Former Auburn Athletics Employee Arrested on Felony Data Theft Charges

Former Auburn athletics employee David Rudolph Jenrath, 24, turned himself in and was arrested on felony charges of theft of trade secrets and computer tampering. Police allege he took confidential athletics data and shared it with competing schools; reports citing sources say the material included football recruiting evaluations and prospect notes for upcoming signing classes, but not playbooks or game plans. At least one recipient reportedly returned the information to Auburn, and authorities identified Jenrath as its source. He worked as a player personnel scouting assistant from January through June 2026 and was reportedly dismissed earlier in the year. Jenrath is being held on $15,000 bond; Auburn has not publicly commented, and the allegations have not been resolved in court.
CBS Sports, citing sources, reported that Jenrath used an email account under the pseudonym “Don Julio” to send 10 documents about recruits in the 2027, 2028 and 2029 classes; a source said the email’s subject line also included head coach Alex Golesh’s home address.
The criminal complaint said the incident occurred in July, and an arrest warrant was issued Thursday, according to The Athletic.
AL.com reported that Jenrath was dismissed after Auburn personnel reportedly learned he had said he was sick and not working, then saw him in the student section at an Auburn baseball NCAA super regional game in June.
USA Today reported that Auburn’s Controller’s Office listed five payments to Jenrath totaling $535 between Sept. 12 and Dec. 5, 2025, before his listed January–June 2026 staff role.
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