6-Time Louisiana State Champion Collin Klingman Commits to Auburn (2022)

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Collin Klingman, a six-time Louisiana High School Champion at E.D. White High School, has verbally committed to Auburn University. Currently beginning his junior year of high school, Klingman will join the Auburn class of 2026.

In November of 2019, as just a sophomore, Klingman won the 500 free at the Louisiana Division III (out of 4) State Championship meet, swimming a time of 4:36.38. That time gave him the 4th-best overall across the state’s 4 high school championship meets.

A season earlier, Klingman didn’t even swim the 500 free at the state championship meet, though that year, as a freshman, he won the title in the 100 fly in 51.71. He finished 2nd in that event as a junior, but dropped the 100 back (4th) for the 500 free.

He is also a four-time state champion as a member of E.D. White Catholic’s dominant Division III relays. The school has won 4 consecutive titles, and Klingman has been a part of the last 3 of those – including as an 8th grader.

His 8th grade year, he swam on a 200 medley relay that won by almost 5 seconds and set a Division III record in spite of having an 8th grader and 2 freshmen among the quartet. He also swam on a winning and Division III record-setting 400 free relay that year, again with two freshmen.

A year later, E.D. White re-set the Division III record, this time with two freshmen and two sophomores, in the 200 medley relay, and again at the most recent meet, they broke it again in 1:37.33.

The 2020-2021 championships could be the big one, with two juniors and two seniors on the relay, as the group of Klingman, Jacques Rathle, Dawson Jeansonne, and Brendan Martin have their best shot to chase the overall state record of 1:37.74. That group currently sits at 1:37.33. Rathle, a current senior, is also committed to Auburn, though he’ll arrive a season before Klingman.

His best event is not on the high school schedule: the 400 IM. He swam a best time of 3:56.71 at Winter Juniors – West in December, which was good for a 33rd-place finish.

Best Times in Yards:

• 200 free – 1:45.53
• 500 free – 4:36.38
• 1000 free – 9:43.21
• 1650 free – 16:29.78
• 200 back – 1:52.40
• 100 fly – 50.76
• 200 fly – 1:49.35
• 200 IM – 1:51.20
• 400 IM – 3:56.71

The Auburn men finished 8th out of 10 teams at last year’s SEC Championship meet in Gary Taylor‘s 2nd season as head coach. The IM races, where Klingman seems most-inclined to excel, were among the team’s biggest weaknesses: they scored just 5 points in the 200 IM at the SEC Championships, and 0 points in the 400 IM. Along with the 200 breast (which Klingman doesn’t swim), that’s one of two individual races where the Tigers didn’t score at SECs.

Klingman still has about 2 more years of training with Crawfish Aquatics in Baton Rouge to get to the 3:51 that it took to score at last year’s SEC Championship meet.

After a sophomore season that saw many drops, however, that 3:51 seems well within reach for Klingman:

Klingman is Auburn’s second commit early in the class of 2022 recruiting cycle, joining middle-distance freestyler Drew Jordan. That matches their cross-state rivals Alabama, who have already grabbed two as well: #16 John Hayes and Texan Connor Little.

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