Nearly all of Hugh Freeze’s success since arriving at Auburn has been on the recruiting trail, but that dominance could be starting to wane in the 2026 class. After assembling back-to-back top 10 classes in 2024 and 2025, Freeze’s 2026 group ranks No. 23 in the country and could be in danger of losing a key wide receiver commit who visited Washington over the weekend.
Four-star wide receiver Denairius Gray committed to Auburn on New Year’s Day 2024 and has remained loyal to Freeze and the Tigers since. However, after receiving an offer from Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch, Gray quickly made his way up to Seattle for an official visit on April 25 and posted a picture from the Washington facility on his Instagram story.
2026 four-star Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Denairius Gray — a current Auburn commit — has arrived for his official visit to #Washington this weekend
— Lars Hanson (@LarsHanson) April 26, 2025
Gray, listed at 6-2, 180, has 1,845 career receiving yards & 37 TDs. Been committed to AU since Jan. 1, 2024 pic.twitter.com/kSCjvL1t2p
Denairius Gray takes official visit to Washington after landing an offer from Huskies
The 6-foot-2, 178-pound Hollywood, Florida, native is the 235th-ranked player in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s one of just seven 2026 commits in Auburn’s class and the second-highest ranked wide receiver behind Georgia-native and four-star Devin Carter.
While Gray is a longtime Auburn commit, he could be on flip watch because Carter isn’t the only player he’d need to jump on Freeze’s depth chart at wide receiver.
Freeze’s rebuild began by stockpiling wide receiver talent. The big-time recruiter landed five-star Cam Coleman and four-star Perry Thompson, another top 50 recruit, in the 2024 class. While Thompson was a bit of a non-factor, Coleman, who led the team in touchdown receptions, continued to emerge as a freshman last season, along with another 2024 four-star, Malcolm Simmons, who caught 40 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns.
Between Coleman, Simmons, Thompson, and Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr., Auburn is loaded at wide receiver, not just for this season, but for years to come. Throughout the official visit process, Gray’s loyalty will be tested, along with his competitiveness, as other programs like Washington can provide a much clearer path to playing time.
While that tremendous depth could ultimately cost a four-star recruit in 2026, it’s a great sign for the Tigers and arguably the roster’s biggest strength heading into the 2025 regular season. Plus, if things go wrong for Freeze with Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold this year, then he may not even be around for Gray’s arrival next offseason.