With classes having successfully started in Auburn, the unofficial fall is kicking into high gear, meaning the 2026 college football season for the Auburn Tigers and Alex Golesh is getting closer.
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As Sept. 5 continues to creep up, Auburn Undercover’s top 20 impact players watch list continues for its second reveal as the staff shows who it thinks will make a difference for the Tigers on the gridiron this season.
As a disclaimer, the poll was tabulated by rankings sent in from four people on the Auburn Undercover staff—Tyler Raley, Ryan Bartow, Caleb Jones and Jay Douglas. The rankings each person sent in were averaged, with the lowest score going at the top of the list.
Coming in at No. 19, the list moves over to the offensive side of the football with one of the transfers that Golesh has been really high on in tight end Jake Johnson, a senior who comes to the Plains from North Carolina and is proving himself daily.
General information:
Year: Senior
Position: Tight end
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 245 pounds
Hometown: Athens, Georgia
Performance in 2025:
Johnson got on the stat sheet in six games in Chapel Hill in 2025, but saw action in every contest throughout the season.
The tight end caught 16 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown in his most recent campaign, with that one touchdown coming in a season-opening loss to TCU. The receiving yards placed him fifth on North Carolina behind three wide receivers and one running back.
Johnson’s most productive game of the year came in a 28-12 loss to Wake Forest, a game that saw him catch five passes for 54 yards. It was the game that saw him record his most receiving yards in an appearance for the year, as well as make his longest reception of the campaign at 19 yards.
Preseason camp intel:
Johnson serves as a veteran in a tight end room that has a lot of versatility about it, one that on the second day of preseason camp, Golesh said he was “giddy” about in terms of thinking about all he could do in the offense with the tight ends.
On Friday following a scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Golesh was asked about where he felt the tight end room was at this point in preseason camp, at which time he gave high praise to Johnson and his work.
“Jake Johnson has been uber impressive,” Golesh said. “That is one spot where that kid looks like a kid that’s played a ton of football, highly intelligent.”
It was more than his intelligence though, as the head coach complimented his intensity and desire to go make a play after catching the football, being “gritty” and tough.
Having been a clear-cut leader in the room, it is now a matter of how Auburn uses Johnson in 2026 and if he will have a higher production level than he did at North Carolina.
Johnson works alongside Arlis Boardingham, who is currently getting a lot of the reps immediately behind him. Both players are transfers that have experience in the SEC, with Johnson having once played at Texas A&M while Boardingham spent time at Florida.
Those two along with Hunter Herring are the three seniors in the tight end room.
Impacting Auburn ranking
No. 19 - Jake Johnson
No. 20 - Sylvester Smith-Reed
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Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
