Could Auburn football flip their first UGA commit since 2015?

In recent years, the Auburn football coaching staff has not shied away from trying to flip recruits that have already given a verbal pledge to other programs. In fact, since taking the Auburn job in late November, Hugh Freeze managed to flip quite a few prospects by early national signing day, which was a big deal for the Tigers.

However, some of the flips they are pursuing are a little more ambitious, including 2024 linebacker Demarcus Riddick. The 4-star is an Alabama native, hailing from Clanton, which is between Birmingham and Montgomery. Ranked as the #40 overall prospect and the #2 linebacker in the recruiting class of 2024 and the #3 recruit out of the state of Alabama, Riddick committed to the Georgia Bulldogs in early November of last year.

The in-state linebacker was not a priority for Bryan Harsin’s staff, according to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover, but new LB coach Josh Aldridge quickly changed that once he arrived on the Plains. Riddick made it to the Plains for Junior Day in late January and plans to make a return trip this week for one of the Tigers’ spring practice days.

However, getting the Dawg commit on board is no easy task. The Auburn football program hasn’t managed to flip a recruit from Georgia since the 2015 recruiting cycle when wide receiver Darius Slayton flipped right before National Signing Day in February of that year. Slayton ended up thriving at Auburn and ultimately made it to the NFL with the New York Giants.

With a new staff on board to strengthen communication and do a better job of selling the Tigers’ program, it’s completely possible that—even though he grew up as a Georgia fan like his father—the in-state linebacker could potentially flip and decide to stay home to play for the good guys.