Defensive Recruit Tabs Auburn As Obvious School to Explore

DJ Durkin’s defense, in his short tenure thus far as the defensive coordinator of the Auburn Tigers, has been stellar. His defense was so good, in fact, that he was kept on by new head coach Alex Golesh when Hugh Freeze was fired, and Golesh seems to want to put some valuable pieces in his hands.

Enter CJ Craig-James, a safety from Birmingham, Ala., right in Durkin’s backyard. Craig-James, who stands at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, recently received an offer from Auburn to go along with his other top offers like Alabama, Oregon, Miami and a host of other top names.

#AGTG Blessed to receive an offer from @AuburnFootball @CoachTimBanks @JerisMcIntyre @AHParkerFootba1 @CoachWarren23 @CCrawford46 @Dwill921 @KoachJDrake @CoachL__ @ALLGASATHLETES @jbwoodall271 @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong_ @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/p7bfgoAHfS
— CJ Craig-James (@CJ2Sports2028) March 8, 2026

Auburn Tigers on SI caught up with Craig-James recently to discuss all things Auburn, including his offer and his history with the program.

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“I can pretty much go to any school in the country right now,” he said, “but I’d be crazy not to have Auburn in my top schools, being an instate kid. The new staff has a lot of energy and seems to be committed to winning now rather than later and that’s what I like.”

Naturally, Craig-James grew up around Auburn, though his family has ties to the program in a rather unexpected way.

“My dad is really good friends with Auburn great Colin Sears, who played there in the 90’s, so it makes liking Auburn easier,” he said. “Growing up in the state, you get to see a school's best days and worst days. Auburn has always been able to bounce back from them.”

Craig-James’ offer list, even though he does not yet hold a star classification, is quite impressive. The 2028 prospect, aside from those already mentioned, also holds offers from schools like Texas A&M, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, LSU and Ohio State, bolstering Craig-James’ belief that he truly could play anywhere in the country.

“I’m a real field general that loves to come downhill and hit,” he said. “I go back and watch a lot of old film so my style reminds me of Junior Rosegreen. My approach the next two years will be to get better and better. Kids emerge every day, rankings change, recruiting boards change, kids reclass. It's so easy to get complacent and fall off in today's climate.”

Craig-James is clearly a top-level prospect despite his lack of stars and would be a massive pickup for the Tigers if they can sway him away from other top programs. It will likely be a fight between big names for him, though.