James Pace III is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound edge rusher from DeMatha Catholic in Maryland. He picked the Tigers over South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, and Colorado. That’s a pretty serious list of programs he turned down.
The decision came Friday and it’s a big one for Auburn’s 2027 class. Pace is the 20th player to commit to the Tigers in this cycle, and he’s one of 12 blue-chip prospects in the group. Depending on which recruiting service you trust more, he’s either the fifth- or sixth-highest ranked guy in the class.
The Rankings Game
247Sports’ composite rating has Pace as the No. 17 EDGE in the country and a 0.9366 composite prospect. He’s also the No. 133 overall player nationally according to 247Sports, while the Rivals Industry Ranking slots him at No. 167. Inside Maryland, he’s considered the No. 2 edge rusher and the No. 3 overall player in the state.
Not bad for a guy who’s still got two seasons of high school ball left.
Building a Maryland Pipeline
Pace is the third 2027 recruit from Maryland to pick Auburn. He follows his DeMatha teammate Knyair Crumb, a three-star safety, and fellow edge rusher Rion Jackson. That’s three dudes from the same region in one cycle, which says something about how the Tigers are recruiting that area.
Head coach Alex Golesh, edge coach Coleman Hutzler, and assistant Wayne Dorsey all played central roles in getting Pace to commit. The staff has been working this one for a while.
Pace joins Jackson as the second edge rusher in the class. Having two guys who can get after the quarterback locked in this early is a solid foundation for a defensive line group that’s still filling out.
Auburn’s 2027 class is shaping up to be one of the better ones in the SEC. Twelve blue-chip commits already, and there’s still plenty of time before signing day. Pace’s pledge gives the Tigers some real momentum heading into the next evaluation period.
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