Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze brought on his former Ole Miss recruit-turned-All-Pro wideout DK Metcalf to speak with Foley receiver recruit Perry Thompson, who is currently torn between Alabama and the Plains. In response, Auburn Daily’s Andrew Stefaniak called Freeze’s ability to summon someone like Metcalf a “great recruiting tool.”
“Metcalf is one of the best receivers in the NFL, so this was a great recruiting tool by Freeze to try and flip Thompson,” Stefaniak wrote. “Freeze has coached some talented offensive weapons during his time as a college coach, so what better way to try and land a five-star receiver than saying here, I coached Metcalf, and he’s a Pro Bowl wideout.”
Metcalf just had a personal-best 90 catches during the 2022 season, but his best season from a statistical season was the 2020 season — in which the Oxford, Mississippi native had over 1,300 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Over his Rebels career, Metcalf amassed 67 catches for 1,228 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
Perry Thompson being swayed to the Plains by Auburn football coaching staff
Ultimately, Thompson may end up being like a majority of blue-chip receivers in the state of Alabama: choosing the Crimson Tide. Still, the way Thompson is talking, it sounds as though the Auburn football coaching staff is doing a good job of swaying him to the Plains.
“I’ll say right there with Alabama,” Thompson said when asked where his recruitment stood (h/t Auburn Rivals). “Just making me feel like family, the environment, the whole coaching staff, everything just feels great. Just spending time with Coach (Hugh) Freeze, Coach (Marcus) Davis. Going through the plays and seeing how they’d use me in offense and just them telling me how big of a legacy I can make if I come here.”
Thompson would be one of the biggest — if not flat out the definitive — recruiting wins Freeze will have had since being hired. According to the wideout, late August is when we’ll find out which Iron Bowl rival will have won him over.
“A week before my season I’ll probably make my final decision,” Thompson said.
And now we wait.