When Hugh Freeze officially became the head coach of the Auburn football program, the Tigers entered a new era in the realm of recruiting. After a tough stretch, Coach Freeze and his staffers managed to pull in a top 20 recruiting class, closing in on several targets that were on the fence during Bryan Harsin’s tenure.
In addition to signing 17 kids out of high school, the Tigers also added two transfers on early signing day in former Vanderbilt edge Elijah McAllister and former Florida International tight end Rivaldo Fairweather.
Now, a third transfer has been added to the roster in one of Auburn football’s biggest positions of need. Former Tulsa offensive tackle Dillon Wade has officially signed with the Tigers, following his former head coach and current Auburn offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery to the Plains.
The offensive tackle chose the Tigers over the USC Trojans, and according to Auburn Live, Philip Montgomery had a big impact on the decision:
"“Coach Montgomery is an outstanding person,” he said. “He’s a great playcaller. I really appreciate him giving me this opportunity because he gave me this same opportunity out of high school. I haven’t taken that for granted. He was one of the first people that made me feel like I could play at this level.”"
And it continues🦅 #COMMITTED @CoachHughFreeze @CoachPMonty pic.twitter.com/LmdIvdW2Vq
— Dillon Wade (@Icey_Wade) December 24, 2022
Wade, who plans to enroll at Auburn for the spring semester, will join recent signee Izavion Miller and the Tigers’ only returner along the line from the 2022 team, Colby Smith. He will have three years of eligibility after redshirting in 2020 and playing two seasons at Tulsa.
Auburn football’s recruiting class of 2023 now sits at #19 overall and has moved up to the #8 spot in the SEC. With more transfers likely to be added, it’s still possible the class rank continues to improve.