AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn has signed a recruiting class loaded with talent as Cole Davidson, Frankie Harris, Brendan Valdes and Evan Vo have each signed their National Letter of Intent, head coach Nick Clinard announced Thursday.
"Coach Maggard and I are extremely excited about the 2021 class," Clinard said. "Our priorities were to find outstanding students, high-character young men and very athletic players. We accomplished our goal with this group of fine young men that will be exceptional additions to our program at Auburn University.
"These guys like to work out in the gym and work hard on their games and their studies. All four of them are very athletic and have made a huge commitment to their academics and golf games. This class is outstanding in every area and we look forward to having them at Auburn soon."
Davidson, a native of Birmingham, Ala., is ranked as the No. 28 recruit in the country and the No. 2 player in the state by the National Junior Golf Scoreboard. He is a two-time Alabama High School Athletic Association First Team All-State selection and was a state champion in 2018.
The Hewitt-Trussville High School attendee was a 2020 Alabama Golf Association First Team Junior Boys selection and recorded a top-five finish in the 2020 Future Masters.
"Cole is an excellent student and an extremely athletic young man," Clinard said. "He has an outstanding work ethic, has tremendous speed and a huge upside to be an elite player. We are excited about his future and glad he's an Auburn Tiger."
Harris is tabbed by GolfWeek/Sagarin - USA Today Sports as the 29th-best recruit nationally and 38th overall by the American Junior Golf Association. The AJGA also lists him as the fourth-best player in the state of Florida.
Harris was selected as the Sun Sentinel and Palm Beach Post Player of the Year a season ago. The Boca Raton, Fla. native was named an AJGA Rolex All-American and was the champion of the AJGA Killington Open.
"Frankie is an outstanding talent, high-character kid and has proven to be a great student and player," Clinard said. "He's continuing to grow into his body and has a fantastic upside to be an All-American type player at Auburn. He loves to compete and will definitely excel in our program. We are thrilled he's an Auburn Tiger."
Valdes is ranked as the No. 4 player in the country by GolfWeek/Sagarin - USA Today Sports and also sits at No. 5 overall and No. 1 in the state of Florida by the NJGS. He also holds a standing as the eighth-best recruit in the nation by the AJGA.
A native of Orlando, Fla., Valdes is a two-time AJGA Junior All-American. He is also a five-time Florida Junior Tour Champion.
"Brendan is an excellent student and exceptional player," Clinard said. "He has proven to be one of the best players in the nation and a player that is constantly competing for championships. He is a high-character kid that gets it done in the classroom and on the golf course. We are excited to have his signature to be an Auburn Tiger today."
Rounding out the class, Vo is ranked as the ninth-best recruit in the country by AJGA, 20th-best overall by GolfWeek/Sagarin - USA Today Sports and No. 22 nationally by the NJGS. The NJGS also lists him as the No. 2 recruit in the state of Texas.
A native of Austin, Texas, Vo is a two-time AJGA champion and a 2020 AJGA Rolex Junior Second Team All-American while attending Chaparral Star Academy.
"Evan is a high-character kid with an exceptional work ethic," Clinard said. "He's an outstanding student and very driven from the gym, his studies and his golf game. He's proven to be one of the best players in the nation and he will thrive in our program at Auburn. We are looking forward to him arriving on campus next August."
