The Auburn football coaching staff made a solid impression on 4-star linebacker Duke Johnson, a current Alabama commit

Over the weekend, the Auburn football program hosted a number of high-profile recruits on campus, including one that has verbally pledged to in-state rival Alabama. 4-star linebacker Darrell “Duke” Johnson committed to the Tide a couple months ago in March, but arrived on the Plains this weekend for his official visit with the Auburn Tigers.

From Eastman, Georgia, Johnson is ranked as the #4 linebacker in the recruiting class of 2025 and the #9 prospect out of the Peach State. According to Auburn Rivals, the Tide commit was able to sit down and have an in-depth discussion in the film room with the Tigers’ defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. The LB sees a good fit on the Plains as well as the opportunity to earn early playing time.

“He’s very intense with football,” Johnson said. “I like that because I’m very intense, too. I can come in with this scheme and make plays. At the ‘Mike’ … it’s easy to make plays.”

Johnson’s official visit to Auburn was his last one of the summer, and the only other school competing to flip the linebacker is UCF. He plans to graduate in December and expects to make a final decision in October or November.

In addition to Johnson, there are several other players the Tigers are currently trying to flip from Alabama. 4-star ATH Derick Smith took an official visit to Auburn earlier this month and has built strong bonds with wide receivers coach Marcus Harris and offensive coordinator Charles Kelly. He will choose between Alabama and Auburn but is waiting to see how the Tigers play this fall.

The Tigers are still pushing hard for defensive lineman Antonio Coleman, who was originally committed to Alabama, flipped to Auburn, and then flipped back to Alabama. Like Smith, Coleman plans to take the fall to make a final decision about which school he will play for.