A look at some of the recruiting battles between Alabama and Auburn over the years
Over the years, the rivalry between Alabama and Auburn has gone far from just the football field. It has entered the lives of many families and friends. People from across the state and the country have become accustomed to what this rivalry means.
The Iron Bowl is played on the field, but it is won on the recruiting trail. There have been plenty of heated recruiting battles between Alabama and Auburn over the years. Too many to count actually. There seems to be at least one battle a year. That is something that keeps fans, coaches, and recruits entertained. The rivalry just means more.
Today, Roll Tide Wire takes a look at some of the recruiting battles that have taken place over the years between Alabama and Auburn.
Reuben Foster
Foster had one of the most interesting recruitments in recent memory. The native of Roanoke, Alabama spent the last two years of his high school career at Auburn High School. He was a highly-coveted recruit. However, it came down to two schools in the end — Alabama and Auburn.
For five months, Foster was committed to the Tigers. It seemed like Foster was Auburn’s to lose. The five-star even went so far as to get an Auburn tattoo, indicating that he was locked in with the Tigers. That did not stop the Crimson Tide from recruiting Foster. On National Signing Day, Foster spurned Auburn and chose to sign with Alabama. One of the most bizarre recruitments took place in East Alabama over a decade ago.
Erique Florence
One of the nation’s top safeties in the 2011 recruiting class was Valley High School standout Erique “A” Florence. The 6-foot-2, rangy safety was highly sought after. In the end, he narrowed his list down to Alabama, Auburn, and USC. He made official visits to all three schools.
Prior to his commitment, Florence claimed to have had an Alabama tag and that his mother, Chyristal, was an avowed Alabama fan. Nonetheless, he ultimately chose to sign with Auburn in the end. Two in-state programs battled it out until the end for Florence.
Rashaan Evans
Another bizarre recruitment took place in Auburn, Alabama. Reuben Foster’s teammate, Rashaan Evans was a highly-esteemed recruit. Schools from all over the United States were coming in and visiting with Evans and his family.
In the end, the two schools that had separated themselves were Alabama and Auburn. There were even nine crystal ball predictions placed in favor of Evans committing to Auburn. It was almost a done deal in the eyes of the recruiting experts. Until it wasn’t. Much like Foster, Evans turned down the opportunity to stay close to home and chose to sign with Alabama.
Montravius Adams
Five schools received official visits from Montravius Adams. Those five were Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, and Georgia. Based off of that, one would have suspected that Adams wanted to remain close to his family in Vienna, Georgia.
That was certainly the case with Adams. Alabama had a lot of interest in the Georgia native. Former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart was Adams’ primary recruiter. The Crimson Tide would have welcomed Adams into the 2013 recruiting class. Ultimately, Adams chose to sign with Auburn. Seven trips to “The Plains” was enough to convince Adams to join the Tigers.
James Smith
A whirlwind of a recruitment took place in Montgomery, Alabama almost a year ago. Carver-Montgomery defensive lineman and five-star prospect James Smith had a difficult decision to make. Would it be Alabama or Auburn?
Smith made eight trips to Auburn and eight trips to Alabama. For a while, many suspected Smith to choose the Tigers. He had established a strong relationship with the Auburn coaching staff. The same could be said for Alabama as well. With the uncertainty of the Auburn program amid a coaching change, Smith chose to sign with Alabama. That may not have been the deciding factor, but I am sure that it affected Smith’s decision in the end.
Derrick Brown
There was no denying the fact that Derrick Brown was a clear-cut five-star. He was ranked as such by every recruiting service. Brown received 26 offers but mainly entertained three options — Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia.
Brown took three unofficial visits to Tuscaloosa along with an official visit. While that may seem like a lot, Brown also made six trips to Auburn. On National Signing Day, Brown chose to sign with Auburn over Alabama and Georgia.
Qua Russaw
Another turn-twisting recruitment that came from Montgomery, Alabama was that of five-star outside linebacker Qua Russaw. Russaw was a high school teammate of the aforementioned, James Smith. The two were viewed by many to be a package deal.
Like Smith, Russaw also made eight trips to Auburn and eight trips to Alabama. He had a close relationship with the Auburn coaching staff as well. The uncertainty surrounding Auburn’s coaching staff was said to have affected Russaw’s decision as well. Needless to say, he chose to commit to Alabama over the Tigers on early National Signing Day.
J.J. Pegues
For the vast majority of his recruitment, Pegues was viewed as an Ole Miss lock. The talented, Mississippi native made over 10 trips to Oxford. Toward the end of his recruitment, Alabama and Auburn entered the mix for Pegues.
He made three trips to Auburn and two trips to Alabama. Both schools felt good about their chances of landing Pegues’ commitment. On early National Signing Day, Pegues signed with the Tigers over Alabama and Ole Miss. It was an interesting recruitment to follow for sure.
Kool-Aid McKinstry
One of the state’s top athletes in the 2021 recruiting cycle was two-sport athlete Kool-Aid McKinstry. A number of schools pursued McKinstry, but Alabama and Auburn were the two that remained in the mix until the end.
The Birmingham native took five visits to Auburn. He also took three visits to Alabama. Proximity to home and having the opportunity to play early at Alabama likely factored into McKinstry’s decision to sign with Alabama. Regardless of what the case may have been, the Alabama coaching staff was ecstatic to have a player the caliber of McKinstry jump on board.
Nick Fairley
Coming out of high school, Nick Fairley was not a hot commodity to power-five programs. Therefore, he elected to go the junior college route. After two seasons at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Fairley began to receive some power-five interest.
Alabama and Auburn both pursued the Mississippi native. While it is unclear on how many trips Fairley made to Tuscaloosa, there was a clear interest between Alabama and Fairley. Auburn did a good job of closing in on Fairley and was able to land his signature on National Signing Day as a result.
