Auburn football: 4 former Auburn commits that went on to play for the Tigers’ biggest rival

Auburn put together a top-10 recruiting class in the nation in 2013. But not only did they at one point have Reuben Foster committed, but they also had the commitment of four-star defensive tackle Dee Liner.

Liner was a top-50 recruit nationally and the No. 3 player in the state of Alabama. So, obviously, it was a pretty big deal when the 6-foot-3, 277-pound DT committed to the Tigers in June of 2011. That pledge would last all the way until January of 2013 when he decommited.

The Under Armour All-American out of Muscle Shoals would commit to Bama a month later but unlike the first two players on this list, Liner’s collegiate career wasn’t an overwhelming success.

Despite having the perfect name for a defensive lineman, Liner struggled to earn playing time at Bama and after appearing in only two games in his first two seasons, the former four-star recruit transferred to Arkansas State.

Liner would fare much better with the Red Wolves and in his final two seasons, he recorded 58 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. Liner would then go undrafted in 2018 and while he had brief stints with multiple NFL teams, he never played a regular-season down in the league and is now out of the NFL.

While not getting Liner definitely hurt at the time, it likely opened up the door for five-star DT Montravius Adams to pick Auburn over Clemson on National Signing Day and that definitely worked out in Auburn’s favor.