A former Auburn University football staffer has been charged with stealing trade secrets from the athletic department and passing them to competitors, Auburn police said Tuesday.
According to the Auburn Police Division, officers arrested David Rudolph Jenrath, 24, of Franklin, Tenn., on Monday, Sept. 28, on charges of theft of trade secrets and computer tampering. Police said a business in the 300 block of South Donahue Drive, near the university’s athletic facilities, reported that sensitive information had been stolen and distributed to its competitors, and that one of those competitors received the material and turned it over. Jenrath turned himself in after warrants were issued and was taken to the Lee County Jail, where he was held on $15,000 bond.
Complaints filed in Lee County District Court allege that Jenrath, while employed by Auburn, kept and transmitted confidential Auburn Athletics information without permission, with the intent to disclose it to Auburn’s opponents. The alleged offenses happened on or around July 19, WAKA 8 reported. The complaints do not say which schools received the material.
Jenrath’s since-removed LinkedIn profile listed him as a player personnel scouting assistant for Auburn football from January through June, the Associated Press reported. National outlets citing unnamed sources said the documents involved recruiting evaluations for high school prospects in the classes of 2027 through 2029, not playbooks or NIL information. Those details have not been confirmed by police or the university.
The profile also said Jenrath was studying sports analytics at the University of Tennessee, where Auburn plays Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Opelika Daily News — Wednesday Report, Sept. 30, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News
