Auburn football has been through the wringer when it comes to landing (and retaining) top recruits. They just lost one of their best commits in Cam Coleman, who transferred to the Longhorns. But Alex Golesh might be on the verge of landing another top recruit that could matter even more in the long run. And he could define the next era of Auburn football. 

That player is Israel Abrams, the No. 2 quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class and the No. 22 overall prospect nationally, according to 247Sports. According to a report by Rivals, the Tigers are an emerging favorite for the quarterback. The 6-foot-4, 187-pound signal-caller from Lombard, Illinois’ Montini Catholic was tracking heavily toward Iowa State before Matt Campbell left for Penn State. It threw Abrams’ entire recruitment wide open. Alex Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon wasted zero time, making Abrams their first known 2027 quarterback offer after arriving at Auburn. 

The Tigers got Abrams on campus for their first Junior Day on January 17. And based on how that visit went, Auburn has vaulted itself into serious contention for one of the nation’s most prolific young quarterbacks. Abrams’ production speaks for itself. As a junior in 2025, he led the entire state of Illinois in passing with 4,072 yards and 40 touchdowns while averaging over 290 yards per game, completing 68.5% of his passes. Abrams also added 10 rushing touchdowns to his ledger, giving him 50 total scores on the season while leading Montini Catholic to back-to-back state championships. 

Over his last 24 games as a starter, the dual-threat quarterback hasn’t lost a single game. He compiled a perfect 24-0 record that includes championship runs in both his sophomore and junior seasons. When Abrams got down to The Plains for his first Auburn visit, it became clear pretty quickly that Alex Golesh and his staff aren’t treating this like just another recruiting pitch.

 “Overall, it was a pretty good experience,” Abrams told On3 after the visit. “Just getting out here and meeting all the coaching staff, spending time with the coaches, just going over ball and stuff. They were very welcoming. You could tell they wanted me here. They care for me. You can tell that. It was a good time. One-hundred percent, I’ll definitely be coming back soon.”

That family atmosphere Golesh is building, combined with his track record of developing explosive offenses, resonated with Abrams in a major way. The quarterback made it clear this wouldn’t be his only trip to Auburn. He told reporters the Tigers will “for sure” be getting an official summer visit from him. Now, the only thing standing between Abrams and his commitment to the Tigers is a blue-blood SEC program.

Georgia could crash Auburn’s party

Just when Auburn thought they had a clear path to one of the nation’s elite signal-callers, the Georgia Bulldogs decided to show up fashionably late to the party. Todd Hartley, Georgia’s tight ends coach, paid Abrams a visit on Thursday, and according to the quarterback, that meeting “went very well.”

Now, Georgia doesn’t have an offer on the table for Abrams just yet. But offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo is expected to potentially watch him throw in person before making that call. Georgia is scrambling after five-star quarterback Jared Curtis flipped from Georgia to Vanderbilt in December 2025. It left the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class without a single quarterback commit for 2026. 

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That desperation makes them the one program that could completely derail Auburn’s momentum with Abrams, even though he is from the 2027 class. Auburn better hope the family atmosphere and Golesh’s offensive reputation are enough to hold off Georgia.