Auburn's flipped a big-time player from the Big Ten.
In fact, it's the No. 1 defensive end in the country.
Former Michigan commit Nathaniel Marshall flipped his commitment to Auburn Friday, becoming the top prospect in Auburn's 2025 class. With his commitment, the Tigers move back into the top five for this cycle.
Marshall, 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, originally had committed to Michigan in April of this year. Auburn, which had hosted him on a game day visit last fall, never stopped pursuing him and hosted him on an official visit in June.
"I really liked the visit, every time I’ve come it’s felt like home," Marshall said following the visit.
It became a two-team race after that summer trip, as Michigan worked to hang onto its commit while Auburn worked to pry him away. The end of July became that much more important, as Marshall had to choose whether to attend Michigan's BBQ at the Big House or Auburn's Big Cat Weekend.
Michigan won that battle, but Auburn won the war a month later.
It's a result of a collective effort, both by head coach Hugh Freeze and Vontrell King-Williams. Marshall spoke highly of both after his official visit in June.
"Their culture of the team, Coach (Hugh) Freeze, how he handles the team, handles himself," Marshall said in June. "Coach Vontrell, how he carries himself, how he coaches. I met some of the players, too, they’re pretty cool. The recruits are cool, so why not surround myself by good people like that?"
He's the second defensive end to commit to the Tigers, joining Thompson DE Jared Smith. He's rated as the No. 1 player in Illinois and the No. 29 player in the country.
