Auburn Misses on 4-Star Recruit Tae Walden Jr., Who Commits to Oregon

The Auburn Tigers couldn’t land one of the most exciting recruits in the 2026 class on Wednesday.

It was announced live on the Rivals YouTube page that 4-Star Athlete Tae Walden Jr. has committed to the Oregon Ducks over the Auburn Tigers. The 2027 player is listed as the 3rd best athlete in the country according to Rivals and was a serious contender to join Auburn until a late push from Dan Lanning and the Ducks.

It was reported that on the final day of recruitment this spring before the dead period began, Oregon visited with Walden for up to 6 hours, improving their stock and eventually landing the elite talent. 

Walden is 6-2, 175 out of Collierville, Tennessee, and is a very dynamic two-way athlete that many believe can play both wide receiver and cornerback at the Power Conference level.  

This miss for the Tigers is probably the biggest for Alex Golesh and his recruiting staff this cycle, one which seems like they have acquired everyone they chase. Instead, he will head to Eugene and play for the Ducks. 

Although the Tigers didn’t pick up Walden, they still had a very productive Wednesday to begin July, as they picked up the commitment of top in-state defensive tackle recruit MJ Evans. 

The Auburn Tigers still have a great 2027 class with 25 commits. It includes QB Gary Chatman, RB Myson Johnson-Cook, RB Khamoni Williams, WR Brylan Oduor, WR DeShaun Hall, WR Cedrick Simmons, TE George Lamons, OT Layton Von Brandt, OT Rance Brown, IOL Jaylon Moore, IOL Reed Ramsier, DL Donivan Moore, MJ Evans,  ED Rion Jackson, ED James Pace III, LB Kareem Palmer, LB Isaac McNeil, CB Nash Johnson III, CB Aidyn Wiggins, S Chance Gilbert, S Knyair Crumb, S Nasir Banks, ATH Preston Williams, and K Noah Ash.

The class has still exceeded expectations in year one under Golesh, as they currently sit 9th in the country according to 247Sports for the 2027 cycle.