What Auburn football is getting in 5-star 2024 WR Perry Thompson
Just three days after flipping Demarcus Riddick, Auburn has swiped an in-state 5-star at a position of great need from rival Alabama.
2024 WR Perry Thompson (Instagram)
It took Auburn football more than five years to get commitments from composite 5-star recruits — Owen Pappoe on May 1, 2018 and Demarcus Riddick on July 26, 2023.
But the next “drought” between 5-star pledges for the Tigers only lasted three days.
On the heels of Riddick flipping from Georgia to Auburn earlier this week, the Tigers pulled off another massive heist over a major rival during their annual Big Cat Weekend recruiting event.
Perry Thompson has officially flipped from Alabama to Auburn, a move that many Tigers fans, coaches and players had been waiting to see since his much talked-about official visit in June.
Thompson is currently ranked as the No. 32 overall prospect and the No. 8 wide receiver in the class of 2024 by the 247Sports Composite. That weighs all four major recruiting services into one ranking — 247’s own ratings put the Foley (Ala.) star as a top-15 overall player and the No. 4 receiver in the country.
If he eventually signs with Auburn, Thompson will become only the second composite 5-star wide receiver in program history, joining Ben Obomanu from all the way back in the Class of 2002. If Thompson and Riddick both sign with Auburn, they’ll be only the second pair of Alabama composite 5-stars to join the Tigers in the same class, with Roc Thomas and Tre’ Williams in 2014 being the other duo.
Thompson’s commitment comes after a string of visits to the Plains since the start of the year. Thompson committed to Alabama last June, but he made four unofficial visits from January to April. On his official visit, there was a massive amount of social media buzz indicating that Thompson could flip from Alabama, but he left the visit saying the two rivals were neck-and-neck.
Thompson then made the announcement that he would return to Auburn for Big Cat Weekend, and the Tigers were able to seal the deal during the event.
The timing of Thompson’s move is huge. Not only does it add even more excitement after the Riddick flip, it comes a few weeks after another in-state 5-star wide receiver — nearby Central-Phenix City product Cam Coleman — made the surprising decision to commit to Texas A&M.
Missing out on both 5-star Alabama receivers would be a major blow for Auburn, which is looking to reignite what has been a dormant passing game for the last several years.
Freeze and new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery have a reputation for offenses with big-name wideouts, and Thompson could be the start of a new era at the position on the Plains. (Landing 4-star athlete Malcolm Simmons from nearby Benjamin Russell on Big Cat Weekend will definitely help those efforts, too.)
Of course, the phrase “5-star wide receiver from Foley” should ring some alarm bells for college football fans in the South.
Back in the Class of 2008, Julio Jones helped get the Nick Saban era started with a bang as he signed with Alabama as the No. 1 receiver and No. 3 overall recruit in the country. After a highly successful run with the Crimson Tide, Jones became one of the most dominant NFL receivers of the 2010s.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and just north of 200 pounds, Thompson is not far off from Jones’ size. Thompson is lighter than Jones, and he uses that to produce some eye-popping results.