Immediately after Kalen DeBoer was hired to succeed Nick Saban, the major doubt about his success as the Alabama Football head man was recruiting. Could DeBoer continue Alabama's pipeline of talent, or would the competition from other SEC programs be too much for DeBoer?
In the same period, across the state, Hugh Freeze was still being heralded as a master recruiter. Auburn fans were giddy in their expectation for their recruiting classes and transfer additions to flip the scales against DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Among some Auburn fans, the giddiness has faded to doubts about the recruiting prowess of Hugh Freeze.
Except for Southern Cal with their 28 verbal commits, 2026 signing classes are far from finished. Auburn has eight verbal commits. Alabama has only six. Team Rankings for the 2026 class will change considerably. Per 247Sports, Auburn currently has the No. 38 class, up from No. 49. Alabama Football has the No. 48 class, up from No. 57. The numbers are misleading.
Although the sample size is small, a closer look at the numbers is revealing. The average player ratings show Alabama as the nation's No. 2 in player talent at an average rating of 94.03. The Crimson Tide trails No. 1 LSU with a 95.18 average player rating. Auburn is at No. 11 nationally with an average player rating of 90.99.
In addition, momentum appears to be clearly in favor of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama has hosted a large number of top prospects this month. Recruiting experts see the Tide leading for several high-profile recruits. For Auburn, the most recent verbal commit is a 3-star running back, who is not even ranked nationally by 247. Eric Perry is ranked as the No. 52 player in the state of Mississippi.
Fly War Eagle highlighted Auburn's celebration for landing Perry. "The Auburn football team hosted almost ten recruits on campus this weekend for official visits, and their efforts yielded major results. Following the trip to the Plains, 3-star running back Eric Perry announced his commitment to the Tigers."
Kalen DeBoer and Alabama Football Top '26 Commits
At this point, recruiting wizardry from Hugh Freeze is not evident. Two of Alabama's six commits are in the top 65 players nationally. Auburn's top commit is No. 103.
At Alabama, Kalen DeBoer has much to prove. Hugh Freeze appears on the brink of having to prove even more. If Freeze cannot out-recruit Kalen DeBoer, he and Auburn are in big trouble.