Where Auburn Stands for 2028 Edge Rusher Luke Nabors

Despite a disappointing stretch of seasons for the Auburn Tigers, DJ Durkin’s defense has been consistently dominant, and it is beginning to draw attention from recruits. Luke Nabors, an edge rusher from Buford, Georgia, has scheduled a visit to the Plains on March 21.

Nabors, who stands at 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds, has been highly sought after throughout his high school years. He is currently rated as the 15th-best edge rusher in the country as well as the 19th-best player from his home state of Georgia. Auburn will be the first of the 2028 three-star’s spring visits, and he is then scheduled to head to Texas, South Carolina, Georgia and Miami.

Auburn Tigers on SI caught up with Nabors recently to discuss his upcoming visit, his experience with Auburn and his recruitment as a whole.

“Auburn gives me that ‘it’ factor right now,” he said. “They are the school that I go to most often right now and there is a reason for that for sure. There is no number 1 right now, but AU is pretty high and the closest to being there.”

It's set to be a busy spring visit schedule for touted 2028 EDGE Luke Nabors (VIP)

"I love DJ Durkin and the way he runs his defense, there is no recruiting pitch because if you look at what he produces, you would want to play there automatically."https://t.co/v2HvLySDhb pic.twitter.com/S3q6r2pp1H
— Christian Clemente (@CClemente247) March 3, 2026

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Why does Nabors seem to love Auburn so much? A large part of it appears to be solid relationships with the coaches and general agreement about scheming. Auburn initially offered Nabors way back in 2024, when Hugh Freeze was still at the helm, but Nabors’ interest in Auburn does not seem to have changed with the coaching staff.

“I have been speaking to Coach (Coleman) Hutzler,” he said, “and it’s still kind of the same defensive scheme obviously because of Coach Durkin, but Coach Hutzler brings a certain type of intensity to the EDGE room and I like it.”

Nabors could be the next big thing for an Auburn defense that has boasted top-level edge rushers like Keldric Faulk in recent years, but the Tigers will have to land him first.

“I model my game after players like Maxx Crosby, Colin Simmons, Abdul Carter and maybe even David Bailey,” he said. “I’m versatile, I’m not just an edge rusher but I can play the run and drop back in coverage.”

Despite heavy recruiting, Auburn’s 2028 class has yet to land a prospect, so Nabors could easily be the first if he decides the Plains is the place for him.