Auburn football lands 2026 four-star EDGE Jaquez Wilkes, the No. 7 recruit from Alabama
Jaquez Wilkes, a four-star EDGE from Wadley High School in Wadley, Alabama, announced Monday that he is pledging to Auburn, choosing the Tigers over Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida State, and Miami.
"Pretty much (Auburn) being home for me and me being comfortable. I can thrive there," Wilkes said of his decision to commit to Auburn via iSchool Sports Network.
Wilkes becomes Auburn's top commitment for the 2026 class, jumping Hezekiah Harris, a fellow four-star in-state EDGE rusher. He also becomes the Tigers' 11th commitment for the 2026 class, an its fifth four-star pledge, joining Harris, quarterback Peyton Falzone, linebacker Adam Balogoun-Ali, and offensive tackle Wilson Zierer. Auburn's 2026 haul is beginning to return to relevancy after a spell of decommitments by blue-chip prospects. Wilkes is the eighth player to commit to Auburn since June 9, joining the likes of Falzone, Zierer, and offensive tackle Nikau Hepi.
Wilkes is the No. 7 player from Alabama for the 2026 cycle, and is the No. 10 EDGE according to 247Sports. Auburn has now snagged two of the state's top 10 players for 2026, as Wilkes joins No. 8 Hezekiah Harris by pledging to Auburn.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Four-star EDGE Jaquez Wilkes commits to Auburn football
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Milwaukee Brewers game Aug. 1 against Nationals won't be found on usual channel
The Milwaukee Brewers will play their first game after the trade deadline Aug. 1, but you won't find it in its usual place on FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. The game in Washington against the Nationals will appear exclusively on AppleTV+, for which viewers will need access to the paid service. Coverage of the game will begin at 5 p.m. CT, and the game will begin at 5:45 p.m. Brewers fans thinking about shelling out for a month of the service: The time might be right. The team's game against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 14 will also air on AppleTV+, also starting at 5:40 p.m. CT. Announcers for the game in Washington are Alex Faust on play-by-play, Ryan Spilborghs as an analyst and Tricia Whitaker on sideline reports. Pitchers for the night will be a pair of left-handers — Milwaukee's Jose Quintana (7-4, 3.50 ERA) and Washington's Mitchell Parker (7-10, 4.91 ERA). How do you get AppleTV+ to watch Brewers vs Nationals? The subscription service, which occasionally airs MLB games as part of its "Friday Night Baseball" package, can be attained on a number of devices like many smart TVs, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Apple Vision Pro and online at More information can be found at Cost of the service is $9.99 per month, though those who haven't signed up recently can get a seven-day free trial. More information on how to watch "Friday Night Baseball" specifically can be found here. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers game Aug. 1 against Nationals won't be found on usual channel
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trey Hendrickson-Bengals contract standoff gets blunt take from Chad Johnson
The Cincinnati Bengals are set to play their first preseason game of 2025 next week, but they might be without Trey Hendrickson. He reported to training camp this week, but the contract extension standoff hasn't changed. Hendrickson continues to battle the Bengals in a contract standoff over a long-term extension. The situation escalated this offseason when the reigning sack leader pushed for more guaranteed money than the team was willing to offer. On a recent edition of 'Nightcap,' former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson weighed in on the standoff, noting that Hendrickson decided to show up for training camp for one reason. 'You gotta understand, Trey Hendrickson only came back so he doesn't have to pay the fines,' Johnson told Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson. 'He's not there. He's not there, you know—on good notice, right? He's only there because he don't want to pay the fines. 'And then—well, we're still at a standstill. There's been no forward progress in us getting the deal done. I'm assuming us to be far off. The only reason he's there is because [he] don't want to accumulate a certain amount of fines.' MORE:Pacman Jones gives unfiltered take on Trey Hendrickson, Bengals contracts and Joe Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes Moreover, Johnson went on to say that Hendrickson and his camp have to reconsider their stance as he shed light on how Bengals owner Mike Brown usually handles these contract standoffs with players. 'One thing I know about the Brown family — you're not going to bully Mike Brown,' Johnson added. 'It's not happening. If his feet are cemented and he says, 'This is what we can do, and this is what we can pay,' that's what it's going to be. You know? 'And I'm hoping, I'm hoping, because defensively we need all hands on deck. We need all the help we can get. Trey Hendrickson had a hell of a year last year and the year before. I would love for him to be compensated as such.'
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jacory Patterson worked the overnight shift loading trucks at UPS. Now, he's one of top 400 runners
At night, Jacory Patterson loaded delivery trucks at UPS. That way by day, he could train. This routine went on for nearly a year to support his true dream job — sprinting. Patterson's time in the 400 meters this season has never been speedier, even if he has been sometimes sleep deprived. At 25, he finally is finding his stride and along with it earning a paycheck from track. His life began to change after winning a Grand Slam Track event in Miami, which led to Diamond League meet invitations and a sponsorship deal from Nike. Business is now booming so much for him that Patterson was able to clock out for the final time in June from his position at UPS. He has the third-fastest time (43.98 seconds) in the world this season heading into U.S. championships this week in Eugene, Oregon, where he is eager to make even more of a name for himself. 'If everything in life was easy, everybody would be at the top,' Patterson said in a phone interview. 'But everybody's not at the top. We've just got to understand everything won't be smooth, green grass. There's going to be some hills and some bumps and some potholes.' Chip on shoulder Each time he steps into the the starting blocks for a race, Patterson tells himself the same thing: Show the world. Show everyone what he can do, even if it took him a little bit longer to get here. A standout at Florida, he watched friends and rivals sign lucrative deals while he patiently waited for his time. His personal-best time before this season was 44.18 in 2021. 'I knew it was there. I just had to figure it out,' he said. 'I would tell myself, 'Man, you're young, there's no way that you're done.'" He moved back home to Columbia, South Carolina, and was hired at UPS last August for the overnight shift. He worked from 10:45 p.m. to around 4:30 a.m. He'd sleep for a few hours and be at practice by 8:30 a.m., ready to learn from coach Alleyne Francique, a three-time Olympian who represented Grenada. 'The hardest part was definitely the three hours of sleep," said Patterson, who also found time to nap after training. 'That was tough.' Hanging in his room was a slogan: 'Mind over matter.' It helped him focus on the job in front of him — getting stronger to run faster. 'I just told myself: 'Let's just go to the track, put the deposits in. After you leave the track, you can get your rest,'" he recounted. He also read novels to train his mind. In particular, a book titled, 'Hung by the Tongue,' by Francis P. Martin, which, in simplest terms, is a reminder that what you say is what you get. 'Just making sure that you are telling yourself the right things before you go on a track,' explained Patterson, who credits his family and faith for providing support until his track career took off. 'That book was powerful.' So are his prerace pep talks with himself. 'I tell myself, 'They can't run with you,'' he said. 'Just things that give me that boost, that grit.' The breakthrough Patterson gained notice at the Tom Jones Memorial meet in Gainesville, Florida, in April. He won his 400-meter heat in 44.27 seconds. In his heat that day was reigning Olympic 100-meter champion Noah Lyles. 'But Noah doesn't run the 400,' Patterson said. He wanted to go against the big names in the 400 game. His time to shine was at a stop in Miami for Michael Johnson's new Grand Slam Track series. In the race, Patterson finished in a personal-best 43.98 seconds to edge Jereem Richards and Matthew Hudson-Smith, a silver medalist last summer at the Paris Olympics. During a postrace interview, Richards walked by Patterson and said: 'Somebody give this man a deal. Please, give this man a deal.' It was a career-altering win in numerous ways. First, there was the $50,000 payday (he estimates that check will hit his bank account in September, with Grand Slam Track shutting down its season early). The win also opened doors to other meets, like the one in Rabat, Morocco, where he won over a field that included Olympic champion Quincy Hall. In addition, Patterson also got to chat at the meet with Wayde van Niekerk, who set a world record (43.03) in winning gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. 'I was like, 'What's the key to running 43 low?'' Patterson said. 'He says, 'It's just a mental thing.'' Soon after, Patterson finalized his deal with Nike. 'My ideal dream was to sign after college, but that wasn't the plan for me,' said Patterson, who graduated from Florida in December 2023. 'It just gave me an extra chip on my shoulder, too. ... If something doesn't go my way I always feel like there's another way." Quitting his night job His last day at UPS was June 5. Now, he's training full time. 'I would tell myself at work at night, 'This is going to pay off,'' said Patterson, who has been invited by UPS to speak at an upcoming company event. 'I've seen so many stories where it might not be going their way when they wanted it to, but eventually things fell together for them. 'I know that as quick as you can get something, like the (Nike) deal and all the blessings that have come my way since May, it can go away that quick, too. ... You can't get comfortable. You've just got to keep going, keep working.' ___ AP Summer Olympics:
