Auburn Loses 4-Star OL Target to Florida State

The Auburn Tigers came up short against the Florida State Seminoles in the recent decision made by 4-Star offensive lineman Da'Ron Parks.

The Auburn Tigers were a finalist for Cardinal Mooney (Fla.) offensive lineman Da'Ron Parks, who chose Florida State. | Mike Lang / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Despite recent recruiting momentum starting to build on the Plains, the Auburn Tigers have missed out on a blue-chip offensive lineman.

Four-star interior offensive lineman Da’Ron Parks announced his commitment to Florida State, per Hayes Fawcett on X, over Auburn, Ohio State, and Georgia.

Parks is ranked as the No. 10 interior offensive lineman and No. 213 overall player in the 2026 class, according to Rivals. He would’ve been the Tigers’ second-highest-rated offensive line commit behind four-star tackle Wilson Zierer if he had elected Auburn. 

The 6-foot-5, 325-pounder announced yesterday he is transferring to Nitro High School in West Virginia for his senior campaign after spending one season at Cardinal Mooney (Fla.) in Sarasota, Fla. Parks played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Hurricane (W.V.) before moving down south last year. 

Following the change, Parks is now listed as the No. 1 prospect in the state of West Virginia, per 247Sports.

The Tigers were relatively late to the party, as they were the last of his four finalists to offer the four-star. Auburn offered him on January 13, 2025, almost two years after Florida State (Aug. 13, 2023), according to 247Sports’ recruiting timeline.

However, Auburn was the first of the four to host Parks for an official visit on May 16, per Rivals, before he took his official visit to Florida State on June 13.

Parks would’ve ranked as Auburn’s sixth-highest-rated overall pledge and top interior offensive lineman in its 2026 class, according to On3. Three-star tackle Nikau Hepi, three-star interior offensive lineman Parker Pritchett and Zierer remain as the class’s only offensive line commits.

Auburn dropped five spots this week to No. 70 in 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings as other teams have garnered commitments, but Hugh Freeze and company now have their eyes fixed on multiple top targets set to make their decision in the near future, including four-star wide receiver Jase Matthews, five-star safety Bralan Womack, and others.