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Tigers sign in-state 4-star LB Jaquez Wilkes

by: Caleb Jones12/03/25CalebJ_Rivals

Auburn linebacker commit Jaquez Wilkes officially signed with the Tigers Wednesday, inking on the first day of the early Signing Period.

THE WILKES FILE

Position: Linebacker — Mike/Will

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 218 pounds

Hometown (HS): Wadley, Ala. (Wadley)

On3 Industry Ranking: (93.57) No. 104 overall, No. 15 linebacker and No. 5 in state of Alabama.

Chose Auburn over: Texas A&M, Miami (FL) and Alabama

Time of Enrollment: January

Notable: Wilkes didn’t overcomplicate his recruitment. Auburn pushed hard in the summer and he committed in July. Even through the coaching search, Wilkes remained firm in his decision and never wavered.

Quote: “I’m stuck. I’m stuck like glue,” Wilkes said. “I just really love the defense. The offense really doesn’t have anything to do with me, so I don’t see why (a coaching change) would (change anything for me).”

“Auburn is home and I have great relationships with the coaches. Being able to have this level of football beside my house, this close to home and without having to travel, I can’t beat it.”

“Coach Durkin played a major role in my commitment. He’s a great guy. He’s honest and truthful and a hell of a coach. I don’t have anything bad to say about him.”

Jaquez-Wilkes-Auburn
Auburn commit Jaquez Wilkes plans to be at every home game this season.

PINK’S ANALYSIS

Monster build. Wilkes is one of those players who you’d prefer to get off the bus first. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Wilkes is starting to fill out his frame. He has plenty of room to add weight, too. He could play around 235-240 pounds at Auburn.

Wilkes is one of the more unique athletes in this 2026 class. He makes plays all over the field on both sides of the ball with great acceleration and heat-seeking ability on defense. Wilkes has speed. Not good speed for his size, just speed. He’s a long strider who understands what he’s doing as a ball carrier, which makes him even more intriguing in my opinion.

Wilkes is already physically built enough to take on the SEC–and he’s not done growing. He’s going to have a learning curve when his position is more defined rather than fitting in wherever he can help… Then again, if we learned anything from Demarcus Riddick’s freshman year, Wilkes can fit in everywhere along the defensive front besides the interior defensive line. I think Wilkes is looking at being an early contributor and earning a role with his unique skillset.