Former Auburn football staffer arrested on felony charges tied to recruiting documents

David Rudolph Jenrath was arrested this week on felony charges after allegedly sharing Auburn recruiting information with up to 11 rival schools

Sep 29, 2026 at 2:03 pm ET • 1 min read

Auburn police arrested former Auburn football staffer David Rudolph Jenrath on Monday on felony charges of theft of trade secrets and computer tampering after he allegedly shared Auburn's recruiting plans with up to 11 other schools, CBS Sports has learned.

Police documents show Jenrath transmitted confidential athletics information to other programs without consent and is accused of "disclosing, using, controlling or taking computer programs and data 'with the intent to harass Auburn University Athletics by disclosing trade secrets of Auburn University Athletics to their opponents.'"

Jenrath, 24, was retained by first-year coach Alex Golesh's staff in January, but was fired in the spring, sources told CBS Sports. Jenrath allegedly used a pseudonym email address named "Don Julio" to share 10 documents containing personnel information on high school recruits Auburn had targeted for the classes of 2027, 2028 and 2029, sources told CBS Sports. The email's subject line also included Golesh's home address, a source said. 

The documents contained Auburn coaches' evaluations of recruits, including information on whom Auburn's new staff was targeting and not targeting. The emails did not include game plan information, the source said.

Jenrath currently identifies himself on social media as a student studying sports analytics at the University of Tennessee, the Tigers' opponent this week in the SEC. Jenrath, who played football as a high school kicker, worked as a player personnel scouting assistant at Auburn, helping with running backs, special teams and player recruitment, according to his LinkedIn profile, which has since been removed online.

Police investigated the anonymous emails for at least two months and identified Jenrath as the source of the messages, according to sources.  One of Auburn's competitors who received the information turned it over to Auburn, police said.

Jenrath turned himself in to the Auburn police on Monday and was transported to Lee County Jail, where he was being held on a $15,000 bond.