Auburn Trending for Another Major Recruiting Win as James Pace Nears Decision

The Auburn Tigers are trending in the right direction to pick up their 20th commitment of the 2027 cycle this weekend. 

On Friday, 4-Star Edge rusher James Pace III is set to announce his commitment to where he plans to play his college football beginning next season. 

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, one 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.

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. 

The Edge rusher has been predicted to become an Auburn Tiger for quite some time now however some momentum as slowed after a reported good visit he had with Deion Sanders with the Colorado Buffaloes. It seems like it will come down to those two teams on Friday. Tennessee is also mentioned as a potential finalist.

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.” 

If Pace picks the Tigers, he will be the 20th player to join Auburn’s 2027 class. He would join 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.

He is set to announce his decision during a Juneteenth celebration on Friday at 5:21 pm EST.