It has been a big week for the Auburn Tigers in recruiting. Hugh Freeze and staff were able to flip two five-star recruits from Alabama and Georgia to give the program a lot of positive energy. At SEC Media Days, Freeze talked about how the Tigers needed to bridge the gap between them and the top of the conference. Auburn currently holds the 17th-best 2024 class according to 247Sports with just 14 players committed.
Big Week for Auburn Recruiting
Mid-week Flip
Auburn got their first big recruiting win before Big Cat Weekend. Linebacker Demarcus Riddick de-committed from Georgia and gave his commitment to the Tigers. Riddick is the fifth-ranked player in Alabama and 46th nationally. He is playing high school football at Chilton County in Clanton, Alabama. He had drawn interest from many teams including Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida to name a few. Riddick will bring tremendous athleticism to the Tigers and is a multi-sport athlete.
Linebacker is a position that struggled in 2022 and could be cause for concern this upcoming season. Freeze talked very highly of Keldric Faulk after the spring, and a future with Riddick in the same group could be promising. The Tigers did dip into the transfer portal to get Austin Keys (Ole Miss) and Elijah McAllister (Vanderbilt). For the 2024 class, Auburn also has committed as a linebacker from three-star D’Angelo Barber and four-star Joesph Phillips. Riddick is the 13th-ranked recruit for Auburn all-time according to 247Sports.
Big Cat Weekend
Hugh Freeze and Nick Saban may not have met on the field in the Iron Bowl yet, but Auburn got a huge win over Alabama on Saturday. Five-star wide receiver Perry Thompson announced he was committing to Auburn after earlier doing so to Alabama. The Foley receiver ranks as the second-best player in Alabama and ranked fourth nationally at his position. With a height of 6-3 and weighing 202, Thompson brings not only great size but speed. In addition to football, Thompson also plays basketball and is on the track team at Foley. In 2022, he had 87 catches for 1,059 yards and nine touchdowns.
Thompson was not the only top recruit that the Auburn Tigers got a commitment from on Saturday at wide receiver. Four-star Malcolm Simmons announced his commitment to Auburn to give fans even more excitement for what is to come in 2024. Simmons is the 19th-ranked player in Alabama, and 28th ranked athlete nationally. He plays for Benjamin Russell out of Alexander City and was a big contributor in an 8-3 team last year that made the postseason. Per Maxpreps.com, he had 31 catches last season for 513 yards and seven touchdowns.
Hugh Freeze on Auburn recruiting
At SEC Media Days two weeks ago, recruiting was one of the main talking points for Freeze. He talked about why there is no reason why Auburn should not be near the top in the SEC. Freeze talked about the program having the facilities, support, administration, and an area where football is important. “I do think that the ’24 and ’25 recruiting cycle will tell a large portion of the story of my tenure there,” said Freeze. 2025 is two years off, but the 2024 recruiting class is off to a great start.
Freeze also went on to talk about how Auburn needs to start closing the gap with the elite teams in the conference. Freeze added, “And when you add Texas and Oklahoma, that only increases the competition, also.” Getting commitments from a couple of five-stars will not bridge the gap, but it is sending a message that Freeze and Auburn will compete for the best players out there.
