Auburn football’s highest-ranked signee in its 2026 recruiting class played his final high school game Thursday night in the AHSAA Class 1A state championship. The Jaquez Wilkes-led Wadley Bulldogs entered their championship rematch undefeated at 13-0 against Maplesville, a team they defeated 37-7 last year.
Wilkes missed the majority of the second half with an ankle injury that left him sidelined on crutches for the remainder of the game. Despite his absence, Wadley fought hard but ultimately fell to Maplesville 44-22.
“Defensively, it’s tough to replace Jaquez obviously, but we just had a next man up mentality. It just wasn’t our best night. We had too many mistakes,” Wadley coach Dake Rivers said after the game.
“With Jaquez Wilkes, it starts with how good of a kid he is and that starts at home,” Rivers added. “His work ethic will translate to the next level. A lot of people say he plays 1A and won’t be able to play in the SEC, but I’ll take Jaquez Wilkes any day.”
AL.com caught up with Wadley assistant coach Paul Wilkes, Jaquez’s father, who discussed his son’s decision to make things official with Auburn on signing day.
“War Eagle, man, he was always all in on Auburn,” Wilkes said.
Following the Iron Bowl, Auburn brought in new coach Alex Golesh to take over the reins of the Tigers program. On Tuesday, Auburn announced they would retain DJ Durkin as defensive coordinator, helping keep Auburn’s defense and 2026 recruiting class intact. Durkin was Wilkes’ primary recruiter when the Wadley star committed to Auburn this past summer.
“We are Durkin fans,” Wilkes added. “So, it’s good he’s staying. They all reached out to me and wished him a good game today.”
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Wilkes played both running back and linebacker at Wadley. At Auburn, he will focus on linebacker. He is ranked as the No. 67 overall player in the country and the sixth-best linebacker, according to 247Sports.
“He’s a good kid that’s special,” Wilkes said. “He’s going to go to Auburn and give it his all.”
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2025/12/jaquez-wilkes-family-confirms-auburn-commitment-war-eagle-we-are-dj-durkin-fans.html