Auburn WR Commit Elevated to Coveted Five-Star Status

Mathews announced his pledge to the Tigers in early August, but as a consensus four-star and the No. 2 wideout in the nation, per Rivals. Now, the blue-chipper is bumped up one star and is listed as the No. 12 overall player in the class, in addition to standing as the top-ranked wide receiver. Mathews climbed five spots in the overall rankings, previously being the No. 17-ranked 2026 prospect.

The 6-foot-1.5, 195-pounder elected Auburn last month over Ole Miss, LSU, and Texas A&M, who seem to still be actively recruiting and pursuing Mathews, despite his verbal commitment to the Tigers.

Mathews was in town for the home opener a couple of weeks ago, as were many 2026 and 2027 recruits, and he had high praise for Auburn – specifically nights in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“I’m feeling great about Auburn — I’m loving it,” Mathews said in an interview with Rivals. “I was there for the Ball State game and I’ll be back soon. The staff makes me feel at home. Witnessing a night game at Auburn, I can’t even explain it. The atmosphere is electric. Auburn is different. You can’t compare it to anywhere else.”

“I’m 100% committed,” Mathews added in the interview.

According to Rivals, Auburn currently sits at No. 31 in the national team recruiting rankings, which is a significant improvement from its lackluster position earlier this past summer. Other sites aren’t quite as high on Mathews and Auburn’s class in its entirety, as 247Sports lists the Tigers at No. 52 in their team recruiting rankings and still rates Mathews as a four-star.

Nonetheless, Hugh Freeze and company are well on their way to flipping the narrative of this 2026 cycle. Freeze received an enormous amount of criticism over the summer regarding his golf game, but has remained steady and is continuing to tune out the public backlash.

Finishing with top-10 classes in the past two cycles, the Tigers are undoubtedly still aiming to return there come December.

Auburn also secured five-star safety Bralan Womack about two weeks after Mathews committed, who 247Sports ranks as the No. 1 safety in the 2026 class. The Tigers also gained a pledge from four-star edge rusher Jaquez Wilkes in July – another top-100 prospect who was a crucial pickup in generating momentum to “right the ship.”

Womack, Mathews, and Wilkes are currently the three highest-rated commits of Auburn’s 2026 class, but the Tigers aren’t finished yet. With a few incredibly significant home games upcoming this fall, Auburn has numerous chances to impress recruits who take official visits during those weekends.