As recruiting season continues, there is still a question mark at one major position for the Auburn football team when it comes to the class of 2026. The Tigers have only seven commits in their class of 2026 so far, and none of them is a quarterback.
Originally, Head Coach Hugh Freeze and his staff were targeting 3-star Travis Burgess out of Georgia, but the QB committed to North Carolina nearly a week ago. Now, the Tigers have apparently shifted their attention to two 4-star quarterbacks.
The first is Jaden O'Neal, an Oklahoma native who committed to the Sooners in June of 2024. He is ranked as the No. 14 quarterback in the class of 2026 and the No. 1 recruit out of his home state. The other is Landon Duckworth from Jackson, Alabama. Duckworth is ranked as the No. 6 QB in the class of 2026 and is the No. 5 recruit out of his state.
According to Auburn Tigers on SI, Auburn is favoring Duckworth over O'Neal for multiple reasons, including the fact that he is ranked more highly and is an in-state prospect:
"Comparing the two quarterbacks to each other, Duckworth is ranked higher by 247Sports. Nationally, Duckworth is 51st while O'Neal is ranked 204th nationally for all recruits. Compared to all quarterbacks, Duckworth is ranked sixth while O’Neal is 14th. It should be no surprise why the Tigers are aiming a little more towards Duckworth, who also plays in Jackson, AL."
Last season, Duckworth recorded 3,439 yards and 39 touchdowns in addition to 648 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns and led his team to a state title. He will officially visit Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida State and Ole Miss before the end of June.