Auburn Tigers Pushing Ole Miss for 4-Star Mississippi Wide Receiver

The Auburn Tigers are once again finalists for a 2026 blue-chip prospect, and look to finally capitalize after missing on a plethora of targets the past few weeks.

Four-star wide receiver Jase Mathews has narrowed down his recruitment to a list of frontrunners that include Auburn, Ole Miss, LSU, and Texas A&M, per Rivals’ Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons.

“I am really close to making a decision,” Mathews told Simmons.

Mathews stands at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and is ranked as the No. 27 wide receiver in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports and the No. 39 wide receiver by ESPN.

The Leakesville, Miss., product hauled in 68 passes for 1,138 yards and 15 touchdowns during his junior season, per 247Sports’ player profile. Additionally, Mathews plays basketball and is on the track and field team for Green County High School, where he ran a 23.70 in the 200m and long jumped 20-6 as a sophomore, per MileSplit.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Cooper Patagna describes Mathews as a “dynamic slot receiver who wins with outstanding short-area quickness and route creativity” and praises his easy-moving flexibility and elite athleticism. Patagna categorizes the four-star as a “quicker than fast playmaker” and projects him to be an impactful starter for any Power Four program.

Mathews took his official visit to Auburn on June 6 – the same day as many Auburn misses like Oregon offensive lineman commit Immanuel Iheanacho and Alabama defensive line pledge Nolan Wilson – but he seemed impressed with the Tigers following his short time on the Plains.

"It was great," Mathews said, per Rivals’ Auburn recruiting insider Caleb Jones. "I had an amazing time here with the staff… They took very good care of us, me and my family."

Despite the impactful visit to Auburn, Rivals reports Ole Miss is currently leading Mathews. He officially visited Ole Miss on May 30, but the visit marked Mathews’s sixth (official and unofficial) of his recruitment – two more than any other school, according to On3’s visit center. Auburn trails the Rebels in total visits with four.

The other two contenders, Texas A&M and LSU, hold Mathews’s two latest visits. He officially visited Texas A&M on June 13 and LSU on June 18, but the Aggies and Tigers don’t seem to pose too large of a threat to Auburn and Ole Miss. 

Texas A&M already boasts three wideout commits, including five-star Brandon Arrington and four-star Aaron Gregory, according to 247Sports. Brian Kelly and the Tigers also have three wide receiver pledges, including the No. 1 receiver in the nation Tristen Keys. Thus, in Mathews’s On3 commitment forecast, it looks like it’ll come down to Auburn and Ole Miss in the end.

Ole Miss has two commits at the position while Auburn holds none following the de-commitments of four-star Devin Carter and three-star Denairius Gray.

Regardless of the situation surrounding the rev-share dispute and recent House vs. NCAA Settlement, securing the pledge of Mathews would be a breath of fresh air for coach Hugh Freeze and the entire Auburn fanbase. 

Freeze and company need anything they can grasp right now while sitting at No. 86 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings. Set to announce his decision soon, Mathews has the opportunity to provide this class with a massive boost, as he would be the Tigers’ highest-rated 2026 recruit if he were to commit, per On3.