Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze took a giant step closer to reaching his goal of signing his third-straight top-10 recruiting class on Friday by landing the commitment of four-star wide receiver Jase Mathews.
Mathews had long trended to Auburn before making his pledge official, and now Auburn is beginning to move in the right direction after entering a roadblock over the summer on the recruiting trail. The Tigers are now up to 12 commits for the 2026 cycle, and have successfully landed the commitments of nine players since June 9, when running back Eric Perry announced his commitment. Mathews is now the fourth four-star player to commit to Auburn’s 2026 class, and the third to do so since four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone began the trend in June by flipping to Auburn from Penn State.
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How did Mathews’ commitment affect Auburn’s standing in the 2026 recruiting rankings? Auburn now sits at No. 54 in 247Sports’ 2026 rankings, up from No. 70 before his pledge. The Tigers are now No. 14 in the SEC ahead of Kentucky and Missouri, and is eight points behind Vanderbilt for the No. 13 spot in the conference’s docket. As far as the big picture is concerned, Auburn’s class now ranks ahead of several power programs including Oklahoma State, NC State, Kansas State, and Nebraska.
The four-star wide receiver from Mississippi is Auburn’s fourth-highest pledge to its 2026 class, behind quarterback Peyton Falzone, EDGE rusher Hezekiah Harris, and linebacker Jaquez Wilkes. Mathews is the No. 9 player from Mississippi from the 2026 class and is the No. 27 wide receiver for the cycle.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Jase Mathews’ commitment to Auburn boosts recruiting ranking
