Auburn Lands 4-Star Edge Rusher James Pace III, Continues Recruiting Surge

The momentum train keeps on rolling for the Auburn Tigers. 

On Friday, Alex Golesh and his coaching staff picked up another top prospect inside the 2027 recruiting cycle. 

4-Star Edge rusher James Pace III announced his commitment to the Auburn Tigers on Juneteenth. He celebrated it by having a watch party at Tom’s Watch Bar in National Harbor, Maryland. He chose Auburn over Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.  

According to 247Sports, Pace is the 17th best edge in the country this cycle and the 3rd best player in the state of Maryland. The Hyattsville, Maryland, native plays for DeMatha Catholic, a school that may sound familiar to Auburn fans who have followed the 2027 class closely. Pace is high school teammates to Knyair Crumb, the Tigers recent commitment earlier this week. 

The state of Maryland might seem like an uncommon area to recruit for Auburn. Still, it has slowly become a pipeline under this staff, especially defensively, with Defensive Coordinator DJ Durkin having strong relationships from his former head coaching days with the Terps.

During his official visit to the Plains, Pace stated he felt like the coaching staff was putting a personalized focus on his recruitment, “They showed me how much of a priority I am. I definitely feel loved here. I feel comfortable every minute I’m at Auburn.” 

Pace reports at 6-2, 225 pounds, and finished his junior season with 81 tackles and 14 sacks. He was named the 2025 Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year and is a top-150 player regardless of position through all prominent industry rankings.

Pace becomes the Tigers 20th player to join Auburn’s 2027 class. He joins QB Gary Chatman, RB Myson Johnson-Cook, RB Kingston Miles, WR Brylan Oduor, TE George Lamons, OT Layton Von Brandt, OT Rance Brown, IOL Jaylon Moore, IOL Reed Ramsier, DL Donivan Moore, ED Rion Jackson, LB Kareem Palmer, LB Isaac McNeil, CB Nash Johnson III, CB Aidyn Wiggins, S Chance Gilbert, S Knyair Crumb, and K Noah Ash.