Auburn Tight End Recruit Has Tremendous Upside

Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class has one of the nation’s best receiving threats at the tight end position.

Going to see him play last night did not change that notion. In fact, despite going against a tremendous defense, Friday night’s contest provides more respect for this young man. Hollis Davidson has a bright future playing SEC football.

A member of the Peachtree City (Ga.) McIntosh football program, Davidson and his teammates went against one of the best defenses in the greater Atlanta area in Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek. In particular, 2027 defensive back prospect Corey Hadley, Jr. – who holds an Auburn offer among several others – helps to lead an excellent secondary for Sandy Creek.

Beyond multiple defensive backs focusing on Davidson, the defense also did an excellent job of pressuring the McIntosh quarterback. Those facts still did not detour Davidson, from being the primary target.

He makes difficult catches look relatively easy. That point includes a one-handed grab while getting hit going over the middle. McIntosh also uses screens and a variety of routes to help Davidson get open. For the evening, he led his squad in receptions.

Davidson certainly took the hits to catch those passes but also kept coming right back. There is no doubting his competitive nature. Maybe even more importantly than making the catches, just watching him play in a live game gives more credence to why programs like Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, and Alabama also offered this young man a football scholarship.

Davidson’s agility needs to be considered his primary asset. Listed as a tight end recruit, for now, he plays more like a big receiver. His head coach Derek Smith, provides more detail about Davidson’s talent and athleticism.

“One of the most dynamic pass-catching…and I’m going to say receiver, because, I haven’t seen very many receivers during my career who can contort their bodies like Davidson does; anywhere it’s thrown to him.”

To help place Smith's words into context and provide a relation to Auburn football, Davidson's style could be compared to Rivaldo Fairweather , the returning starter for the Tigers coming off a 2023 season with 38 receptions, 394 yards, a 10.4 average, and 6 touchdowns, per CFB Stats . He certainly makes difficult catches and Davidson could follow his lead once at Auburn.

Beyond Davidson’s ability to bring the football into his hands and make dynamic plays, he also showcases the ability to make defenders miss in space and has good speed. Unlike many tight end recruits, he will be a prospect who the Tigers can utilize as a player lining up at an outside receiver position and catching fade balls in the corner of the end zone. He must be defended a bit differently than most tight ends now, and it will be even more that way in the future.

He’s roughly 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds and his frame is far from filled out. Davidson is going to be an excellent addition to the Auburn football program with all of his God-given ability and upside being mixed with the strength and conditioning program on the Plains.

Auburn football fans should be excited about Davidson and his future. To learn more about Davidson, here is a link to his profile and every 2025 Auburn football recruit .