Hugh Freeze reveals approach to recruiting 2024 class

One of the areas Auburn struggled in under Bryan Harsin was recruiting. Harsin had never been in the southeast and was not equipped to recruit in the country’s toughest conference. Thankfully for the Tigers, they have brought in an experienced recruiter to replace Harsin — Hugh Freeze.

Going back to his days at Ole Miss, Freeze has been able to attract top talent wherever he has been. He will have the same plan while at Auburn but has the opportunity to use a different approach. Freeze recently revealed his pitch to recruits when speaking with On3’s J.D. PicKell on The Hard Count.

“Just be persistent and prove that this culture and environment here is one that the right group of young men together can restore it to the great days of playing for a national championship,” Freeze said. “Come do something new and fresh at a place that you’re going to flourish as a young man and as a young student and an athlete.

“So, we’ve been pretty persistent with that and I think Auburn does a good job of selling itself with this environment that it has on campus and that we’re creating on this building and on the practice field. So, my message is simple. Come and see.”

The state of Alabama has been talent-rich over the past few years but Auburn has fallen behind. Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia have excelled while the Tigers have been done. But now, Freeze is looking to get them right back on the map and win a few head-to-head battles.

At this point of the 2024 cycle, Freeze has brought in the No. 13 overall recruiting class. Compared to SEC foes, Auburn sits seventh overall. All four commits are blue-chips, with quarterback Walker White being the highest rated. It’s no surprise Freeze has landed a quality signal-caller early in his tenure.

Auburn still has plenty of time to gain on their conference members. With the spring game taking place on Saturday, a ton of highly sought-after prospects are going to be on the Plains, taking in the environment Freeze is talking about. Multiple players with five-star status will be on hand to watch A-Day.

Freeze faces a huge cycle ahead of him. While the NCAA transfer portal is a good way to instantly bring talent into a program, recruiting will forever be the lifeblood. Having a constant stream of high school talent is how Auburn will get back to its elite days.