BY WIL CREWS
SPORTSCREWS@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
AUBURN —
Is that Jack Frost nipping at your nose? No? Then it might be Hugh Freeze reviving the Auburn football program.
The newly hired head coach discussed the completion of his first signing class on The Plains last Wednesday, Dec. 21, after weeks of recruiting like a Tiger who was at risk of losing its stripes.
“We’re really not through anywhere,” Freeze said as he addressed reporters on the early National Signing Day. “We still have some big targets out there that hopefully we can close on now or in that second wave when we hit the road in January. There’s still a lot of targets out there and some needs we have.”
It is no secret that Auburn’s recruiting suffered under former head coach Bryan Harsin; the 2023 class ranked in the low 50s nationally just a couple months ago. When Freeze was announced as the 31st head football coach in Auburn’s history in late November, the football program would have been more aptly named the Cougars, due to the massive mountain that needed climbing in order to quickly change the Tigers’ outlook for the future.
“It was a wild two weeks for us,” Freeze said “We came into this considerably behind what I think Auburn should be in recruiting.”
When the smoke of the early signing period cleared last week, the Tigers finished with the No. 19 class in the nation according to 247sports composite rankings. The steep climb up the national rankings can be attributed to nothing less than a feverish recruiting effort from Freeze, secondary coach Zac Etheridge and associate head coach Cadillac Williams — among others — over the past couple of weeks.
“But those guys never gave up on trying to hold onto some relationships that had been formed throughout the previous years, along with the people in the building, and they deserve a ton of credit for hanging us in the fight until we could get what these families appear to have some stability and some direction and vision for our program,” Freeze said. “So I’m thankful for those guys; they were faithful to the Auburn Family and held us in there with a lot of guys.”
By all accounts, the early National Signing Day was a success for Freeze and Auburn. The Tigers entered the day needing to bolster depth — and quality — at almost every position. And for the most part, Auburn achieved that.
The most notable area of concern that needed addressing for the Tigers was the offensive line. Before Wednesday, the last time Auburn had signed three high school offensive linemen was in 2017; and the position suffered the past few years because of that. On early National Signing Day, the Tigers inked commitments from four high schoolers at the position, and earned a commitment from the No. 4-ranked junior college (JUCO) offensive lineman Izavion Miller. With those guys, and the potential for more reinforcements through the transfer portal, Auburn has a legitimate shot at signing one of the best offensive line classes in the country.
Furthermore, while the Tigers got “their guy” often and early last Wednesday, Freeze and company were also busy working on players who were previously committed to other schools. The result was a very merry “Flipmas” as Auburn was able to lure a couple key players to The Plains.
The premier contributors to the Flipmas were four-stars Keldric Faulk and Kayin Lee.
Faulk, a defensive lineman, was committed to Florida State before choosing the Tigers on Wednesday. He will now come to The Plains as the highest-rated recruit of the 2023 class.
“Man, what a battle,” Freeze said of recruiting Faulk. “Probably spent more time on this one than any. I love this kid, love this family. So thrilled that they decided to entrust this vision.”
Lee, a cornerback, was a gem of the Ohio State 2023 class before flipping to the Tigers, and is rated as the third-best freshman in Freeze’s first class.
Locally, Freeze and his staff reaped the benefits of a talented high school football region. Auburn High School offensive lineman Bradyn Joiner, Opelika defensive lineman Brenton Williams and Loachapoka athlete J.C. Hart all held true to their commitments to the Tigers.
Moreover, Freeze and his staff earned transfer commitments from edge Elijah McAllister and tight end Rivaldo Fairweather last week. McAllister comes in as a two-time team captain at his former school Vanderbilt, and will provide immediate help along the Tigers’ defensive line.
“A two-time team captain in this conference at another school … excited to have him,” Freeze said of McAllister. “I think he’s going to bring some maturity to that side of the ball, some leadership for these young guys who I think are incredibly talented.”
In total, Auburn signed 16 freshmen, two JUCO and two transfer players on early National Signing Day. That amounts to eight four-star and 12 three-star recruits, according to 247.
The work is not done, however. The prize of Auburn’s 2023 class, Montgomery Catholic four-star running back Jeremiah Cobb (who has been verbally committed to the Tigers since July) still lingers, and the transfer portal is ripe with talent. But if last Wednesday was any indication, Auburn is heading back in the right direction under Freeze.