Five-star Auburn commit Jared Smith takes official visit with Notre Dame QB Deuce Knight

By Maliha

Modified Sep 29, 2024 14:57 GMT

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Hugh Freeze is building Auburn's 2025 class to be one of the best in the nation, and five-star Auburn edge rusher commit Jared Smith is the highest-rated prospect in the cycle. Smith made his official visit to Auburn during their highly anticipated matchup against Oklahoma at a sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Smith wasn’t alone in taking in the game, as Notre Dame quarterback commit Deuce Knight also made his fourth visit to Auburn this season. Knight’s back-to-back visits to Auburn, including this official visit weekend, have fueled rumors that he may be reconsidering his commitment to Notre Dame.

Jared Smith ignited the discussion ahead of the game by confidently saying (via Tom Loy of 247 Sports),

"I have Deuce Knight as a lock to Auburn."

Despite the buzz surrounding a potential flip, the road ahead may be challenging for Auburn. Knight has witnessed Auburn's struggles firsthand.

In Saturday’s game, Auburn overcame an early deficit and held a halftime lead of 14-7. However, the school couldn’t hold on, as Oklahoma rallied with 17 unanswered points to hand the Tigers a 27-21 defeat, dropping their record to 2-3. The loss may give Knight some pause as he contemplates his future.

While Auburn stumbled against Oklahoma, Notre Dame has been faring much better. The Fighting Irish improved to 4-1 with a hard-fought 31-24 victory over Louisville on Saturday. This contrast in success between the two programs can play a big role in Knight’s decision. He has an official visit to Notre Dame scheduled for the Stanford game on Oct. 12.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Auburn has a 92.4% chance of flipping Knight from Notre Dame. However, the outcome of his visit to South Bend can determine whether Marcus Freeman and his staff can retain their prized recruit or if Freeze and Auburn will pull off a major recruiting win.

Jared Smith enjoys an incredible senior season with the Thompson Warriors

Jared Smith's Thompson Warriors started the 2024 season with a 15-14 overtime loss to Grayson, but they bounced back with back-to-back wins in the following four games. Another overtime heartbreak came with a 14-13 loss to Clay-Chalkville this Friday, but Smith's impressive performance has been a standout throughout the season.

Throughout six games of the season, Smith has recorded 46 tackles (28 solo and 18 assisted), including 11 tackles for losses, eleven quarterback hurries, one interception and two pass defenses. He is leading his team with five sacks.

Jared Smith is ranked by On3 Industry Ranking as the No. 40 in the nation, the No. 4 edge rusher in the 2025 class and the No. 2 recruit in Alabama.