Auburn football: Former Tennessee safety commit flips to AU

Since taking on the role as head coach of the Auburn football program, Hugh Freeze and the rest of his staffers have been extremely busy. Not only has Freeze been trying to put together his own coaching staff, but he’s also been focused on recruiting with the early signing period right around the corner.

As the window for in-person visits winds down, the Tigers hosted a number of important recruits on the Plains this weekend, from high schoolers to transfers. For 4-star safety Sylvester Smith, it was a very impactful visit.

Smith, who is ranked as the #21 safety in the recruiting class of 2023 and the #17 prospect out of the state of Alabama, committed to the Tennessee Vols back in April of this year. He originally earned an offer from Auburn football back in 2021 but was re-offered last Monday by the new staff after talking with Auburn secondary coach Zac Etheridge.

Throughout his recruitment after deciding on the Vols, Smith insisted that he remained locked in with Tennessee and was entertaining other programs as a courtesy. However, it seems that his unofficial visit to the Plains over the weekend was enough to change that, and he officially de-committed from the Vols, per Auburn Live:

"“First and foremost, I want to thank the University of Tennessee for welcoming me with open arms. I want to thank coaches HYP, Banks and Nez for spending the time and effort to recruit me. With that being said, I must do what is best for me and my family and de-commit from the University of Tennessee. Thank you Tennessee, and Tennessee fans.”"

Now, just days away from early signing day on December 21, Auburn football has officially earned the commitment of the 4-star safety.

Sylvester Smith is the 14th commit to the Tigers’ recruiting class of 2023. Ahead of the early signing period, the Tigers rank #41 overall and have moved up to #11 in the SEC.