Auburn Lands Commitment of James Pace, No. 2 Edge Rusher in Maryland

The Auburn Tigers are on a roll in recruiting, and recently, they added yet another blue-chip commit to a class that already ranked among the best in the country.

James Pace, a four-star edge rusher in the class of 2027, announced his pledge to the Plains on Friday evening. He chose the Tigers over Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia and South Carolina.

🚨BREAKING🚨 4-star EDGE James Pace has committed to Auburn, @ChadSimmons_ reports🦅

Read: https://t.co/IoV07vPEVy pic.twitter.com/8RPVddYnSd
— Rivals (@Rivals) June 20, 2026

Standing at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Pace is currently rated as the second-best edge rusher in the state of Maryland, as well as the 18th-best edge rusher in the 2027 class. His addition nearly completes the sweep of the top-three Maryland-based edge rushers, as Rion Jackson, a fellow Auburn commit, is currently rated as the third-best edge rusher in the state.

The Tigers’ 2027 recruiting class was already ranked among the best in the nation, ESPN even had them ranked within the top-10, but now, with a new blue-chip, the Tigers’ ranking could soar to completely new heights.

Admittedly, this level of recruiting prowess came as something of a shock to many fans of the Tigers, who did not expect new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh to be nearly as competitive in his recruiting efforts. Despite all of these doubts, Golesh has now won a third-straight recruiting battle with Georgia, cementing him and his program as a force to be reckoned with in the SEC.

Pace is the third Tiger 2027 commit to hail from the state of Maryland, which is rapidly becoming a pipeline for top Tigers. Darrion Smith and Da’Shawn Womack, fellow edge rushers and current Auburn Tigers, also hail from the state, as well as cornerback Blake Woodby, linebacker Bryce Deas and receiver Jeremiah Koger.

The Tigers are certainly well-poised for the 2025 season at the edge rusher position, an impressive feat, especially given the departures of Keyron Crawford and Keldric Faulk, both of whom were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The aforementioned Da’Shawn Womack is expected to headline the unit, though Pace could contend for the spot as soon as next season.

As it stands, it is unclear exactly what the Tigers are looking for in their next commitment, which is a fantastic problem to have in Auburn’s case, as they simply have just about everything they need in their 2027 class, including a quarterback, two running backs, a receiver, four offensive linemen, a tight end, two defensive linemen, two edge rushers, two linebackers, four cornerbacks and a kicker.

So, even if the Tigers do not sign another commit in the 2027 cycle, they are certainly well-poised to continue to rank among the best in the country as time goes on, in large part thanks to commitments like Pace’s.

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