First-year Auburn head coach Alex Golesh and the Tigers finished strong on the recruiting trail once again, securing a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Layton von Brandt on Monday. Von Brandt, who ranks No. 40 in the 2027 SC Next 300, is a priority addition for Auburn.
Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 265 pounds, the Middletown, Delaware, native is ESPN’s No. 6 offensive tackle prospect in the 2027 class and the highest-rated recruit to ever come out of Delaware in the ESPN recruiting era (since 2006). Von Brandt made his pledge to Auburn live on Rivals.com Monday morning, choosing the Tigers over Notre Dame, Florida, and Penn State.
The commitment is the latest tight-recruiting battle won by Golesh and Auburn this spring. Last month, the Tigers made a late push to land four-star running back Myson Johnson-Cook, beating out Miami for the ESPN No. 34 overall prospect in the cycle. With von Brandt on board, Auburn now has four verbal pledges in Golesh’s first recruiting class, including three top-100 commits.
Von Brandt had originally committed to Penn State in November 2024 and remained a cornerstone of the Nittany Lions’ 2027 class for nearly a year before decommitting following the firing of head coach James Franklin last October.
This spring, he took visits to Auburn, Florida, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech before making his final decision. Earlier this spring, he told ESPN that he has built a strong bond with Tigers offensive line coach Tyler Hudanick since Golesh and his staff arrived from South Florida in December.
“[Hudanick] will call twice a week just to get on the phone,” von Brandt said. “We talk about football and about life. And then I went there for a visit and it felt like a special place, like somewhere you want to be. Auburn’s a special place.”
Von Brandt is a multi-year starter at Appoquinimink High School in Delaware. According to ESPN rankings, he is the first top-300 prospect from the state since quarterback Braden Davis, who signed with South Carolina in the 2022 cycle. At No. 40 in the SC Next 300, von Brandt surpasses former All-Big Ten wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Chris Godwin (No. 159 overall in the 2014 cycle) as the highest-ranked recruit in Delaware history.
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