Auburn DL Target Announces Commitment Date

Already in the contention for Birmingham (Ala.) Parker four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland, the Auburn Tigers now know when he'll announce his decision.

Cleveland, the No. 5 defensive line recruit in the country, will be committing on Saturday, June 21, he announced Monday. In his announcement, he also revealed that he will be cancelling his planned official visit Miami, which was scheduled to start on Friday.

While technically in contention, the Tigers appear to be on the outside looking in for the in-state prospect with Florida, which Cleveland named as his No. 1 school after his visit two weeks ago, and Texas, which recently hosted Cleveland, emerging as the two main contenders.

Cleveland holds predictions from On3 in favor of both schools with Corey Bender giving one in April in favor of Florida and Eric Nahlin giving one in favor of Texas on Monday.

Nonetheless, Auburn did make a strong push a month ago on Cleveland's visit on campus.

"This weekend has helped Auburn a lot," Cleveland said, according to Rivals' Caleb Jones. "I would say Auburn is back in my top tier of teams. They're gunning for that one spot now."

He also has a personal tie to the Tigers as a high school teammate of current Auburn freshman Jourdan Crawford.

"As a matter of fact, just talking to him this weekend about Auburn," Cleveland said. "It's just like, if you come here to your home state, fans will know you, plus the type of guy I am, I can come in and contribute. It would be just like old times with me and him playing together again."

Auburn currently has no interior defensive linemen committed in its 2026 class, which has seven total commits.

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