Auburn contributes to big haul, turns 4-star QB from ND

• Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterOct 2, 2024, 08:26 PM ET Close Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He signed up with ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.Four-star quarterback

Deuce Knight, ESPN’s No. 2 dual-threat passer in the 2025 cycle, turned his promise from Notre Dame to Auburn on Wednesday night, bolstering Hugh Freeze’s pursuit of the country’s leading class while delivering another blow to the Irish’s recruiting efforts.Knight, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound quarterback from Lucedale, Mississippi, is ESPN’s No. 76 possibility in the 2025 class and lands with the Tigers at the end of a long-rumored courtship. At first dedicated to Notre Dame since September 2023, Knight is now the fifth-highest-rated member of Auburn’s 2025 class.Editor’s Picks After taking several sees to Auburn over the summer and in the early weeks of the regular season, Knight is now the 15th ESPN 300 prospect dedicated to the Tigers in 2025. He is the program’s seventh top-100 addition because June 1, following the similarity cornerback Blake Woodby (No. 22 in the ESPN 300), defensive end Jared Smith (No. 28), safety Anquon Fegans (No. 36) and Alabama athlete flip Derick Smith (No. 38). Auburn’s 2025 class was at No. 4 in ESPN’s latest team rankings before Knight’s promise, and the Tigers now will be in contention with Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia for the nation’s No. 1 class if the program can keep this collection of players through the start of the Dec. 4 early finalizing period.Word around Knight’s prospective flip had actually bubbled considering that late summer, and his decommitment represents another hit to Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman’s 2025 class after the Irish lost four-star safety Ivan Taylor, another top-100 promise, to Michigan throughout the summer season. Due to the fact that of Knight’s flip, the Irish are anticipated to pursue a 2025 quarterback in the closing months of the cycle.Knight completed 53.2%of his passes for 2,047 backyards and 17 touchdowns

at George County(Mississippi )High School last fall. He added 494 hurrying yards and 11 hurrying ratings in his junior season, and Knight has actually led George County to a 2-3 start this fall.Auburn gos to No. 5 Georgia in Week 6 while Freeman and the Irish are off on Saturday.