Hugh Freeze was hired to recruit heads-up against Kirby Smart and Nick Saban, and that's exactly what Auburn is doing now

I don’t know if Auburn will land 5-star safety KJ Bolden on Saturday, but if the Tigers do, it only strengthens the point of this piece. 

It may be scorching hot across the South right now, but there’s a Freeze Warning at Auburn — pun absolutely intended — and it will be in effect as long as Hugh Freeze is coaching on the Plains. 

This is why the Tigers were willing to overlook the previous baggage. This is why, when Lane Kiffin turned down the Tigers, many of the AU faithful wanted the other guy anyways. 

Huge Freeze can recruit, and in an age where NIL is legal, Auburn has a boatload of resources and the Tigers have playing time to promise, Hugh Freeze can really recruit. 

In case you haven’t been paying attention, the man has it cookin’ on the trail right now. 

In the last week, Auburn flipped 5-star outside linebacker Demarcus Riddick from Georgia and 5-star receiver Perry Thompson from Alabama. 

Auburn commits just lifted @CoachHughFreeze and threw him in the pool after flipping Perry Thompson.

Cool off, Coach. pic.twitter.com/AAk1411GFj

— Caleb Jones (@CalebJ_Rivals) July 29, 2023

The Tigers now sit at a respectable 15th overall in the latest On3 Team Rankings, and yet it’s only Aug. 1. As Rafiki told Mufasa, “Look harder.” Auburn has just 15 commitments — nine slotted as a 4 or 5-star recruit. The Tigers’ average player ranking is No. 4 nationally, behind only Ohio State, Alabama and UGA. 

The last time the Tigers signed a single 5-star was in 2019 (linebacker Owen Pappoe) — and the Freeze could land as many as four (maybe???) in his first full cycle. 

This is what is supposed to happen at a place like Auburn. This is why so many Tigers’ faithful were fed up with Bryan Harsin well before he started losing games to Mississippi State, South Carolina and Houston late in Year 1. 

He didn’t want to hunt with the big dogs. Freeze does, and Auburn’s chief rivals know that. 

Both Thompson and Riddick are Alabama natives. Both have adamantly stated this is their final decision and they will play on the Plains in 2024. We’ll see, for now anyways, their commitments are more of a macro statement about Freeze’s potential to reshape Auburn’s roster with blue-chip talent. 

We’ve seen how Freeze has been able to quickly use the transfer portal to boost the 2023 team — the Tigers could start as many as 15 newcomers this fall — but the best programs build their teams with high school prospects, and he’s showing he can do that, too. 

It doesn’t really matter if Riddick becomes an All-SEC pass rusher or if Thompson becomes the next Justyn Ross to spurn the Tide, the statement has been made. 

Auburn is back in the game. 

Nick Saban, who just signed the best recruiting class in modern history with 26 blue-chip signees, and Kirby Smart, fresh off back-to-back national championships, aren’t shaking in their boots over a couple of recruiting defeats, but the point is, now they actually have to compete with Auburn for top prospects again. The head coach at Auburn is supposed to recruit heads-up against the head coaches at Alabama and Georgia.

That’s what Freeze is doing. Furthermore, Auburn has made it immediately more difficult for programs like Clemson, Tennessee, Florida and Texas A&M who all swim in the same waters. 

Two recruiting wins don’t change a program. But there’s a domino effect with these commitments. Momentum builds — in 2024 and future classes. 

The Tigers hosted KJ Bolden this past weekend, and reports are they’ve surged to the top of his shortlist ahead of Georgia and Alabama, too. The Tigers are also trending for 4-star defensive tackle TJ Lindsey, per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, and appear to be in good shape for 4-star offensive tackle Deandre Carter, too, who visited Auburn again just this past weekend as well. 

Auburn has won big before. And the fastest way to win big again is to beat out your rivals — two of the best programs in the country right now — for blue-chip prospects. Freeze has beaten Nick Saban a couple times on the field, and now he’s teasing his prowess on the trail again, too.