Tony Bridges

Tony Bridges committed to Auburn in February. (Wesley Sinor/wsinor@al.com)

Auburn lost one of its top 2015 commitments Friday morning when Mississippi Gulf Coast's Tony Bridges flipped his commitment from the Tigers to Ole Miss, AL.com has confirmed.

The news was first reported by Scout.com.

"I committed to Ole Miss," Bridges told AL.com. "Family-wise, my mother wanted me to be closer to home. First and foremost, you have to love the coaching staff and football players. I love the players at Auburn, but I love the Ole Miss players too. Campus-wise, I love everything about it."

Bridges added his decision is final, though he did not speak to Gus Malzahn or members of the Auburn coaching staff before flipping. It is a considerable loss for the Tigers, as the 247Sports Composite currently ranks Bridges as a four-star prospect and the No. 1 junior college cornerback in the nation.

Bridges becomes the second commitment in as many days for head coach Hugh Freeze and the Rebels. Offensive lineman Javon Patterson picked Ole Miss Thursday over Auburn and Mississippi State.

The Tigers have now dropped to 19 total commitments for the 2015 class, while the Rebels have 15. The loss of Bridges, who was expected to compete for a starting job in 2015, leaves Auburn with just one true defensive back commit in three-star prospect Chris Westry of Orange Park, Fla.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Bridges committed to Auburn in February, but word of a potential flip began to spread in August prior to the season when he was "taking a break" from the recruiting process.

Auburn has recruited several players from Mississippi Gulf Coast in recent years, as receiver D'haquille Williams and defensive back Derrick Moncrief are both products of the community college. MGCCC quarterback Jason Smith remains committed to Auburn, and the Tigers continue to pursue MGCCC defensive tackle Maurice Swain.

Bridges tallied 33 tackles in nine games played this season with three interceptions for the Bulldogs. He also returned 16 punts for 234 yards and a touchdown. He was ejected for targeting in the team's game against Southwest Mississippi Community College Oct. 2.