Auburn football: Hugh Freeze on recruiting success

The Auburn football program has seen recruiting struggles for the past few years. Position groups were neglected, Bryan Harsin had a hard time locking down players, and no matter what the circumstances, the Tigers are consistently competing with Alabama and Georgia for top recruits.

In his first two months on the Plains, Hugh Freeze has most definitely found recruiting success. 20 recruits have signed with the Auburn football program in the class of 2023, and 12 transfers will come in with prior experience and talent. After a losing season and a coaching change, the Tigers have still ended up with the #18 overall class and the #4 transfer class.

However, Freeze knows that the train doesn’t stop here, and that mountains have not been moved in this short time. According to 247 Sports, Auburn acquired one 5-star in the class of 2023 while Alabama signed six and Georgia signed five.

It seems that the difference between the last coach and Hugh Freeze is that Freeze is fully aware of what he signed up for, and he is more than ready to find success in an SEC program and go up against the best programs in the nation. What’s more, he knows that the next two recruiting classes are going to be important in determining the future success of the Tigers, per Auburn Live:

"“I really believe the 2024 and 2025 class will determine our success or not,” Freeze said. “We have to hustle and nail those two classes with the right type of players that fit our culture.”"

The Auburn football program hosted over 200 recruits from the next several classes on campus last weekend for Junior Day, and that is the ambitious type of recruiting that is required for a coach in the SEC. Though there will always be challenges, Hugh Freeze is up for them and is ready to put the Tigers back in the race for a National Championship.