A former Auburn athletics department employee is facing felony charges after police say sensitive information was stolen and passed along to competitors.
David Rudolph Jenrath, 24, was arrested Monday and booked into the Lee County Jail, according to the Auburn Police Department. He is charged with theft of trade secrets and computer tampering, both felonies under Alabama law. As of Tuesday afternoon, he was being held on a $15,000 bond.
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 also said that “the business reported that one of their competitors received the information and turned it over to them.”
A source confirmed to AL.com that the material involved Auburn football recruiting and did not include game plans.
Multiple outlets reported Tuesday that Jenrath had worked on former head coach Hugh Freeze’s football staff 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 baseball NCAA super regional game in June.
Jenrath reportedly told Auburn personnel he was sick and not working because of the illness before being fired after he was spotted at the game.
After his dismissal, he allegedly 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 their investigation. His LinkedIn profile, which has since been deleted, listed him as a Player Personnel Scouting Assistant at Auburn University from January 2026 through June 2026, with responsibilities focused on running backs and special teams.
Jenrath is a resident of Franklin, Tennessee. His LinkedIn profile also listed him as a student in sports analytics at the University of Tennessee, though AL.com has not been able to confirm whether he 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 theft of trade secrets complaint says that while Jenrath was employed by Auburn, he kept confidential information about Auburn University Athletics’ trade secrets and shared those trade secrets without the owners’ consent.
Theft of Trade Secrets and Tampering with a Computer are both Class C felonies in Alabama. A conviction on a Class C felony can carry a prison sentence of one to 10 years and possible fines of up to $15,000.
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