Jared Smith is officially off the board.
Smith, the No. 4-ranked defensive end in the Rivals250 for the 2025 recruiting cycle, declared for Auburn on Saturday. The in-state Tigers edged out Georgia, South Carolina, and Ole Miss for the four-star DE from Alabaaster (Ala.) Thompson High School in Alabama.
After returning to The Plains for Big Cat Weekend last Saturday, Hugh Freeze and the Tigers made the strongest impression on the highly coveted edge-rusher.
“It went really good,” Smith told Rivals of his time at Auburn last weekend. “I got to chat with all the coaches and some of the players and then have fun. Talking with the players, and seeing how they like it at Auburn … they said Coach Freeze is the same person in recruitment as he is as a coach. He doesn’t change. I like that.”
Smith’s return to The Plains was littered with sit-down conversations with Freeze and also EDGE coach Josh Aldridge, as well as with current members of the Tigers football team.
Smith can understand why the Tigers are trending up with some of the top blue-chippers in Alabama.
“It was great,” he said of his conversation with Freeze. “Hearing him say I’m a priority and that he’s trying to get all these guys from Alabama and fill Auburn with Alabama kids. What’s driving everyone to Auburn is the culture, the culture of the place. Why not choose Auburn, stay in-state and play in front of your people.”
“Why not?” Smith asserted. “I fit in well over there.”
Part of Auburn’s surge can be credited to Aldridge’s role in Smith’s recruitment.
The Tigers’ EDGE coach made a strong connection with Smith, who is stoked to be molded by Aldridge down the line.
“It’s bigger than football with him,” Smith said of Aldridge. “He cares about you, your mental side, about how you’re doing off the field. It’s bigger than ball with him and he’s also a great coach on the phone.”
