AUBURN — The Auburn University football program is officially on the recruiting trail.
The Tigers secured commitments from five players (two for the Class of 2025 and three for the Class of 2026) during Big Cat Weekend on Saturday, then landed four-star receiver Derrick Smith from the University of Alabama two days later, before securing a commitment from four-star safety An'Quon Fegans on Monday night.
Fegans, who attends Thompson High School in Alabaster, is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 44 overall player and No. 3 safety in the class of 2025. Fegans recorded 59 tackles, 11 pass deflections and seven interceptions as a junior last season, helping the Warriors reach the Class 7A state championship game. He also recorded two interceptions in the final game.
Anquon Fegans' older brother, Antwon Fegans Jr., is currently on the Auburn roster. He transferred to the Tigers after stints at Arkansas State (2020-21) and Northwestern State (2022-23).
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Auburn University's 2025 class is once again ranked in the top five in the country. The Tigers once had the No. 4 class in the country, but a slow start has seen them fall outside the top 10. Coach Hugh Freeze said July 18 that he expects recruiting to become active again for the Big Cats.
The Tigers currently hold the No. 1 class in 2026.
With the addition of Fegans, Auburn now has three of the top five players in the state of Alabama committed, according to the 247Sports Composite. The Tigers have five of the top 10 and eight of the top 15. The Tigers may have another commit on the way soon, with four-star edge defender Jared Smith, who is considering Auburn and viewed as the No. 4 player in the state, expected to commit on Saturday.
Several other highly-anticipated in-state recruits were on the Big Cat campus, including five-star cornerback Naeem Offord (No. 1) and four-star edge defender Zion Grady (No. 6), who are both committed to Ohio State.
Fegans had previously committed to USC and pledged to enroll at the school in May 2023. However, he rescinded his commitment about three months later and is now committed to Auburn University, ranked fifth in the nation behind Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana State.
The Tigers have finished a season with a top-five class just once in the modern recruiting era, when former coach Gene Chizik did it in 2011 with a team that featured six top-100 prospects. The 2025 class currently has four players ranked in the top 100: Fegans (44), Smith (51), four-star safety Eric Winters (67) and four-star cornerback Blake Woodby (100).
Richard Silva is an Auburn University sports reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached by email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter X (formerly @rich_silva18).
