Eli Lederman
Multiple Authors
Auburn secured a commitment from one of the nation’s top running back prospects Saturday with a pledge from four-star recruit Myson Johnson-Cook, No. 34 in the SC Next 300.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound rusher from East St. Louis, Illinois, is ESPN’s No. 3 overall running back prospect in the Class of 2027. He announced his commitment to the Tigers over finalists Miami, LSU, Kentucky and Ole Miss on Saturday during a ceremony in Decatur, Illinois.
Johnson-Cook lands as the Tigers’ highest-ranked commitment under first-year coach Alex Golesh, who arrived at Auburn last November after three seasons at South Florida. He follows four-star tight end George Lamons Jr. (No. 90 overall) and defensive tackle Donivan Moore (No. 170) as the top-ranked of three prospects pledged to the program’s 2027 class.
Johnson-Cook’s recruitment came down to hotly-contested battle between Auburn and Miami in the final weeks before his decision following a string of spring campus visits, which included three trips to see the Hurricanes since March 1. His most recent visit to Miami came last weekend before Johnson-Cook spent two days at Auburn earlier this week. Both programs sent assistant coaches to meet with the running back prospect in Illinois in the lead up to Saturday’s announcement.
Johnson-Cook, who is rated as the nation’s No. 2 athlete in the latest SC Next Junior 300, began his high school career at MacArthur (Illinois) High School before transferring to Texas powerhouse DeSoto High School for his sophomore season in 2024. He returned to his home state last fall, where Johnson-Cook was credited with 1,341 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns on 126 carries (10.6 YPG) in his debut season at East St. Louis High School.
Only five-star Georgia pledge Kemon Spell (No. 8 overall) and four-star rusher David Gabriel Georges (No. 23) rank ahead of Johnson-Cook in ESPN’s running backs rankings for the 2027 class. Gabriel Georges narrowed his finalists to Georgia, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Tennessee earlier this month and stands among Landen Williams-Callis (No. 44) and Noah Roberts (No. 51) as the top remaining uncommitted running backs in the cycle.
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