Auburn football enters the 2025 season with massive expectations. Head coach Hugh Freeze went on a spending spree to get an enormous class from the transfer portal and in the 2025 recruiting class. However, off-field distractions have popped up, with former four-star recruit Hollis Davidson III getting arrested for a felony drug charge as fall camp started.
Freshman tight end Hollis Davidson III was arrested in Georgia on a felony charge of possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, according to an arrest report obtained by AL.com. The arrest happened on July 28, one day before Auburn players were required to report to fall camp. According to an Auburn spokesperson, Davidson has been suspended due to a “violation of team rules.”
The arrest report said that Davidson was found to have a THC vape and an unspecified amount of loose marijuana. He was contacted by the officer at the scene for “loitering at a closed business,” near a black golf cart. Then, the report said, Davidson placed an item inside the golf cart, and the officer reported smelling the odor of marijuana, constituting probable cause for a search.
The reason for the arrest was that after the vape was sent to a lab for testing, it tested positive for Delta 9 concentrate, and that resulted in a warrant being issued for Davidson's arrest.
The four-star Georgia native was one of two tight ends that the Tigers signed at Ryan Ghea. It is also worth noting that he becomes the third Auburn football player arrested in July, joining linebacker DJ Barber and wide receiver Malcolm Simmons.
Barber was arrested on several felony drug trafficking charges in Dadeville, Alabama, on July 7th, which led to his apparent dismissal from the team.
Simmons was arrested on July 16th on charges of domestic assault with strangulation or suffocation, with him having a preliminary hearing for his case on Friday morning.
Auburn's fall camp has just started and has been eventful so far. It would be a massive loss if the Tigers did not have Davidson available for most of this season. The Tigers had the eighth-ranked recruiting class in the 2025 cycle, and it would be a significant loss if Davidson is held out due to punishment.
Auburn football is in for a big make-or-break season for Hugh Freeze. The Tigers are littered with talent, but the off-field issues continue to pile up and are worth monitoring.
