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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Four-star 2026 wide receiver Devin Carter committed to Auburn on Saturday, announcing his pledge to the Tigers over Alabama, Ohio State and LSU during the Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
Carter, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound pass catcher from Douglassville, Georgia, is the No. 26 overall prospect in the ESPN Junior 300 and the fifth-ranked wide receiver in the 2026 class.
The son of former Florida State running back Dexter Carter, the younger Carter was previously committed to the Seminoles before pulling his pledge early last year. Carter is now the top-ranked prospect in Auburn’s 2026 class, which holds commitments from four other top 300 prospects in the cycle, including fellow wide receiver Denairius Gray (No. 256 overall).
Carter hauled in 41 passes for 669 yards and five touchdowns in his junior season at Douglas County (Georgia) High School, where he plays with four-star Texas A&M wide receiver pledge Aaron Gregory (No. 47 in the ESPN Junior 300). Carter began his high school career at Georgia’s Cedar Grove High School before transferring to Douglas County before the 2024 season.
Carter’s father, who spent four seasons in the Florida State backfield from 1986-89, was a first round selection of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1990 NFL Draft and later won a Super Bowl with the organization in 1995. The elder Carter returned to Florida State in 2007 where he spent three seasons as a running backs coach under Seminoles legend Bobby Bowden.
The young Carter, Georgia’s No. 5 overall prospect in 2026, is also the younger brother of former Georgia Southern wide receiver Dexter Carter Jr. and holds a relation to Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton.
Carter’s commitment to Auburn comes as the latest jolt to a Tigers recruiting class that’s off to a strong start in the 2026 class. After signing one of the nation’s deepest classes in 2025, Auburn already holds five ESPN 300 pledges in the upcoming cycle with commitments from defensive end Hezekiah Harris (No. 80 overall), linebackers JaMichael Garrett (No. 120) and Shadarius Toodle (No. 151) and Gray, a two-way playmaker from Hollywood, Florida.
The Tigers’ incoming 2025 class currently ranks No. 7 in ESPN’s team rankings for the cycle.
If Auburn can ultimately land Carter’s signature, it will continue an impressive run of wide receiver recruiting for coach Hugh Freeze across his initial three seasons in charge of the program. The Tigers signed three ESPN 300 pass catchers in the 2024 class and got immediate production from freshmen Cameron Coleman and Malcolm Simmons last fall. Auburn’s flip of four-star Alabama wide receiver pledge Derick Smith marked another key win in the 2025 cycle.
In Carter’s 2026 pledge, Auburn now has the crown jewel in what could become another standout wide receiver class set to join the Tigers in the upcoming recruiting cycle.