Auburn football is facing tough recruiting times for the 2026 class. After some early wins in past years, the Tigers have lost several important recruits to other schools.
This has made fans and experts wonder if Auburn can even compete for a championship anytime soon. The team’s recent struggles on the field and in recruiting are making the upcoming season even more important for the Tigers and their head coach, Hugh Freeze.
Recruiting Struggles Raise Questions for Auburn, Hugh Freeze
Auburn’s football program has always worked hard to bring in top players. In 2024 and 2025, Auburn’s recruiting classes were ranked in the top 10 nationally. This showed that the team could attract talented athletes.
However, things have changed for the 2026 class. Auburn has dropped to No. 89 in the latest 247Sports rankings and is last in the SEC as of July 2025. This drop happened after several four-star recruits decided to go to other schools.
One of the first big changes came when Shadarius Toodle, a four-star linebacker, switched his commitment to Georgia. Soon after, four-star wide receiver Devin Carter flipped to Florida State. Denarius Gray, another four-star wide receiver, chose to go to Kentucky instead of staying with Auburn, making it much harder for the Tigers in a competitive SEC.
Because of these setbacks, Freeze is facing a lot of pressure. Some experts are worried about the team’s future. In a recent segment, analyst Brooks Austin gave a strong opinion about Auburn’s situation, especially after Gray left for Kentucky.
“Buddy, when you lose a four-star wide receiver that flips to Kentucky, you’re cooked,” Austin said. “I’m not saying you’re done, but you better go win nine games. You better go win nine games.”
Pretty clear what’s going on at Auburn.
Trouble brewing pic.twitter.com/rQvIGsPGvv
— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) July 2, 2025
Austin pointed out that Auburn has lost top recruits to schools like Florida State and Kentucky. He also talked about the importance of booster support and financial backing for recruiting.
“When I start to see recruiting die off nowadays, you know what that tells me, guys? That tells me you no longer have booster support, or at least not at the rate that you did,” Austin explained.
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These recruiting losses are happening while Auburn is also struggling on the field. The Tigers finished the 2024 season with a 5–7 record, missing a bowl game for the second year in a row. Freeze now enters his third season as head coach with an overall record of 11–14.
Because of these results, Freeze and his staff are under even more pressure to improve things quickly.
Despite these concerns, some experts believe Auburn could improve in the 2025 season. ESPN’s Greg McElroy recently predicted that Auburn could win eight or nine games.
The team has added strong high school recruits like Deuce Knight, Jared Smith, and Alvin Henderson. Auburn also has 21 high school enrollees and 19 transfers joining the team for 2025. These new players could help the Tigers compete at a higher level, but they will need to start the season strong.
Auburn’s recent recruiting and on-field struggles show how quickly things can change in college football. The next season will be very important for Freeze and the Tigers as they try to prove they can still compete in the SEC.