One feeling stood out to elite EDGE Jaquez Wilkes when he committed to Auburn

Jaquez Wilkes certainly qualifies as an elite EDGE recruit, and for the Auburn Tigers, he was a top priority.

In-state recruiting is important for every program, but it's seemingly even more vital for Auburn considering the fact that the Alabama Crimson Tide are always lurking just over 150 miles away.

As such, the commitment of Wilkes to Auburn on Monday was a massive moment. Wilkes, a 4-star EDGE from Wadley, Alabama, committed to the program that he said felt like home from the get-go.

“I just wanted to stay home,” he told told Rivals. “After I took my official visit to Auburn, I went to Texas A&M for my official visit … After that, I went back to Auburn two more times in June and I just knew it. It was a different feeling at Auburn than at Texas A&M or anywhere else.”

That was a message that Hugh Freeze, defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and the rest of the Auburn staff was parroting back to Wilkes as well, and it worked for the Tigers.

“All they would tell me is that Auburn is home for me,” Wilkes said. “The relationships and the love at Auburn are real for me. Coach Durkin has been texting me almost every day to check in on me. He let me know I could visit at any time and he wanted me in his defense. I love how calm he is off the field, how intense he is on the field and how he wants to use me at linebacker."

Freeze is only 11-14 in two seasons at Auburn, but he's a confident recruiter and he's had success in the SEC in the past. He went 39-25 with a 3-1 Bowl record at Ole Miss before he resigned in 2017 after it was found out that he made a call from a school phone "to a number associated with a female escort service." 

Auburn is coming off a 5-7 season that saw the Tigers go 2-6 in SEC play, so the typical standard is not being met on the Plains. With that said, Wilkes does have belief in Freeze.

"Auburn is about to have a big turnaround under coach Freeze and I get to be a part of it in front of my family and friends," the 4-star said.

It's "home" after all, and there's no place better than home.

Wilkes is Auburn's 11th 2026 commitment. 247sports ranks him as the No. 10 EDGE recruit in the country.