Hugh Freeze optimistic about where Auburn stands heading into signing day

With signing day on Wednesday, Auburn isn’t wasting a moment. While the program is still hopeful to secure a commitment from a few promising prospects, head coach Hugh Freeze is happy with what his team has accomplished on the recruiting trail.

“I’m optimistic, but I’ve done this long enough some crazy things can happen between now and signing day,” Freeze said. “I’m certainly not going to think that it’s all finished. But, I like the effort that that we’ve put into building the relationships and to being thorough.

“I feel like we’re signing a very solid class for our first class here. There’s always a few missing pieces that you’d like to have a few more of, but there’s no doubt that if we get to the finish line with the kids that we think we’re going to get, we’ve improved ourselves.”

Auburn is still in the hunt for LJ McCray, KJ Bolden, Amaris Williams, Coen Echols, Favour Edwin and Ryan Williams. Although several players are verbally committed to other programs, Auburn has become a real threat to swipe them on signing day.

If Freeze and Co. can’t secure any last-second steals, they still boast a fantastic recruiting class. Auburn currently has the No. 11 class in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings. The group consists of 20 players, including 10 four-star recruits and two five-star prospects.

Auburn boasts a foundation for the future

Auburn’s two five-star commits are both wide receivers. Perry Thompson was an early pickup, who committed to Auburn in July. He is the No. 31 player in the 2024 class and the No. 10 wide receiver.

Meanwhile, Auburn didn’t secure a commitment from fellow five-star Cam Coleman until Dec. 1. The addition surely put Auburn fans in the holiday spirit. Coleman is the No. 2 WR in the class and the No. 4 player in the country.

Freeze is proud of the work his program has done in his first year at the helm. He believes the future is even brighter.

“We’re going to be one of the elite programs in the country,” Freeze said. “We’ve gotta look at ourselves as coaches, every single week, every single day, and are we demanding a standard that’s going to get us to that elite status? That, combined, obviously, with recruiting classes that are comparable to the upper echelon.

“We can’t recruit in the 30s and 40s and 50s and expect to all of a sudden walk out there and just be great coaches and you’ve gotta — it’s a combination. You’ve got to coach to a certain standard and you’ve got to recruit somewhere close to level, par to the way those guys and some others in this league are.”