It’s heating up on the Plains as one of the top prospects in the Southeast is now on board.

Rivals250 safety Eric Winters, one of the top recruits inside the state of Alabama, has made the call for Auburn. Miami and Georgia were other finalists for the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder from Enterprise (Ala.) High School.

Winters, the No. 14-ranked safety in the country, has been trending in the Tigers’ direction for months. He’s long been a top target for Hugh Freeze, Charles Kelly and the entire Auburn defensive staff.

“They really stayed on me. They seemed bought into me and not only me, but my entire family,” Winters told Rivals of his commitment to the Tigers.

“That’s what stands out about Auburn, and it’s not just the football side,” he continued. “It’s Auburn as a whole … it’s just a family-friendly environment and they’ve welcomed me with open arms the entire process.”

The Tigers got Winters on campus throughout the spring and hosted him last after official visits to Miami and Georgia to open June.

The race tightened up leading into the summer, but Auburn has been a staple in Winters’ recruitment since arriving.

“Honestly it’s where I fit in, the environment and the people for me, and from a parent’s point of view, where can you send your child off to that you know they can come back as a better man, better person in life,” Winters, the No. 108 player in the Rivals250 told AuburnSports.com earlier this off-season.

“They want me here and they want to coach me. They feel this is the best place for me.”

Winters is headlining a massive recruiting weekend on The Plains and kicking it off with plenty of home-state fireworks.

The big-framed safety has been a priority for the Tigers since this staff got its toes wet in the state of Alabama.

“I just love being here,” Winters said.

“That’s really the school that’s been recruiting me the hardest so far,” he continued. “They’ve been recruiting me since my freshman year. Even with the coaching change, they’ve gone really hard.”

Winters is not just the sixth in-state recruit to jump on board for Freeze and company, he becomes the highest-ranked prospect from the Yellowhammer State to jump in for the Tigers. It’s also a major notch against a conference power, Georgia, who really battled at the top of the list for the do-it-all prospect for the bulk of this recruitment. Miami, which has been able to win national battles on its own end, was also heavily involved with Winters.

Positionally, the four-star helps to complement the group of cornerback recruits already on board in the class of 2025 with a major land at safety. Winters told Rivals his recruitment has shifted towards the safety spot since the New Year began, though he is also open to other roles as Auburn sees fit. That’s a common theme with the blue-chipper and other versatile commitments in the back-seven like Bryce Deas and Jakaleb Faulk, among others.

Individually, AU adds arguably its most important member of the class of 2025 to date with the sheer athleticism and ceiling Winters brings to the program. Whether as a hybrid or safety down the line, this is the type of modern athlete that impacts an SEC defense sooner rather than later. A high school quarterback who has been asked to move all around both sides of the ball to date, getting Winters to focus on one spot could also lead to a downhill learning curve once on the Plains for good. —Rivals National Recruiting Analyst John Garcia

West Virginia has landed a verbal commitment from one of the top defensive backs in the Northeast, as high-three-star cornerback Terrance “Deuce” Edwards pledged to the Mountaineers on Saturday.

Edwards, who currently attends Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, ranks as the No. 14 player in Virginia and No. 57 cornerback in the 2025 class.

After taking an official visit to Morgantown during the weekend of May 31, Edwards was convinced he wanted to be a Mountaineer. Edwards also took multiple unofficial visits to West Virginia’s campus throughout his recruitment, including this past spring.

Edwards has built strong relationships with West Virginia head coach Neal Brown, co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach ShaDon Brown, defensive coordinator/outside linebackers coach Jordan Lesley, assistant defensive backs coach Jevaughn Codlin (“JCod”) and defensive analyst Tre’ Bell. Edwards trusts this staff to develop him and he feels at home in Morgantown.

“I’m going to West Virginia University because when I’m there, it just feels like I belong,” Edwards told Rivals.”It gives me that home feel and is a place I can grow and develop on and off the field. I knew it was the place for me after my official visit and after praying and asking God to lead me to where I should be.”

The Virginia product went on to elaborate on his connection with the coaching staff and the vision they have for him.

“My relationship with Coach ShaDon Brown, Coach Tre Bell and Coach JCod is great, and I’m in contact with them a lot, almost everyday,” Edwards said. “They are a really good and are all excited about me. Coach Lesley as well, he’s see me doing great things for WVU, and Coach Neal Brown is cool and chill.”

The aforementioned official visit allowed Edwards the chance to spend a lot of quality time with the coaches and he got more details on West Virginia’s defensive system and how exactly they plan to use the young cornerback once he arrives on campus. The schemes are similar to what Edwards is already familiar with at Trinity Episcopal.

While on the trip, Edwards also got to hang out with the current players and learn more about the academic side of the university as well.

“My OV was great,” he said. “I got a lot of time with the coaches, spent the day at Coach Neal Brown’s house with his family and spent a lot of time with the DB coaches — Coach ShaDon, Tre’ Bell and JCod. Coach ShaDon broke down the defense with me, which is like the defense I play in high school, so it was better for me learning the scheme. He also went over the plan and development style they have for me so I can maximize my talent and help me reach my goal of being the best cornerback.

“During the official visit, I also spent a lot of time with the players and they showed me a lot of love. I met with the professors and department chairs, too. I did a lot while at my OV.”

Edwards, who received more than 30 scholarship offers in total, released a top-three of West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Michigan State on May 28 and originally planned to commit on June 22.

He is of course an in-state prospect for Virginia Tech and he took his official visit to check out the Hokies during the weekend of June 7. With Michigan State, Edwards had a family connection there, as his cousin, Felton Davis III, previously played wide receivers for the Spartans. He initially had an official visit scheduled with MSU for this weekend, but he will no longer be taking it.

However, Edwards decided to move his timeline up a week and commit on June 15 instead. He feels that the West Virginia coaches care about him as both an athlete and a person, and he appreciates the staff’s approach to recruiting him. He believes the Mountaineers have his best interests in mind.

“The development and hands-on style of the coaching staff stands out the most because it shows they care about the development and success of the players on and off the field,” Edwards said.

In addition to football, Edwards is a standout track athlete. He holds the Trinity Episcopal School record for the 55-meter hurdles and was part of the 4×200 relay team that also broke the school record and qualified for the New Balance Nationals outdoor championships.

On the football field, the 6-foot-1, 173-pound Edwards thrives on his physicality and uses his speed to his advantage. Edwards has positional versatility in the secondary and is comfortable playing both zone coverage and man coverage.

As a junior in 2023, he recorded 33 tackles, 14 pass break-ups, three interceptions (including a pick-six) and a forced fumble. Offensively, he scored five touchdowns.

“I describe my game as fast, athletic and physical,” Edwards said. “I love man coverage, but I can play zone as well. I can play field or boundary cornerback and nickel. I can go get the ball and come up and hit, too.”

Edwards is ambitious and wants to put in the work to become one of the nation’s best cornerbacks during his time at West Virginia, while helping the Mountaineers win as many games as possible. He is a fierce competitor and has a lot of goals he wants to accomplish.

“WVU is getting a cornerback that loves the game and loves to compete and loves to win,” Edwards said. “I have big dreams and plans and I can’t wait to make them happen at WVU.”

Perhaps no school has been a bigger surprise on the 2025 recruiting trail than Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights have now landed a second four-star commitment this week, as all-purpose running back John Forster pledged to head coach Greg Schiano‘s program.

On Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights secured a commitment from four-star offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews. With Forster now joining the group, Rutgers has landed 16 commitments in the month of June and 24 overall in the 2025 recruiting class. The Scarlet Knights currently rank seventh in the national team recruiting rankings.

Forster, who currently suits up for Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, ranks as the No. 5 player in the Garden State and No. 5 all-purpose back in the 2025 class.

In addition to Rutgers, Forster received scholarship offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Duke, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others.

He cut down his list to five finalists in May, which included Rutgers, Illinois, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Forster took an official visit to Rutgers during the weekend of May 31. He followed that up with a trip to Champaign for an official visit with Illinois during the weekend of June 7. However, after spending time with both programs, Forster decided he wanted to play his college ball in his home state and become a Scarlet Knight.

Forster also took numerous unofficial visits to Piscataway throughout his recruitment. He is comfortable with Schiano, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, running backs coach Damiere Shaw and the rest of the staff at Rutgers.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Forster is an explosive running back who can beat defenders with his speed or tackle-breaking ability. He also excels as a receiver out of the backfield and is a dangerous returner on special teams.

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson along with Jason Higdon of 1standTenFlorida.com and Jefferson Powell of DeathValleyInsider.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.

MORE GORNEY: Most intriguing recruiting visits this weekend

Gorney’s take: FACT. I don’t necessarily buy the Oregon stuff mainly because after this season with Dillon Gabriel, it certainly looks like former five-star Dante Moore is being groomed to take over the offense next season and then the Ducks could go to Luke Moga, Akili Smith Jr. or take another shot in the portal after that. It seems like a stretch that Hawkins wants to wade into those waters but SMU is definitely an intriguing proposition.

Both TCU coach Sonny Dykes and SMU coach Rhett Lashlee are going to throw the football a ton. Both have wide-open offenses that fit Hawkins’ playing style perfectly. SMU is now in the ACC while TCU remains in the Big 12 so the Mustangs actually have more of an argument in terms of playing better competition in better environments. But Hawkins has been committed to the Horned Frogs for nearly a year so there is a major comfort level there. While TCU should be really concerned about a flip I don’t think it’s a guarantee at all.

Levenson’s take: FACT. TCU may not act worried, but it should be. It was very clear from the moment that Keelon Russell flipped away from SMU that the clear-cut target to replace him was Ty Hawkins. Not only is he a Texas kid, but he has been nearly stride for stride with Russell in his development this offseason. Landing Hawkins is certainly not “settling” for a second-tier option, so Rhett Lashlee and his staff are going all out to flip him. We know SMU can compete in a big way with NIL and whatever Russell was set to get in Dallas can essentially be assigned to Hawkins, if not more to assure they can flip him. For a program that is now in a power conference with resources being poured in, while coming off an 11-win season, you can argue SMU as a program in a better place for the future than TCU.

With Oregon, outside of being able to stay close to home, there are generally not many things the Horned Frogs could sell to Hawkins that would make them a clear-cut favorite for him to stay. Dan Lanning has the Ducks trending as one of the premier programs in America and Hawkins’ playing style and demeanor would fit right in with Oregon’s offense. Like SMU, Oregon will surely be among the top contenders in the NIL department and it has an array of offensive weapons for Hawkins to feel excited about. SMU should be considered the bigger threat, but if it turns up the heat and gets him in for a visit, there may not be much TCU can do to stop Oregon either.

Gorney’s take: FACT. Jefferson Powell talked about getting ex-girlfriend vibes about this situation but after talking to Moore’s mom about the visit to Baton Rouge, I get the feeling that maybe this was a situation where he didn’t necessarily want to dump the girl, did anyway and now might be really regretting it. LSU wants him back and the five-star receiver might want back in as well. It’s going to be a tough obstacle to overcome Texas because he visits there this weekend and there is a strong contingent that believes the Longhorns are going to win out but I’m not counting LSU out here. With its receiver tradition, putting two in the first round this past season and some serious renewed interest, the Tigers are very much back in this.

Powell’s take: FICTION. Things just feel different now. LSU has a chance, the X-factor here is Bryce Underwood. The five-star QB can sway things if he really puts his recruiting hat on, but I’m just not sure it’s going to be enough. Getting Moore back on campus was huge for the Tigers and he is saying all the right things regarding LSU, but it has ex-girlfriend vibes to me. Where you don’t want to break her heart so maybe you string things along, so you don’t have to be the bad guy today. There’s only a finite amount of time that this can be drawn out. I’m not ready to rule them out completely, but for the sake of the exercise if I’m making the call today, I just don’t feel like he’s going to be a part of LSU’s 2025 class right now.

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Gorney’s take: FICTION. Anything is conceivably possible and while this seemed to have some legs a few months ago, I just don’t see it happening at this point. Florida had been going after Ryan Montgomery but he picked Georgia. The Gators are in a 50/50 battle with Memphis for four-star QB Antwann Hill and they just offered Duke commit Dan Mahan in recent days. Would all of that be going on if Florida was confident that Jones was going to flip to them? There was some interest awhile back but Jones has solidified himself with the Seminoles. He’s recruiting hard for the class and there is just too many moving parts right now in Gainesville.

Higdon’s take: FACT. In today’s recruiting world, nothing is off limits, and what most people think is impossible has become possible because of how recruiting is structured. Florida can flip Tramell Jones, and a big reason is the decision of wide receiver and good friend Vernell Brown III.

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