This article was written by Gus Wilson and published on Sport & State, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.* * * * *
A former Auburn University football staffer was arrested Monday on charges of theft of trade secrets and computer tampering.
Auburn police took David Rudolph Jenrath, 24, into custody after he allegedly accessed confidential recruiting plans from the university’s football program and shared it with as many as 11 other schools.
According to CBS Sports, no game plan information was shared. Instead, Jenrath used the alias “Don Julio” to send documents containing information on recruits in the 2027, 2028, and 2029 high school recruitment cycles. The documents included evaluations of the recruits and whether or not Auburn was targeting the athletes.
NEWS: Former Auburn Staffer Accused of Leaking Info To Opponents
• Former Auburn personnel staffer, David Jenrath (24), has been arrested.
• He is charged with theft of trade secrets and computer tampering.
• Authorities allege Jenrath accessed confidential Auburn Athletics… pic.twitter.com/YxsWNTUamU— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) September 29, 2026
At least one of the schools that received the information from the spy hiding himself as a tequila brand turned it back over to Auburn, according to CNAW 2 News.
Jenrath worked under new head coach Alex Golesh and the Auburn Tigers as a player personnel scouting assistant from January 2026 until June. He worked specifically with running backs, special teams, and player recruitment.
Initially, Jenrath was brought in under previous head coach Hugh Freeze and remained when Golesh took over in November 2025. Jenrath was fired in June after he called out of work sick, but was later seen in the student section during Auburn baseball’s Super Regional matchup, Justin Hokanson of On3 told The Next Round.
Jenrath’s since-deleted LinkedIn profile lists him as a student at the University of Tennessee studying sports analytics. His X account has been deleted as well.
The investigation lasted for months following Auburn’s knowledge of the situation, where investigators later identified Jenrath as the suspect for the alleged crime. He turned himself into Auburn police on Monday and was later transported to Lee County Jail.
The story was originally broken by On3’s Justin Hokanson, who provided screenshots showing Jenrath apparently had no love lost for his former employer.
Yea, someone was upset. pic.twitter.com/amh6OyzDtH
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) September 29, 2026
The news breaks at an ironic time, as the Tigers are currently preparing to take on the Volunteers in Knoxville this coming Saturday in a game we can now deem the “Don Julio Bowl.”
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