Auburn Falling Behind Alabama in No. 1 Player’s Recruiting Race

After looking like they were going to do toe-to-toe with Alabama, the Auburn Tigers are losing steam on this top recruit.

Auburn is losing steam in its recruitment of offensive lineman Joey Fleming, while Alabama is expected to land him. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yesterday, the Auburn Tigers were neck and neck in the race with Alabama for four-star interior offensive lineman Joey Fleming, who is the No. 1 IOL in the 2028 class. Today, the Tide have improved their chances to 92%, while Auburn has fallen to just 2%.

This is in sharp contrast to yesterday’s predictions, in which the Tide led with a 21% chance, and Auburn followed with a 19% chance, but something seemed to flip, and a Steve Wiltfong prediction appears to have sealed the deal for the Tigers’ chances at Fleming, at least at this time.

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that the Tigers have overcome similar odds before, most notably in the race for four-star 2027 wide receiver Deshawn Hall, who had more than a 90% chance to land at Penn State before a late Auburn recruiting push saw him end up on the Plains. 

So, naturally, it is still anyone’s game in the race for Fleming, especially since he is only a rising junior in high school and still has another two full years of high school football left before he will head to college, but the early advantage seems to rest in Tuscaloosa, much to the dismay of Auburn and its fans.

The Tigers could definitely use the help on the line, too; after Hugh Freeze’s departure, six of the seven offensive linemen to earn a start in an Auburn uniform last season also left, some to the Draft and NFL free agency, while others headed off to other programs in search of greener pastures. Kail Ellis, a sophomore center who logged a few starts for the Tigers last year as a true freshman, is the only returning offensive lineman from that team.

Alex Golesh has reloaded his room impressively in the short term, with names like Cole Best, Cole Skinner and Stanton Ramil leading the room, but where Auburn’s true offensive line strength lies (as well as representing who Fleming would be developing with) is in the 2027 recruiting class.

Most notably, the Tigers have landed Layton von Brandt, a four-star who is currently rated as the best player from his home state of Delaware, four-star interior blocker Reed Ramsier, three-star Jaylon Moore and three-star tackle Rance Brown, but the fifth spot remains ready and waiting for a new piece, a spot Fleming could fill, albeit a year later.

For that to happen, though, the Tigers will need another big recruiting push, much like Hall’s, else they lose a top piece to their biggest rival.

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