Auburn is dealing with a strange off-field scandal that has nothing to do with coaches, money, or playcalling. Instead, prosecutors say a former staffer crossed a line by taking recruiting evaluations and passing them along to other schools.
Police arrested 24-year-old David Jenrath on Monday on charges of theft of trade secrets and computer tampering in Auburn, Alabama. He turned himself in and was still being held in custody on Tuesday.
According to ESPN, Jenrath is accused of stealing Auburn’s recruiting evaluations on July 19 and sending them to other schools. In one case, he allegedly identified himself as “Don Julio.”
The charging documents say Jenrath had “obtained and/or retained confidential, proprietary information consisting of Auburn University Athletics' information, and/or knowingly made a copy or reproduction of Auburn University Athletics' trade secrets and communicate or transmit a secret without the owners' consent.”
What prosecutors are not saying matters too. The charges do not accuse Jenrath of leaking Auburn’s NIL spending or any playbooks. Still, officials say the information he handled and the way he accessed it were enough to move forward with the case.
Auburn police said Tuesday that a “business reported that sensitive information was stolen from the business and distributed to their competitors.”
Jenrath was not a full-time employee at Auburn, ESPN reported. His now-deleted LinkedIn page listed him as a player personnel scouting assistant for the football program from January through June of this year, with a focus on running backs and safeties.
He is originally from Tennessee and attended the University of Tennessee as an undergraduate. It is not clear whether any information was sent to Tennessee’s football program.
In Other News...
Titans Finally Have Two Rookie Signs Of Hope In Rough Start
After a rough opening to the season, the Titans had at least one encouraging development in their rookie class against the Giants. Carnell Tate delivered his most productive game yet, finishing with a team-high six catches for 58 yards, while Keldric Faulk made his presence felt by recording his first career sack.
For a team still searching for steadier footing, those are the kinds of small but meaningful signs that matter early on. Tennessee has seen both rookies run into plenty of growing pains, but Sunday offered a clearer glimpse of why the organization has been betting on their development. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Pressure Around Cam Ward Is Starting To Feel Different
The Titans are still trying to sort out their offense around Cam Ward, and for now the message from inside the building is patience. ESPN reported the team is giving the rookie quarterback more time to grow, even as questions continue to build about how quickly the offense can start looking like a unit that can carry its own weight.
For Tennessee, the bigger issue is not just Wards development but the pressure around him, which has to start feeling different if the season is going to turn. The Titans know there is time for improvement, but they also know how quickly that time can shrink if the offense keeps lagging behind the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Fans Should Worry About What Experts See In Cam Ward
Cam Wards rookie season has already put him under the microscope, and the latest breakdown from Matt Hasselbeck and five other NFL quarterback experts only sharpens the focus. The group dug into Wards footwork and came away with the same basic concern: the foundation is not yet consistent enough, and that can show up in the accuracy issues that have followed him around at times.
The encouraging part for Tennessee is that Ward believes his lower-body mechanics are better now than they were last year, which suggests he is aware of the problem and working through it. The less comforting detail is what the experts noticed over the course of games, when his footwork can start clean and then slip as things wear on, raising the question of whether it is bad habit, the effect of too many hits, or both. [Read more 🡒]