Paul Finebaum discusses how Auburn's recruiting success impacts on-field expectations

Last week served as a big recruiting moment for the Auburn Tigers, as new head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff got a duo of five-star prospects to flip their commitments to the Tigers after being committed to other SEC programs. Linebacker Demarcus Riddick and wide receiver Perry Thompson were committed to Georgia and Alabama, but decided to switch things up last week as they both announced their commitments to Auburn.

A lot of excitement surrounds the program after some major recruiting news, but should that same excitement be carried into Auburn’s upcoming football season? College football analyst Paul Finebaum doesn’t think so, recently speaking on ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’ about the Tigers balancing recruiting momentum and on-field expectations ahead of Freeze’s first season at the helm.

“Well there is a big difference, and in Auburn’s case, I know that Freeze is trying to calm everyone down. But there’s no reason to calm people down, they should be excited,” Finebaum said. “But I think the overwhelming majority of Auburn fans listening to us right now know what a mess he inherited, and they know where to blame and the blame is pretty obvious, it’s Bryan Harsin. So I think they’ll be patient this year, they want to see a different brand of ball though, and they’re going to see that.”

Auburn’s latest commitments bump their 2024 recruiting class ranking to No. 15 in the country according to On3’s Industry Ranking, which if maintained would be their highest rated class since 2020.

But it will take some time for Freeze’s prospects to actually make an impact for the Tigers, as fans and the program as a whole will have to trust the process like various other teams in the SEC.

“But recruiting takes a while, look at Jimbo Fisher with what his class didn’t do last year but what people think it will this year. It’s always harder to tell at Alabama because the classes are always so good that you can’t see the differentiation. But a Texas A&M, and in particular at Auburn, you’ll be able to see that but we’re a long way from the guys that committed over the weekend making an impact,” Finebaum explained.

Fisher’s 2022 recruiting class was the talk of town across college football, ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time and featuring nine five-star prospects. Yet the Aggies finished the 2022 season with their worst record since 2008 when they were still in the Big 12 Conference.

The Tigers may have to take their lumps on the field as well this upcoming season, but if Freeze and his staff can maintain their recruiting trajectory, the future could be very bright for Auburn.