4-star edge commits to Auburn over South Carolina, Georgia

Auburn scored a major recruiting win in the 2027 recruiting class on Friday as four-star edge rusher James Pace III of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, announced his commitment to the Tigers.

Pace, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 225 pounds, chose Auburn over South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, and Colorado. He became Auburn’s second commitment of the week after his teammate, three-star safety Knyair Crumb, also pledged to the Tigers.

Rankings for Pace place him among the top defensive prospects in the 2027 cycle. 247Sports’ composite rating lists him as the No. 17 EDGE nationally and a 0.9366 composite prospect. He is also ranked as the No. 133 overall player by 247Sports and No. 167 overall in the Rivals Industry Ranking. Within the state of Maryland, he is rated as the No. 2 EDGE rusher and No. 3 overall player.

Pace becomes Auburn’s 20th commitment in the 2027 class, which includes 12 blue-chip prospects. He is ranked among the top tier of Tigers commit, positioned as the fifth- or sixth-highest ranked player in the class depending on the ranking service, and joins fellow EDGE Rion Jackson as part of Auburn’s second EDGE commitment in the cycle.

The Tigers staff, led by head coach Alex Golesh, along with edge coach Coleman Hutzler and assistant Wayne Dorsey, played central roles in securing his pledge. The commitment also bolsters an Auburn’s growing Maryland pipeline, as Pace becomes the third 2027 recruit from the state, joining Crumb and Jackson.

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