Auburn took its first recruiting casualty for the 2026 cycle since Hugh Freeze was fired Sunday as head coach, with running back Eric Perry flipping his commitment from Auburn to Memphis on Sunday night.
The Southaven, Miss., product had been committed to Auburn since June, but he has decided not to head to the Plains in the aftermath of Freeze’s firing during his 3rd season as head coach.
Perry took to his social media account on Sunday night to announce his new commitment to Memphis and thank everyone at Auburn.
“Thankful for every opportunity and relationship built along the way at Auburn,” Perry wrote. “That said, I’m flipping my commitment to the University of Memphis. Ready to get to work!”
Perry is rated as a 3-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is the No. 1,185-ranked player in the Class of 2026, according to those Composite rankings. Perry is actually designated as an “Athlete” in his recruiting profile, and he’s the 94th-ranked Athlete in the Class of 2026. He’s also the 34th-ranked player from the state of Mississippi.
Auburn now has 13 commitments from high school prospects in the class of 2026.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
