New Stat Perfectly Illustrates Auburn’s In-State Recruiting Dominance

Alex Golesh's travels through Alabama have seen a plethora of new in-state recruits, which is critical to the program's success.

Since taking over as Auburn's head coach, Alex Golesh had been heating up with recruiting in the state of Alabama. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote an article describing how the Auburn Tigers, despite their nationwide recruiting dominance, would benefit from recruiting harder in-state. The Tigers, led by new head coach Alex Golesh, seem to have made the same decision, as they have made massive strides in in-state recruiting, and now, new statistics reveal just how dominant they have been.

According to 247Sports, Auburn currently holds three commitments from the top-10 committed prospects in the state of Alabama, more than any other team in the country. Miami, another recruiting titan, holds two of the ten commitments, while no other school has more than one.

Top committed recruits in the state of Alabama👀https://t.co/E4SgZT4Np3 pic.twitter.com/zx99aEcJKp

— Rivals (@Rivals) June 29, 2026

This goes to show two major aspects of Alex Golesh’s recruiting philosophy: first, he is not limiting himself at all, whether that be sticking solely to in-state recruiting or solely to out-of-state recruiting like coaches of the past did, and he also has the recruiting prowess to land some of the best recruits in the country.

The Tigers currently have five recruits from Alabama in their 2027 class, three of whom are included on this list. The Tigers’ in-state commits are headlined by Isaac McNeil, the No. 2 player in the state, who was a massive pickup for the future of the Tigers’ linebacker core back when he committed in early June.

Additionally, the Tigers recently robbed Deshawn Hall from Penn State in a massive recruiting win. Hall is a four-star wide receiver who is currently rated as the seventh-best player in the state, and he should provide a great starting point for Auburn’s receiving core to get back to the talent level Hugh Freeze was famous for.

One of the top commits in the state, Donivan Moore, was the Tigers’ first defensive pickup in their 2027 class, as he committed back in February. At the time, Moore was the No. 1 defensive lineman in the state, though he has now fallen behind Marquis Evans, who is a popular pick to land at Auburn as soon as July 1.

Off of the top-10 list, the Tigers have also landed Cedrick Simmons, a three-star wide receiver who averaged over 20 yards per reception in his junior season of high school, as well as Preston Williams, a three-star safety who was a part of a massive recruiting weekend for the Tigers.

Though the Tigers’ in-state recruiting efforts appeared dormant for some time, it appears that Golesh and company never stopped working on the class- they just grinded in silence.

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