Auburn, Alex Golesh Trending for Pair of Wide Receiver Recruits

Two in-state wide receiver recruits could choose to flip to Auburn, one of whom was committed to Alex Golesh at USF

Some in-state talent could opt to flip to Auburn as they gain a new head coach | Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Early National Signing Day just days away, brand-new Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh has his work cut out for him if he’s looking to maintain the recruiting dominance he had at USF. In the wake of his job change, though, Rivals has predicted at least two top 2026 wide receiver recruits to follow Golesh to Auburn.

Auburn’s recruiting class currently boasts 13 commits, good for 29th in the nation, per On3. The Tigers currently have just one receiver in their class, four-star Jase Mathews, who spent time as a five-star before missing the majority of the season with an injury.

DeShawn Spencer, Saraland (Ala.) 

DeShawn Spencer is a three-star wide receiver currently ranked as the 101st-best receiver in the country and the 24th-best player in his home state of Alabama. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder has been committed to the Duke Blue Devils since July, but Rivals insiders Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong have placed predictions favoring his flip to Auburn.

The move makes sense for Spencer, as he’s already from Alabama, and Golesh had been trying to flip him to USF long before he came to Auburn. The stars seemed to align for Spencer, who’s on an Auburn visit as Golesh makes his first appearance on the Plains.

Josiah Dozier, Moody (Ala.) 

The other top recruit that’s already been predicted to flip to Auburn is Josiah Dozier, another three-star, though he’s ranked 149th in the country and 36th in Alabama. Dozier had been committed to Golesh’s Bulls since April 5, but decommitted just hours after Golesh announced he’d be leaving the program for the SEC.

Since then, he’s received a prediction from Steve Wiltfong to commit to Auburn.

If Golesh was the reason Dozier was committed, it makes sense to imagine he’d want to follow his coach to Auburn, despite the steeper challenge that awaits him. The three-star had offers from Ole Miss and Vanderbilt before committing to USF, so even though Auburn has yet to offer him, he’s no stranger to SEC recruitment.

Both receivers could join a potentially very talented receiver room that could prove to be one of the best in the nation if Golesh can retain key Auburn receivers, something their development would surely benefit from. Even if Golesh can’t hang on to Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton, Jr., he may be able to begin the construction of his own receiver room around Mathews, Dozier and Spencer.