Why Auburn shouldn't let short-term results impact long-term opinion of program

On3’s JD PicKell is pretty confident that Hugh Freeze will have Auburn on the right track and winning some more games in 2023. But even if he doesn’t, that should dissuade fans from believing in the long-term vision.

Freeze has loaded up with some players in the transfer portal, but with that not being a surefire proposition and Auburn having a general dearth of high-level talent, things could get awry. Even if they do, though, PicKell sees the recruiting success Auburn is having and can’t help but be confident in the long-term outlook.

“This is the direction of Auburn under Hugh Freeze. With that being said, transfers is a shaky foundation to be built on. I’m not saying it can’t work. We’ve seen it work many times, but it doesn’t guarantee success. My excitement, if I’m an Auburn fan, would be for the future under Hugh Freeze because of his ability to land top talent on the recruiting trail,” PicKell said.

With nearly two dozen transfer in this offseason since Freeze took over, it will be a vastly different looking Auburn team come fall. Quarterback Payton Thorne, a Michigan State transfer, has a chance to lift the passing game and the rest of the roster is hopefully souped up enough to compete in the SEC.

But even if this Auburn team wins just six or seven games, PicKell is confident in what the future holds because of what’s happening on the recruiting trail.

As he discussed things, Auburn had already flipped blue-chip linebacker Demarcus Riddick from Georgia to their 2024 signing class. The following day, Auburn flipped another blue chipper, this time from another rival, Alabama, when wideout Perry Thompson flipped his pledge to Auburn.

Both players are rated five stars and rank in the Top 50 in the On3 Industry Ranking for the Class of 2024.

If Freeze and Auburn keep it hot on the recruiting trail like that, PicKell has no doubts the long-term success will come.

“The SEC is a brutal spot to push a ship out into the harbor, out into the storm that is the SEC, playing all those elite teams week in and week out, and trying to make sure the ship floats. It could happen, I’m not saying it won’t. I’m not predicting that by any stretch of the imagination. But my excitement, my real optimism, my long-term hope is in the long-term results that I think are coming Auburn’s way because of adding top talent and because of how they’re going to recruit,” PicKell said.