Tracking The Auburn Versus Alabama In-State Recruiting Battles

Will the Tigers or Crimson Tide land more top Alabama prep prospects?

Debating whether Auburn or Alabama has the better in-state recruiting class now or will finish with the better in-state haul is interesting.

As of today, Rivals has Auburn’s class #8 and Bama’s #7. Each school's in-state commitments considerably help each class. Here’s a look at where each program stands with the state of Alabama's talent-rich prep football prospects.

Auburn and Alabama have four Yellowhammer State verbal commitments. There’s a wide variety of opinions about which in-state prospects are the best when looking at different recruiting services.

From the eight prospects already in the fold for AU and UA, 247 believes Auburn defensive tackle pledge Malik Autry is the best prospect by ranking him #34 nationally. ESPN has Alabama wide receiver commitment Derick Smith as the No. 29 player in the country. Which school ends up with the best in-state haul will still be decided by uncommitted prospects, as well as one recruit already in the fold for Ohio State.

It’s still shocking that neither AU nor UA holds the commitment of Birmingham (Ala.) Parker cornerback Na’eem Offord, the consensus #1 player in the state of Alabama. 

Not only is he not staying in-state, he’s leaving the South. The cornerback is still planning to attend Ohio State after making his original decision public on Feb. 4, 2024. Each of the Tigers and Tide are certainly going to continue to pursue Offord. 

If either school could flip Offord to their side, it would likely mean a great chance at a better class between the two schools and an opportunity at a top-five recruiting class.

Some other key names that are still out there are running back Alvin Henderson, safety Anquon Fegans, defensive end Jared Smith, edge defender Zion Grady, hybrid safety Eric Winters, and offensive tackle Micah DeBose, among others. All of them possess numerous offers including Auburn and Alabama.

Henderson is considered a strong Auburn lean with Florida State and Miami chasing. Fegans is most often affiliated with Auburn first, but there’s a long way to go. Smith likely stays in the SEC but it’s difficult to project if there’s a leader or not. Grady’s recruitment is similar to Smith’s and his recruitment could have some twists and turns. Winters is likely to select between Auburn and Georgia. DeBose is a three-team battle with Ohio State, Auburn, and LSU.

There are many other talented prospects from Alabama that AU or UA could eventually sign as well. To this point, it’s a very close in-state recruiting race between the Tigers and Tide.