In an early statement recruiting win for Hugh Freeze’s new staff, 5-star rated linebacker Demarcus Riddick of Chilton County High School flipped his commitment from Georgia to Auburn at a ceremony Wednesday.

The class of 2024 recruit picked Auburn over his previous Georgia commitment as well as Alabama. According to 247Sports, Riddick has visited Auburn four times since the start of this year and is slated to attend Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend recruiting even this coming weekend.

Riddick is Auburn’s first five-star recruit out of high school, according to 247Sports’ ratings, since linebacker Owen Pappoe in 2019. It’s the first time Auburn has landed one of the top five in-state recruits since Dylan Brooks and Lee Hunter in 2021.

Riddick is ranked as the No. 26 overall player in the nation and the third-best linebacker. He is the best-ranked overall player in Auburn’s current 2024 class, which now sits at 12 commits. Riddick is the third 2024 linebacker to choose Auburn.

According to Riddick’s high school coach Marvin Morton, Auburn had not recruited the 5-star recruit under previous head coach Bryan Harsin. The Tigers began to seriously pursue Riddick under new linebackers coach Josh Aldridge, who came with Freeze from Liberty.

“They will getting a guy that’s a high character kid, he works hard,” Morton said. “They’ll be getting a kid that I believe is going to enhance the program from a game standpoint, but also in the locker room standpoint as well. He brings that positive energy into the locker rooms. I mean, he’s doing that right now with my current team. And, you know, he’s a big culture guy too.”

Riddick’s primary position is linebacker, and he will play in that role in college, though he does have experience on both sides of the ball with Chilton County.

Two days before Riddick flipped from Georgia to Auburn, Justin Williams from Texas — the nation’s top-rated linebacker — committed to Georgia.