Auburn remains in the mix to land the four-star lineman from Illinois ahead of his commitment date.
Four-star offensive tackle Claude Mpouma included the Auburn Tigers in his top five schools this week, and has set a commitment date. Where does Auburn stand in the mix?
The offensive lineman from Chicago, Illinois, announced on social media that he will announce his pledge on Sunday, June 29, and that Auburn is among the top programs that remain in contention to land him. The Tigers join Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, and Nebraska in the race for Mpouma’s signature.
A successful visit to the Plains earlier this month is a key reason why Auburn remains high on Mpouma’s radar. In an interview with Jeffrey Lee of On3, Mpouma said that offensive line coach Jake Thornton and defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams, who is an alum of the high school that Mpouma attends, is selling Auburn well and that Auburn is a “top three” school for him, and that they are not the No. 3 school for him.
What makes Auburn special to Mpouma?
“The culture. They’re pretty big on that,” Mpouma said in an interview with Auburn Live. “I feel like that’s a big thing, too. That’s something I respect a lot.”
Now that we know Auburn is one of the top schools to land Mpouma, what are the odds that they close the deal? On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently gives Nebraska a slight edge over Auburn, 33% to 24%. He has zero crystal ball predictions from 247Sports, but those predictions could start filing in this week ahead of his commitment date.
Mpouma is a 6-8, 260-pound offensive tackle from Chicago, Illinois. He is considered a four-star prospect by every major recruiting outlet and ranks as high as No. 12 among offensive linemen rankings in 2026. Auburn’s recruiting class ranks No. 57 in 247Sports’ 2026 recruiting rankings, so a commitment fro Mpouma would do wonders for a class that is currently struggling in the rankings.
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