It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the Auburn Tigers on the recruiting trail with a number of high-profile players either de-committing from the Tigers or publicly choosing another school over Auburn. I’m usually the last person to be concerned about recruiting at this time of year considering signing day isn’t until December, but enough red flags in a short amount of time even gets my attention.
The first two years of the Hugh Freeze era haven’t exactly been stellar on the field. There have been two losing records and far too many losses that could have easily been wins. Of course, this wasn’t unexpected. Freeze didn’t inherit a program on solid footing and everyone knew there were going to be serious rebuilding pains. Even if the product on the field wasn’t up to par, AU fans could at least point to recruiting to feel like things were moving in the right direction.
Freeze salvaged the class he inherited from Bryan Harsin and added several major pieces. He, then, brought in two outstanding classes that have already been very productive. As I write this, the Tigers have five commitments for the 2026 class which is now ranked No. 73 in the country and No. 15 in the SEC. I’m certainly not saying it’s time to panic. Just for reference, Ole Miss only has nine commits and is ranked No. 48. Tennessee has nine commits and is ranked No. 41. Alabama has ten commits and is ranked No. 28. There is a long way to go and a lot is going to happen between now and December. To be perfectly honest, it’s not as important as it used to be to have a highly ranked recruiting class.
Quite a few teams have proven that using the transfer portal can be just as effective in a given year. Again, I’m not worried, but current events have justifiably caused me to raise at least one eyebrow.
Why would this year be any different than the last two years?
The easiest and most obvious answer is players are waiting to see if the Tigers can turn things around this season. Auburn has been considered a program on the rise since Freeze arrived, but after two losing seasons (and four straight dating back to the previous regime) they don’t exactly resemble the Phoenix.
Coaches make a lot of their money because they are fantastic motivational speakers. Auburn is an easy place to sell with an abundance of amenities, but in the end it comes down to wins and losses. I don’t blame any recruit for being skeptical. I think a lot of the fans are on the fence as well.
The Tigers don’t have to win a championship in 2025, but they need to have a good season to prove to the world they are a program on the rise. Perhaps, they need to prove it to themselves. Now, that might explain how a large portion of prospects feel, but AU lost a recruit to Florida State the other day. The Seminoles went 2-10 last year.
Could something else be going on? There is about to be $20.5 million paid out to college athletes (mostly football players) directly from the University beginning July 1.
Auburn has the finances to offer practically the same amount as every other school. Are other schools doing something different monetarily than the Tigers or simply outworking Freeze and his staff?
I don’t have the inside knowledge to give a truthful answer to that question, but recent events have forced me to at least take it into consideration.
Andy Graham is a co-host of Auburn Blitz and his column appears here weekly.
