Will Auburn Hold on to Nation's No. 1 Safety? Rivals Makes Prediction on Tigers Commit Bralan Womack

Bralan Womack committed to the Auburn Tigers in August.

Hartfield's Bralan Womack is the top safety in the 2026 recruiting class. | Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hugh Freeze’s strength with the Auburn Tigers, if nothing else, was most certainly recruiting. The now ex-Auburn head coach boasted top-10 recruiting classes in the nation in every year he had a full season to recruit.

After his firing, Freeze's absence is beginning to be felt on the Plains, as Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong has officially logged a prediction for the Texas A&M Aggies to flip the Tigers’ top recruit, Bralan Womack.

Womack, a five-star safety, has been committed to the Tigers since August. He’s the best safety in the 2026 recruiting class, the second-best player in Mississippi and the 13th-best player in the country, per 247Sports.

NEW: Rivals’ @samspiegs and @SWiltfong_ have logged expert predictions for Texas A&M to flip Florida 4-star EDGE commit Kevin Ford👍

Read: https://t.co/gcaPqChP99 pic.twitter.com/N0VAR3EuKW

— Rivals (@Rivals) November 17, 2025

Womack’s one of two safeties currently committed to the Tigers, with Wayne Henry, a three-star, filling out the class for the Tigers. This news is, admittedly, a bit of a shock for many Auburn fans, as few predicted a coach as highly thought of as DJ Durkin would lose any substantial recruiting with how incredible his defense has been this year.

This news likely hinges on the Tigers’ current coaching uncertainty, as it’s difficult to want to commit to a program when its head coaching job has betting odds, after all.

Womack’s exclusion from the Tigers’ 2026 group wouldn’t break the class, but his absence would certainly be felt. Auburn’s 2026 class is currently ranked the 25th-best in the nation, a ranking that would significantly diminish with Womack’s absence.

Naturally, Andrew Ivins, 247 Sports’ Director of Scouting, has high praise for the player who’s widely considered a top-five defensive player in high school.

“[Womack] should be viewed as one of the top defensive talents in the 2026 cycle based on what he has put on tape and done in best-on-best settings,” Ivins said. “Could fit into a variety of different schemes and be utilized in a variety of different ways… Figures to emerge as a trusted defender for a College Football Playoff regular that can make plays and clean up mistakes.”

Nothing’s official yet, but Steve Wiltfong has made a habit of being correct with his predictions. 

Auburn has only lost one commit since Freeze's firing in three-star running back Eric Perry, who flipped to Memphis. The Tigers' 2026 recruiting class ranks 38th nationally, according to 247 Sports, with 13 commits.

Interim head coach D.J. Durkin, despite an uncertain future, has taken control of Auburn's roster retention and recruiting for 2026.

“Very involved,” Durkin said. “I have a full-time investment in this program and this place, and I plan on being here for the long term. So those are ongoing discussions all the time.”