Austin Ausberry, a four-star cornerback from University Lab High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, announced his commitment to Auburn live on CBS Sports HQ on Monday afternoon. Ausberry chose the Tigers over LSU, Alabama, Florida and Michigan. It's a big surprise considering the 247Sports crystal ball had Ausberry staying in his hometown and playing for new coach Brian Kelly at LSU instead of heading to the Plains to play for Bryan Harsin.
"It was a gut feeling," Ausberry said of his commitment. "I felt like it was best for me and my family."
Ausberry is ranked No. 177 overall and is the No. 22 cornerback in the 2022 recruiting class. He is the No. 13 player in the state of Louisiana -- one of the top states in the country for producing stars. He is slated to play cornerback in college but also logged snaps at safety and wide receiver.
The Early Signing Period will begin on Wednesday and last through Friday. It's a huge time for an Auburn team that is in desperate need of good news on the recruiting front. Ausberry is the 14th player to commit to the Tigers during the current recruiting cycle. That class contains six four-star players, but was ranked No. 13 in the SEC prior to Ausberry's commitment. The verbal pledge now puts the Tigers just outside the top 25 at No. 26 in the national recruiting rankings.
This good news for the Tigers to start the week comes on the heels of bad news over the weekend as starting quarterback Bo Nix announced that he has entered the transfer portal after three years in the top spot on the depth chart. Star running back Tank Bigsby is also reportedly heading to the transfer portal.
