After a tough time earlier this summer, the good news keeps rolling in for the Auburn football team. Earlier this week, 4-star edge Jaquez Wilkes announced his commitment to the Tigers.
An in-state prospect from Wadley, Alabama, Wilkes is ranked as the No. 90 overall prospect and the No. 11 edge in the recruiting class of 2026. He is the No. 6 recruit out of his home state, and he is staying home to play for the Tigers.
"It's Auburn, everybody there is family," Wilkes said, per Auburn Undercover. "It's just that Auburn is right up the road for me, it's like 45 minutes. That sticks out a lot. I can always come right there. Being close to home is a factor."
With a recruiting charge led by defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, Wilkes chose the Tigers over Alabama, Florida State, Texas A&M and Miami.
“It means a lot, because this don’t happen much here,” Wilkes told AL.com after committing. “Young kids, they see that somebody else is doing this and they’ll be able to do the same.”
Though he is listed in most recruiting databases as an edge rusher, he is expected to play linebacker on the Tigers' defense, and he currently plays on both sides of the ball for his high school. His team won the 1A State Championship game this past season, and Wilkes recorded 10 tackles and an interception with 312 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Wilkes is the 11th commit in Auburn football's recruiting class of 2026, and he is also the highest-ranked player in the class, jumping above 4-star edge Hezekiah Harris. The addition of Wilkes bumped the Tigers' recruiting class ranking up from No. 75 to No. 65 overall. It is still ranked No. 15 in the conference, just ahead of Missouri and behind Kentucky.