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Eli Lederman, ESPN staff writer
Hugh Freeze and Auburn continued their recruiting hot streak on Monday, as the Tigers officially plucked four-star athlete Derrick Smith, ranked No. 38 in the ESPN 300, from his 2025 commitment to attend the University of Alabama.
Smith, a two-way star at Southside High School in Alabama who is expected to commit to the Tigers as a wide receiver, committed to the Crimson Tide on March 10. He was previously the No. 6 ranked prospect in Tuscaloosa coach Cullen DeBoer's freshman class.
Smith's transfer comes after he visited Auburn University for “Big Cat Weekend.” His transfer makes him the second-highest ranked freshman recruit on the Tigers' program, behind only four-star cornerback Blake Woodby (No. 22), who committed to the Tigers on Saturday.
Smith is the No. 4 ranked athlete in his class and the No. 4 ranked prospect out of the state of Alabama in the Class of 2025. The 6-foot-1, 190 pound prospect has played primarily safety and wide receiver at Southside. As a junior last fall, Smith caught 46 passes for 1,487 yards and 14 touchdown receiving, carried 65 times for 1,036 yards and nine rushing touchdowns while totaling 74 tackles and 11 sacks on defense.
Smith entered 2024 with a Power 4 offer list with the opportunity to play either defensive back or forward, and he committed to Alabama as a safety but left his recruitment open.
“Some other schools are trying to recruit him as a receiver,” Charles Moody, Smith's coach at Southside, told ESPN recently. “Some have given him the opportunity to play both positions. Some other schools have said he can play whatever he wants to play.”
Smith's transfer is the latest domino to fall on the heels of a major recruiting weekend by Freeze and his coaching staff targeting the 2025 and 2026 classes.
Auburn has secured commitments from three 2025 ESPN 300 candidates since Saturday, with the enrollment of Woodby, Smith and fellow Alabama product Antonio Coleman (No. 16 defensive tackle) adding to a 2025 class ranked No. 14 in ESPN's latest team rankings.
The Tigers added three freshmen to their 2026 class over the weekend, led by four-star defensive end Hezekiah Harris (No. 51 in the ESPN Junior 300), outside linebacker JaMichael Garrett (No. 123) and inside linebacker Shadarius Toodles (No. 150).
