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5-star edge Jared Smith explains Auburn football commitment

5-star edge Jared Smith opens up on his decision to commit to the Auburn football program this weekend.

ByMary Kate Hughes|
June 28, 2022; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Coach T Swift works with offensive and defensive linemen at Xtreme Fitness and Performance in Birmingham. Spain Park player Jared Smith jumps rope to warm up for drills. Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa News Coach T Swift Working With Linemen
June 28, 2022; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Coach T Swift works with offensive and defensive linemen at Xtreme Fitness and Performance in Birmingham. Spain Park player Jared Smith jumps rope to warm up for drills. Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa News Coach T Swift Working With Linemen | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK

5-star edge Jared Smith opens up on his decision to commit to the Auburn football program this weekend

The Auburn football program has been celebrating a lot of success on the recruiting trail since Big Cat Weekend. After landing a trio of 2026 commits for next year, the 2025 commits continued to roll in, starting with 4-star cornerback Blake Woodby. The Tigers convinced two recruits to flip from in-state rival Alabama in wide receiver Derick Smith and defensive lineman Antonio Coleman, and then a few days later 4-star safety Anquon Fegans hopped on board.

The good news continued to roll in this weekend with the commitment of 5-star edge rusher Jared Smith. From Alabaster, Alabama, Smith is a product of Thompson High School and is current teammates with recent AU commit Anquon Fegans.

Smith held a commitment ceremony in Birmingham on Saturday and a poster declared he would be choosing between USC, South Carolina, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, and Ole Miss. After announcing his commitment to Auburn football, the poster was flipped around to show a photo of Smith as a young child proudly holding up an Auburn hat while surrounded by family members in Alabama gear, as seen in AL.com's Ainslie Lee's tweet:

For Jared Smith, it was always Auburn.

“I’m an underdog,” Smith said, per AL.com. “Every time the Iron Bowl came, everybody was saying Alabama was going to win and I’m like, ‘Nah, I’m gonna go for Auburn.’ And then the Kick Six happened. It just started there.”

The Tigers have been the favorite to land Smith for some time, thanks to the efforts of linebackers coach Josh Aldridge and head coach Hugh Freeze, and Smith's trips to the Plains helped seal the deal.

"Man, it's just the people," Smith told Auburn Undercover. "Just the people, the culture, the atmosphere. The best recruiting class right now, I'm trying to be a part of that. That's about it."

Smith is ranked as the #2 edge in the recruiting class of 2025 and is the #2 recruit out of the state of Alabama. Auburn football now holds the commitments of eight of the top 10 players in the state, and their recruiting class of 2025 is ranked #5 overall. Smith officially becomes the most highly-ranked player in the Tigers' class, jumping above defensive lineman Malik Autry.

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