Auburn’s biggest recruiting win of the 2026 cycle came this month as it landed Leakesville (Miss.) Greene County four-star wide receiver Jase Mathews, the No. 2 WR in the Rivals300. The Tigers beat out LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M for the elite 6-foot-2, 1980-pounder. He now headlines a 12-man recruiting class that’s still vying […]
Auburn’s biggest recruiting win of the 2026 cycle came this month as it landed Leakesville (Miss.) Greene County four-star wide receiver Jase Mathews, the No. 2 WR in the Rivals300.
The Tigers beat out LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M for the elite 6-foot-2, 1980-pounder. He now headlines a 12-man recruiting class that’s still vying for momentum heading into the fall.
Winning out for Mathews was a must for head coach Hugh Freeze and the staff on The Plains. Auburn was always at or near the top of his recruitment, but it began to trend heavily in the final weeks ahead of his Aug. 8 decision.
“Auburn is just a place I want to be,” he told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “I feel like I can thrive there in all areas of life—mentally, physically, and spiritually. The coaches made me feel like I was already part of the team. It is just right when I am there.”
With Auburn struggling to get things going on the recruiting trail, how did it manage to fend off its SEC counterparts down the stretch? It would’ve been easy to envision the Magnolia State star opting to join a class that’s much higher up the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
According to Simmons, it was Mathews’ tight bond with AU’s Marcus Davis that allowed it to seal the deal last week.
“I give a lot of credit to Marcus Davis, the receivers coach at Auburn. Just being consistent, man,” Simmons told Rivals’ Josh Newberg on the latest ‘Simmons Scoop’ recruiting show.
Tigers continue Mississippi pipeline with Mathews
Some of Auburn’s biggest recruiting wins of the Freeze era have come out of the state of Mississippi. The former Ole Miss coach obviously has done his fair share in the state, as has offensive coordinator Derrick Nix and others.
Last cycle, Auburn flipped Lucedale (Miss.) George County five-star quarterback Deuce Knight from Notre Dame — the touted left-hander is already impressing ahead of his freshman season. This cycle, Auburn is also trending for Brandon (Miss.) Hartfield Academy five-star safety Bralan Womack, who will announce his commitment later this month.
Mathews is the latest out of the state to choose the Tigers. Mississippi recruits are cut from a certain cloth, according to Simmons, and that cloth is clearly one that looks good when draped over orange and blue.
“Mississippi’s just a different place. Those kids are different on what they gravitate towards. They truly still go back to relationships, connections, where they feel at safe, where they feel at home, where they feel the best fit is,” Simmons said.
“Yes, NIL was a factor for Jase, but I think the root of their decisions still are made off who they trust and who they feel best about. I think Marcus Davis deserves a lot of credit here. Hugh Freeze, obviously involved. Deuce Knight came from that state, (he) played, I think, a small role.”
From an on-the-field perspective, Mathews witnessed freshmen excel immediately for Auburn last season. That’s a blueprint he’d love to follow, to no surprise. Rivals’ No. 17 overall prospect could be next in line for Freeze and Co. next year.
“(Mathews) seeing Cam Coleman playing elite football as a freshman last year. Malcolm Simmons, another freshman receiver that made plays last year. I think he saw a lot of things that appealed to him,” Simmons explained.
Category: General Sports
