Watch: Auburn Commits have Big Night In National Spotlight

Two-top Auburn commits in the 2025 recruiting class put on a nice showcase for a national audience on Thursday night. Edge Jared Smith and safety Anquon Fegans took the field for Thompson (Alabama) against Grayson (Georgia) in a high school football matchup that aired on ESPN 2.

It was a low-scoring affair with the final score being 15-14 in favor of Grayson in overtime. But with a low-scoring game comes some defensive highlights.

In the first quarter, with Grayson on Thompson’s 43, Smith, who is ranked 19th on 247 Sports Top 247 recruits, killed the drive with a stop on 3rd and 8. Nobody could even block him and he ran right through the offensive line to force Grayson to punt.

Auburn bound Jared Smith (no. 28 ESPN 300) breaks free for the third-down stop 💪

Thompson (AL) regains possession.@jdotsmith_8 | @WARRIORNATION20 pic.twitter.com/lRuW2EgSr4
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 23, 2024

Thompson only scored once in regulation, and the offense had no part in it. If not for Fegans, they would’ve gone home being shut out.

Grayson badly fumbled the ball on their own 12-yard line. The ball flies through the air and off the first bounce, Fegans nabs it, while managing to stay on his feet while reaching down for the ball, to take it back for a game-tying touchdown.

Momentum-changing play‼️

Auburn commit Anquon Fegans recovers the fumble and takes it to the house for Thompson 😤@FegansAnquon | @WARRIORNATION20 pic.twitter.com/xTlFfFTCI1
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 23, 2024

On the night, Smith finished with 15 tackles and three sacks. Fegans finished with 10 tackles and the fumble return.

Auburn commitments ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ edge Jared Smith & ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ safety Anquon Fegans balled out tonight pic.twitter.com/DURqBLgtAk
— Power of Dixieland (@PwrofDixieland) August 23, 2024

Not a bad way to start their senior year. They were given a national spotlight and made the most of it. Head coach Hugh Freeze had to have gone to bed that night pretty satisfied.

Freeze has Auburn with a top-5 recruiting class with Smith and Fegans being a big part of it. The Tigers' recruiting class has a chance to climb even higher with the potential flip of top-5 quarterback Deuce Knight.

This is a sneak peek at what Auburn fans and their opposition will see plenty of once their time comes to take the field in college.

These types of plays carry over to the next level, and the Tigers will be in fantastic shape for the long run.