Jared Smith officially steps down from the board of directors.
Smith, the fourth-ranked defensive end in the Rivals250 class of the 2025 recruiting cycle, declared a draft choice Auburn Saturday. The in-state Tigers defeated Georgia, South Carolina and the University of Mississippi to earn the four-star DE award from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama.
After returning to the Plains last Saturday for Big Cats Weekend, Hugh Freeze The Tigers were most impressed with the highly sought-after edge rusher.
“It’s going very well,” Smith told opponent His time at Auburn last weekend. “I got to talk to all the coaches and some of the players and just have a lot of fun. Talk to the players and see how they feel about Auburn… They said Coach Freeze is the same recruiting-wise as he was as a player. personal.
Smith sat down with Freeze and EDGE coaches after returning to the Plains Josh Aldridgeand current members of the Tigers football team.
Smith can understand why the Tigers are doing well against some of Alabama’s top blue-chip prospects.
“It was great,” he said of his conversation with Freeze. “Hearing him say that I was a priority, he was trying to bring all these guys from Alabama and fill Auburn with Alabama kids. What drives everyone to Auburn is the culture, the culture of this place. culture.
“Why not?” Smith asserted. “I fit right in there.”
Auburn’s rise can be attributed in part to Aldridge’s role in Smith’s recruitment.
The Tigers’ EDGE coach has developed a close bond with Smith, who is excited to be shaped by Aldridge.
“This is bigger than football to him,” Smith said of Aldridge. “He cares about you, he cares about you mentally, he cares about how you’re doing off the field. With him, that’s bigger than playing basketball, and he’s a great coach on the phone, too.”
