Quarterback Peyton Falzone is perhaps the Auburn Tigers’ most highly-touted recruit in the 2026 cycle.
The four-star quarterback has dazzled at Nazareth (Pa.), receiving offers from a variety of top schools. He initially committed to Penn State, but flipped to Hugh Freeze’s Auburn Tigers in June.
Auburn Tigers on SI caught up with Falzone this week to discuss all things Auburn, from the coaching and campus to Falzone’s aspirations and role models.
Aside from just football, Falzone, like many recruits, was quite impressed with Auburn itself.
“I think it’s really cool how it is such a tight-knit group of people in Auburn, and just how special it is there,” Falzone said. “I was able to just walk around the campus at night, and there’s families out there walking their dogs. There are kids out there, so it just shows that the family atmosphere stretches outside of the football program.”
The elephant in the room, though, is the fact that Falzone chose the Tigers over in-state school Penn State, where he was committed for two months. Falzone showed the Nittany Lions a lot of love, but explained his decision to come to the Plains.
“I think a lot of it had to do with the atmosphere that’s created around the program,” Falzone said. “It’s a healthy learning environment. It’s a developmental program, and they play to my strengths, as I’m a dual-threat quarterback.
“I love throwing the ball, but I can hurt teams with my legs. Coach Freeze does a good job utilizing that aspect of a quarterback. So, if I come in and play to my strengths, I can hopefully fit into the offense a lot more easily and just go from there and grow.”
Falzone had incredibly high praise for Auburn’s recruiting process, particularly the personability of the coaching staff and team.
“[Auburn] just outperformed in recruiting, like in every program,” Falzone said. “I feel like I really connected with them. I built a really good relationship with them in a really short amount of time. I could pick up the phone at any time and call those coaches, and they’ll answer. It’s like a family, and I thought that was really cool.
“I can relate to them on a football level, but also on a life level. I feel like they truly care about me, and they want to develop me to the highest level, so they’re going to pour everything they have into me.”
The personal level of Auburn doesn’t extend just to the coaches, though. Falzone, in particular, is already fostering a relationship with current Tiger quarterbacks.
“I spent a lot of time with the quarterbacks, just being able to sit and listen, talk, and just pick their brains a little bit about stuff. It’s a really healthy quarterback room,” he said. “I’ve seen some schools where sometimes there aren’t super healthy relationships in there, but everyone [in Auburn] is there supporting each other, and helping the starter get to the highest level.”
Falzone isn’t just coming to Auburn for the southern hospitality, though, saying that his dream is “like all kids, to play in the NFL,” and that he believes Auburn gives him the best chance to do that.
“Everyone prepares as a starter, so you’re constantly going to be developing, but I can know that there aren’t gonna be toxic relationships in [the quarterback room],” he said. “We’re all together, we’re all competing against each other, but we’re all supporting each other.”
The four-star also expressed that he’s quite excited to play in the SEC, as it’ll aid in his development immensely.
“In the SEC, you’re going to face a gauntlet of a schedule,” he said. “You’re competing against the best competition in the entire country. There’s no team in the SEC that I believe is a pushover. Every single weekend you go in there and compete, and when you do that on national television, you can develop a lot faster, and you’ll learn where you stand.”
“So, when you learn where you stand. It’s another opportunity to grow, like ‘okay, this is where I’m at right now. What do I have to do to improve?’ Take those steps, and you can continue getting better as a player.”
Falzone’s mindset is admirable, and it’s no surprise, considering he told us he models his game after reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen.
“Josh Allen is who I try to play like every time I step onto the field,” Falzone said. “He’s probably the strongest arm in the NFL, but he punishes people with his legs, and picks up key yards when he needs to. Just having that in the back of a defensive coordinator’s head gives the offense the upper hand. I gotta try to do that just as well as he does.”
Falzone was a massive acquisition for an Auburn recruiting class that boasts several top commits, joining the group in the middle of a strong close to summer, and will surely fit right in when he’s able to make his way down to the Plains in January.
