, a source said.
The material reportedly included Auburn coaches’ evaluations of recruits, along with notes on which players the new staff was targeting and which ones it was not. According to the source, the emails did not contain game plan information.
One recipient questioned how sensitive the information really was. Jenrath was not a major figure in Auburn’s front office, and multiple sources told CBS Sports he was dismissed after he was seen at an Auburn baseball game despite telling staff he was sick.
“Your high school slash JUCO evaluation pipeline and how it gets from the intern to the head coach is not confidential information,” a source said.
CBS Sports has also obtained part of another email Jenrath sent in July to dozens of front office staffers, apparently at random. One source said 85 different email addresses were included, theirs among them.
The document was labeled an “Auburn personnel manual” and listed the names, phone numbers and emails of recruiting staff and scouts. It also included scouting office rules and expectations, plus an explanation of the recruiting and scouting services used by Auburn’s scouting department.
Another source who saw the recipient list said some of the addresses belonged to people who had already moved on to other jobs. “It's almost as if he asked AI for a list of recruiting staff members.”
The same material included Auburn’s grading system for prospects. At the top were the “no-brainers,” described as players coaches would take “with no hesitation in taking his commitment regardless of roster spots.
All hands on deck recruiting. Little to no questions on traits/character.
Will be one of the best players in college football.”
At the other end were the “rejects,” described as a “player not good enough to help us win. Documented off the field issues/concerns.
Lacks work ethic, coachability, and/or competitiveness. Multiple medical issues that cause durability concerns.”
Also included was an Auburn organizational chart showing how a player moves through the pipeline before reaching Golesh for evaluation.
A source said the individual player emails Jenrath sent to rival programs appeared random, and one player was already enrolled in college when the message was sent. That source called the situation “unhinged.”
Jenrath now identifies himself on social media as a student studying sports analytics at the University of Tennessee, Auburn’s opponent this week. His LinkedIn profile, which has since been removed, listed him as a player personnel scouting assistant at Auburn, where he helped with running backs, special teams and player recruitment. He also played football as a high school kicker.
Police spent at least two months investigating the anonymous emails before identifying Jenrath as the source, sources said. One of Auburn’s competitors that received the information turned it over to Auburn, police said.
Jenrath turned himself in to Auburn police on Monday and was taken to Lee County Jail, where he was being held on a $15,000 bond.
In Other News...
Kansas State Still Waiting For Linkon Cure To Break Through
Kansas State entered this season with rare buzz around Linkon Cure, the highest-rated recruit in program history and the Wildcats first five-star prospect. For a team that does not often land a player with that kind of national attention, the expectation was obvious: Cure was supposed to be a difference-maker, especially as a tight end with the size and skill set to become a reliable piece of the passing game.
Instead, his introduction has been slower than anyone in Manhattan probably hoped. Injuries have interrupted his progress, and the tight end room has given Kansas State other options, leaving Cure with only a modest start to his college career. Even so, Collin Klein still sees a bigger role ahead, and the Wildcats are waiting to see when the talent that made Cure such a prized get finally starts showing up on the field in a more consistent way. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Already Faces Doubts In The Big 12 Race
Kansas States place in the Big 12 picture is already looking more complicated than it did a few weeks ago, as the leagues updated power rankings continue to shift after Week 4. Oklahoma State has rebounded from an early loss with three straight wins and now looks like a team that belongs in the contender conversation, while a handful of other undefeated programs, including BYU, Texas Tech, Utah and Cincinnati, are still setting the pace near the top.
For Kansas State, the concern is less about one bad weekend and more about how crowded the race is becoming around it. The conference board now includes teams building momentum in different ways, and the early standings are beginning to separate the clubs that can afford a stumble from the ones already feeling pressure to keep up. Where the Wildcats fit in that mix is becoming one of the more interesting questions in the Big 12. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Recruiting Momentum Just Added Another Early Defensive Win
Kansas States 2028 recruiting class picked up another early piece with the commitment of Malachi Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound edge rusher from St. Louis. Johnson becomes the second pledge in the class, giving the Wildcats another defensive building block well before the cycle starts to take shape in earnest.
Johnsons decision also points to the kind of relationships Kansas State has been able to build on the trail, especially with defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt. The fit appears to have gone beyond the field, with Johnson drawn to the programs football culture and the academic options in Manhattan, giving the Wildcats a promising early win as they look ahead. [Read more 🡒]