Auburn Cracks Top 5 For Coveted Four-Star Athlete

It’s been a busy recruiting cycle for the Auburn Tigers, who just landed the second recruit of their 2027 class in four-star defensive lineman Donivan Moore. Now, Alex Golesh and company are trending for another top-rated recruit, Braden Gordon.

Gordon, a four-star athlete from Montgomery (Ala.) Academy in Montgomery., announced his top-five schools earlier on Saturday. The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder listed Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Miami as his top five.

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🚨BREAKING🚨 4-star athlete Braden Gordon is down to Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Miami, @ChadSimmons_ reports👀

Read: https://t.co/Huec2rs4ko pic.twitter.com/D5m7VsPfNS
— Rivals (@Rivals) February 14, 2026

Gordon is being viewed mainly as a linebacker, but he has shown flashes of high-level defensive play at several defensive positions. He is currently ranked as the 16th-best athlete in the country as well as the 12th-best player in Alabama.

Auburn’s defense, led by standout defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, has no shortage of top-level linebacker talent, so Gordon could surely develop well on the Plains. Under top players like Xavier Atkins, Elijah Melendez, Demarcus Riddick and Bryce Deas, Gordon could learn the ropes quickly, even if such high-level talent means he would be waiting to see significant starting time.

Gordon has not visited Auburn yet and has only officially visited Jon Sumrall’s Gators program in Gainesville, Fla.

As it currently stands, Durkin’s 2027 recruiting class is quite sparse, with just one defensive commit pledged to the Tigers. With that said, the defensive commit, the aforementioned four-star Moore, is the No. 1 recruit in the state of Alabama and could prove to be a selling factor for Gordon, a fellow Alabama native.

Additionally, Durkin’s 2026 class is rife with talent, including a Shadarius Toodle and Jaquez Wilkes, a pair of four-star linebackers, as well as Adam Balogoun-Ali, a three-star linebacker.

Auburn’s defense was among the best in the country last year despite a disappointing offensive season under Hugh Freeze, as Durkin’s defense allowed 24 or fewer points in all but two games. They were one of just three teams to keep that stat through the Vanderbilt matchup, where Diego Pavia and the Commodores broke the Tigers’ streak.

Despite many departures from the Auburn program in 2026, Durkin’s defense has reloaded impressively while still retaining top talent, and Gordon could very well be the next big acquisition for a Tiger team that is looking for new levels of success under Alex Golesh.

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