A former Auburn athletics department employee is facing felony charges after police say sensitive information was taken from the program and passed along to competitors.
David Rudolph Jenrath, 24, was arrested Monday and charged with theft of trade secrets and computer tampering, according to the Auburn Police Department. Both offenses are felonies under Alabama law, and Jenrath was being held Tuesday afternoon in the Lee County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
AL.com confirmed parts of the chain of events that led to the arrest. Multiple outlets reported Tuesday that Jenrath had worked on Hugh Freeze’s football staff and later remained with the program under Alex Golesh. A report from On3 said he was dismissed earlier this year after being seen in the student section at Auburn’s baseball NCAA super regional game in June.
Jenrath had told Auburn personnel he was sick and not working because of the illness, according to the report. He was fired after being spotted at the game.
After that dismissal, Jenrath reportedly sent an email to nearly a dozen other schools that included sensitive documents. A source told AL.com the material was tied to Auburn football recruiting, and the documents did not include game plans.
Auburn, through an athletics department spokesperson, declined to comment on the arrest.
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 release added that “the business reported that one of their competitors received the information and turned it over to them.”
Jenrath was identified by Auburn Police after an investigation. His LinkedIn profile, which has since been deleted, listed him as an Auburn University Player Personnel Scouting Assistant from January 2026 through June 2026, with responsibilities focused on running backs and special teams.
The profile also listed Jenrath, a Franklin, Tennessee, resident, as a student in sports analytics at the University of Tennessee. AL.com has not yet been able to confirm whether Jenrath is or ever has been enrolled there.
Charging documents on the computer tampering count say Jenrath disclosed, used, controlled or took computer programs and data with the “intent to harass Auburn University Athletics by disclosing trade secrets of Auburn University Athletics to their opponents.”
The criminal complaint on the trade secrets charge says that while he was employed by Auburn University, Jenrath kept confidential information about Auburn University Athletics’ trade secrets and transmitted those trade secrets without the owners’ consent.
Under Alabama criminal law, both theft of trade secrets and tampering with a computer are Class C felonies. A conviction can carry a prison sentence of one to 10 years and fines of up to $15,000.
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