After missing out on Kaiden Prothro and Xavier Tiller, Auburn shifts focus to another elite tight end.
Auburn is working to rebuild its 2026 class after losing several key pledges.
Hugh Freeze and his staff received good news on Tuesday when New Zealand offensive tackle Nikau Hepi announced his commitment to the program shortly after receiving an offer at a recent camp. Auburn’s good fortune could continue next week as a four-star tight end lists Auburn as a finalist.
JC Anderson, a four-star tight end from Mt. Zion, Illinois, revealed this week that he will announce his commitment on Tuesday, July 1, and that Auburn remains in the running alongside Ole Miss and Illinois.
Those three schools were the only ones that Anderson took official visits to, with his visit to Auburn taking place during the weekend of June 6. While there, Anderson shared the content of his conversation with tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua, and what pitch he received from the Tigers with Auburn Undercover.
“(Augamaua has) been showing me how they’re going to use me from the beginning. He’s all about the core values of the family of Auburn and how he’s going to not only grow me as a player, but as a man and as a future husband and father too,” Anderson said via Auburn Undercover. “That hits deep. He’s a great dude and he knows me pretty well and I know him pretty well.”
Now that Auburn is a finalist, where do they stand with Anderson ahead of next week’s big day? 247Sports insider David Johnson has logged the only crystal ball prediction for Anderson, choosing Ole Miss on June 24. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine also favors Ole Miss, giving Lane Kiffin and the Rebels an 87.5% chance to land him. Illinois follows Ole Miss at 4.8%, with Auburn next at 1.9%.
Anderson is viewed as Auburn’s last chance to grab a 2026 tight end. Auburn’s other targets, Xavier Tiller and Kaiden Prothro, have moved on from Auburn after Tiller committed to Florida State and Prothro left Auburn off his top-three list. The Tigers signed Ryan Ghea and Hollis Davidson during the 2025 cycle, and view those players as the future of the position.
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