True Freshman Malik Autry: Always Been Auburn

The 6’5”, 330-pound juggernaut from Opelika was the very first commitment of Auburn's 2025 class.

Malik Autry’s Auburn Commitment Timeline

Malik Autry gave his verbal commit to Auburn back in February of 2023. Prior to that, he received offers from Michigan, Georgia Tech, LSU, and Kentucky. Over the next two years, he continued to be recruited, but ultimately chose Auburn over Florida, Ohio State, and USC. Nearly two years after his commitment announcement, the 5-star defensive lineman signed with Auburn in December of 2024 – on the first day of the early signing period.

Getting a Head Start on the Plains

Autry enrolled early in January, giving him the opportunity to attend spring practice. He impressed during spring ball as a quick, disruptive force, with Auburn coaches and teammates praising his ability to learn on the fly and make plays at his size.

“Malik Autry has been one that stood out to me the most,” sophomore DL Malik Blocton told The Auburn Plainsman. “He learns so fast. He picks up stuff quick. And he’s really been taking his game to another level.”

Fall camp has told a similar story. His agility at 330 pounds hasn’t gone unnoticed. Autry again earned praise from standout Malik Blocton, who told the Opelika-Auburn News:

“He makes his presence known. When he's on the field, like, everything's aggressive. But he's also one of those big guys who can move, too. He's got some sauce in his game. We were in 1-on-1s, and he hit someone with a spin move. It was quick. He was looking good out here. He can really move.”

With the roster taking a step forward this year, it might be tough for freshmen like Autry to crack the rotation early. But if he continues to show he’s fully locked into what Hugh Freeze is building, opportunities could come.

"Buying in" is a real expectation from Freeze, no matter your class or stars. Playing time is always fluid, but when it comes to these freshmen, Freeze has been clear: he’s looking for guys who are committed and can give him a handful of high-impact snaps when it counts.

Opelika High School Stats and 7A Dominance

Just down the road from Jordan-Hare, Autry built his résumé at Opelika High School. As a senior, he put up video game numbers for a defensive lineman, constantly drawing double teams. He finished his senior year with an eye-popping 152 total tackles, including 26 tackles for loss and 19 sacks against the highest classification of high school ball in the state: 7A.

His dominance earned him Opelika-Auburn News Defensive Player of the Year, and he was invited to national events like the U.S. Navy All-American Bowl and the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

He was also an A-B Honor Roll student and a basketball and track and field letterman.

That’s the kind of résumé that powered Autry to be the No. 5 recruit at his position nationwide, and it’s part of the reason Auburn locked him up early in the recruiting cycle.

Why Malik Autry Stayed Loyal to Auburn

After shutting down his recruitment, Autry said "I've visted so many schools, but at the end of the day it's always been Auburn." Loyalty to Auburn has always bumped guys up on my list of players to watch. Throughout high school, he showed loyalty to his school and his teammates. In an interview with Auburn Undercover, he stated:

"My high school, my sophomore year we went 5-5, my junior year we went 4-6 and this past year we went 9-3 with a second round exit but just to see our team turnaround really shows me that — I had opportunities to go play for Central-Phenix City and IMG and all those big-time programs — but to stick it out and fight with your brothers and fight for a place you really love does mean more than just joining something that's already established. That's kind of been my mindset and helped me narrow down my decision and let me know that Auburn was home."

Playing in front of a home crowd in Auburn carries personal meaning for him and reinforcing that team culture was a huge part of his decision to sign with Auburn.

Defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams played an integral role in Autry's commitment to Auburn. Jeremy Garrett was the Tigers' defensive line coach when Autry committed but King-Williams had built the relationship from the start. So when Garrett left and King-Williams was promoted, Autry's decision was clear: he knew he'd be playing for someone who genuinely cared about his development on and off the field.

“He’s someone I’d run through a brick wall for every day,” Autry said about King-Williams, according to On3.

Autry's class signed fully aware that Auburn hadn't had a great record. They're coming here for Auburn, to impact the school, because they believe in Auburn and love it.

How Autry Fits Into Auburn’s 2025 Defensive Line Rotation

Although the starting job looks locked with upperclassmen and some incoming transfers, Autry can be slotted in as a rotational option behind Malik Blocton and Quientrail Jamison-Travis – now answering to "Bobby".

Autry is a force against the run game. He's strong enough to overwhelm blockers and quick enough to beat them off the line. He’s already shown he can power through double teams and blow up running lanes. Under defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, Auburn rotates heavily up front. Durkin values fresh legs – Autry is going to see the field at some point in his freshman year. As it stands now, he would be a good fit in goal-line defense or in short-yardage downs and a player who could push for a starting role in 2026.

Stated by the man himself back in 2022: time will tell.

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