Four-star power forward Babatunde Akingbola committed to Auburn on Thursday, announcing his decision on Twitter.
"Hello World, first I would like to thank God, my family, friends, coaches & those who recruited me but the time has come for me to make a decision and I choose to further my career and education with Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers," Akingbola posted.
Akingbola is the first commitment of the 2019 recruiting class for Auburn, though there's a possibility he could reclassify to the 2018 class, according to a source, who added that nothing has been decided on just yet.
Akingbola, out of McEachern High in Powder Springs, Ga., is rated as the No. 25 power forward in the 2019 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder is the No. 8 player in Georgia and rated as the No. 144 prospect nationally.
Akingbola is the first recruit to commit to Auburn since the FBI investigation involving former associate head coach Chuck Person, who faces six federal charges including fraud and conspiracy following his Sept. 26 arrest. Following Person's arrest, Auburn lost a commitment from four-star 2018 power forward E.J. Montgomery.
If Akingbola were to reclassify, he would serve as a replacement for Montgomery, who was committed to Auburn for more than a year, in the Tigers' 2018 recruiting class.
Since Person's arrest and the decommitment from Montgomery, the Tigers have gotten off to a 15-1 start to the season and are ranked No. 22 in the nation.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.