It feels like the world is falling around Auburn Tigers football coach Hugh Freeze after he lost the 2026 class's only receiver commit, 4-star Boynton Beach (FL) product Denairius Gray, to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Actuality and facts help mitigate the emotional damage, somewhat.
As AL.com's Jerry Humphrey III noted bluntly, most of AU's projected top receivers have eligibility beyond the coming fall.
"Eric Singleton Jr., Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain, Derick Smith, Sam Turner and Erick Smith have at least one year of eligibility remaining after the 2025 season," Humphrey wrote.
Perhaps Gray's flip is a sign he didn't feel there'd be targets to go around over the next few seasons. Freeze seeing continuity with his receiving corps is a positive thing. Especially with all the hoopla the "Freeze Four" came to the Plains with. Not to mention potential star transfer Eric Singleton Jr. from Georgia Tech.
Regarding Malcolm Simmons, Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, and Bryce Cain, Freeze has talked glowingly about their chances of growing with the program over the long-term.
“They’re freshmen,” Freeze said of the Freeze Four (h/t AL.com). “They’re really, really talented and are starting to catch on and understand how this game has to be played against some of the elite athletes in the secondary at some of the other places.
“We’re really excited about their future. I think all four of them — Bryce, Cam, Perry and Malcolm — I think all four have huge ceilings and chances to be really, really special.”
It might not be all good with Freeze, who was seemingly doing more golfing than recruiting in June.
It might not be all bad either.