Why Big Cat Weekend doesn’t pose a threat to Alabama
Auburn has made some big moves on the recruiting trail under Hugh Freeze. The Tigers landed a top-10 class in the 2024 cycle with headliners such as 5-star wide receiver Cam Coleman and 4-star quarterback Walker White.
Auburn’s 2025 class has some key pieces but is currently ranked just 16th nationally and 9th in the SEC per 247Sports. Tiger fans are hoping for some big commitments and major flips to close the cycle out strong. Auburn’s biggest recruiting event of the year, Big Cat Weekend, is on the horizon and Hugh Freeze will be hoping to make some noise.
To give credit where it’s due, the visitor list for this weekend on the Plains is impressive. It includes most of Auburn’s 2025 commits as well as several key targets for 2025 and 2026. 5-star edge Jared Smith, 4-star safety Anquon Fegans, and 4-star corner Blake Woodby are all priority targets that the Tigers have been trending for. These are the types of impact commits that Freeze would need to separate himself from the middle of the pack in the SEC.
With Alabama and Auburn having such a fierce in-state rivalry, there is often a significant overlap in their targets. However, this year’s Big Cat Weekend doesn’t appear to pose much of a threat to Alabama’s recruiting class. After 5-star wide receiver and Alabama commit Caleb Cunningham spurned the Tigers, there is only one Bama commit that is expected to be at Big Cat Weekend.
4-star athlete Derick Smith was one of the first recruits to commit to Kalen DeBoer and Alabama back in March, but he has continued to entertain Freeze and Auburn throughout the summer. Smith is on the Big Cat visitors list and the Tigers will be pushing hard to deal a blow to the Tide.
Smith is a skilled player out of Selma who is ranked in the top-100 across the industry. He is being recruited to play defensive back for the Crimson Tide while Auburn likes him on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver. While he’s not the best player in Alabama’s class, it would be disingenuous to say he wouldn’t be a loss for the Tide and a big pickup for Auburn.
In the modern age of recruiting, commits are going to entertain other offers. Players deserve the chance to explore what’s out there and weigh their options, especially this early in the cycle.
While Smith is expected to be at Big Cat Weekend and will undoubtedly get the red carpet treatment, he will also be right back in Tuscaloosa the next day for Alabama’s Champions Cookout. The sample size isn't huge, but Coach Kalen DeBoer and this Alabama staff have proven themselves to be a force on the recruiting trail. I trust in the work they have done and believe in their ability to keep Derick Smith in this class.