Auburn Tigers and Hugh Freeze hoping to steal top defensive recruit away from Alabama amid final official visits
Hugh Freeze has finally begin to fix the mess that the last coaching staff left in their wake for Auburn Football. The Tigers just brought in the 6th ranked recruiting class. The roster looks much deeper than it did just a year ago, and now Coach Freeze is forcing his way into final recruiting battles […]
Hugh Freeze has finally begin to fix the mess that the last coaching staff left in their wake for Auburn Football. The Tigers just brought in the 6th ranked recruiting class. The roster looks much deeper than it did just a year ago, and now Coach Freeze is forcing his way into final recruiting battles with some of the best talents in the nation.
Now as of this week Coach Freeze and his staff have their eyes set on flipping an important recruit from Alabama as Auburn got some fun news on a top edge defender they've been pursuing.
Jamarion Matthews, Four Star EDGE Recruit
Jamarion Matthews has gone from completely unranked recruit in the 2026 class to Top 200 overall player in just a matter of a couple months, and he's still likely underrated. This happens every year with a few overlooked talents on the recruiting circuit. One blue blood program will get their eyes on a prospect halfway through their junior season, offer them, and then a sea of other programs will scramble to steal him away. That's exactly what happened with Matthews.
The talented young edge defender has brought in nearly 20 power conference offers since the middle of his 2024 high school football season, then quickly committed to Alabama in late February. However, that's apparently not going to be the end of his recruitment. As of Monday March 31st, Jamarion Matthews will be taking official visits to both Auburn and Penn State this summer despite being committed to Alabama.
It makes sense for Matthews to slow things down a bit and make sure he actually wants to go to Alabama. His entire recruitment has essentially taken place since late October. Prior to that point he only had three power conference offers (from Ole Miss, Penn State and Louisville). Since that time he's quickly scattered a few visits to a handful of schools, but it was a bit surprising he committed so quickly.
Matthews racked up 17 sacks last fall in just 10 games, showing elite speed, bend, and power. He now has over 30 sacks in just two seasons, and has quickly filled out physically, looking like a ready-made day one starting edge player. It's no wonder Auburn, Alabama, Penn State, and more top programs are chasing after him. Can Auburn actually flip him away from Alabama with their final official visit this summer?
Given Auburn's current depth along the edges of their defensive front they'll very likely need Matthews to plug in from day one in a significant role. Keldric Faulk, one of the most impressive pass rushers in the nation last year, will likely be leaving for the NFL Draft after the 2025 season. Keyron Crawford (likely starter opposite Faulk) may be gone with a good year too. Amaris Williams will probably step up into the role that Keldric Faulk is playing, but true stand-up edge should be a fairly wide open competition next spring.
If Auburn and Hugh Freeze can sell him on immediate playing opportunity in the SEC Jamarion Matthews may actually choose to commit to the Tigers. Let's just hope the Auburn staff can seal the deal here. Matthews looks like a game-changing talent.
We'll be back with more Auburn Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to see why Jamarion Matthews is one of the fastest rising recruits in the nation, just check out his highlights from his junior season last fall in the video below!
