Auburn football: Why Tigers could steal 4-star S Tre Donaldson

At the moment, Auburn football isn’t projected to land S Tre Donaldson out of Tallahassee, Florida.

Instead, the 4-star recruit out of Florida State University High School–a laboratory school connected to FSU–is expected to give plenty of his friends and family a reason to cheer for their historical rival by committing to the Florida Gators.

Wes McGriff, a former secondary coach under Gus Malzahn, is the primary recruiter of the dual-sport athlete from UF, but an unlikely recruiter on the Plains has entered the fray.

Bruce Pearl, head coach of Auburn basketball, has offered Donaldson a basketball scholarship:

Assistant coach Wes Flanigan was the primary contact for the six-foot-two north Florida product. Donaldson has noted the work Pearl and co. have done this past offseason when discussing the likelihood of donning the orange and blue:

"“The name speaks for itself. They are coming up, they’re a young team and they got some good transfers coming in so we will see. They are very exciting to watch.”"

Auburn basketball has landed KD Johnson, Walker Kessler, Wendell Green Jr., Desi Sills, and Zep Jasper from the transfer portal, and return starters Allen Flanigan and Jaylin Williams from last year. JT Thor could join them if he doesn’t find a home in the NBA.

Donaldson clearly likes what he has seen from the Tigers on the hardwood, and that could help Bryan Harsin steal him away from the Gators on the gridiron.

Florida played in the SEC Championship in 2020 and is ranked 22 spots ahead of Auburn football in 247Sports’ Class of 2022 rankings.

That said, Auburn has the homefield advantage if Donaldson wants to keep it in the family:

Let’s hope Auburn athletics could land a difference-maker for its two biggest revenue-driving sports.