Auburn Tigers News: Hugh Freeze's recruiting philosophy, moment of truth for QBs
In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, head coach Hugh Freeze shares thoughts on his recruiting philosophy and we examine the importance of this weekend's game for the quarterbacks
If Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze has done one thing right since arriving on the Plains, it's recruiting. Freeze has been tearing up the recruiting trail since first taking the job, something that was imperative in the Tigers' newest hire after the disaster that was Bryan Harsin.
The 2024 class was ranked in the top 10 nationally, and the 2025 class is already in the top five. Talent is swarming to the Plains, but Freeze recognizes that his style of recruiting may look a little different than what people want. The Tigers' head coach believes that the bread and butter is high school recruits and that NIL should not be the No. 1 priority in kids who want to play for Auburn, per Auburn Live's Justin Hokanson.
two paragraphs stand out for perspective on Hugh Freeze’s immediate outlook and approach to NIL/portal https://t.co/JSvUIKdBPX pic.twitter.com/tsbGULaeOI
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) September 13, 2024
Moment of truth for the quarterbacks
It's another cupcake opponent for the Auburn Tigers this weekend, but it's a game that will be very important to the overall season. After returning quarterback Payton Thorne played miserably against the Cal Golden Bears last weekend, fans are clamoring for redshirt freshman backup Hank Brown to hit the field.
Freeze insists that Thorne is consistently the best player in practice, but acknowledges that also must show up on the field and that Thorne's performance last Saturday was disappointing. According to AL.com's Michael Casagrande, this weekend will be the moment of truth for the quarterbacks with the beginning of SEC play looming around the corner.
"Whether it be Thorne finding himself or Brown taking the job, something needs to happen to gain momentum that’s been missing since early last November."
It's do or die for Thorne in the first quarter of today's game against New Mexico, because Brown must get in snaps before being thrown into the fire against an SEC opponent, even if it is Arkansas.