Though the Auburn football program is in the middle of the 2023 season, their first under head coach Hugh Freeze, the recruiting side of things never stops. Last weekend, even though the Tigers played an FCS opponent in the Samford Bulldogs, the recruiting visitor list was extensive, and prospects are continuing to plan trips to the Plains.
Among those prospects is the #1 cornerback in the recruiting class of 2025. Na’eem Offord, from Birmingham, AL, made his way to Auburn for this weekend’s homecoming festivities. The #7 overall prospect in the class of 2025 and the #2 recruit out of the state of Alabama, Offord earned his offer last year before Freeze arrived on the Plains, and running backs coach Cadillac Williams and secondary coach Zac Etheridge maintained contact with him throughout the coaching change.
This weekend Offord had the opportunity to chat with Freeze before the game began, and the cornerback noted important their conversations were in his overall recruitment, per Auburn Rivals:
"“It’s super important, it shows that I’m one of his main priorities,” Offord said. “He was talking to me about more than football, he was talking a lot about life. He was telling me how to be a better man outside of football.”"
With the Samford game behind him, Offord is already planning more trips to campus, and will be on the Plains for both the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry on September 30 and the Iron Bowl at the end of November. He also plans to be at the Ohio State game against Penn State, the Clemson game against Florida State, and the Florida State game against Miami. Earlier this month, he visited Miami when they played Texas A&M.
It seems as though Alabama and Auburn football are the current programs to beat for Na’eem Offord, but he also has interest in both Florida State and Miami.