The recruiting classes being put together by Alabama and Auburn couldn't be any different right now.
Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide are on an absolute tear, reeling in 12 commitments since the beginning of June and skyrocketing up the rankings all the way up to No. 6 in the composite. In the last week alone, Alabama has added three 5-star commitments from RB Ezavier Crowell, LB Xavier Griffin, and WR Cederian Morgan. Alabama is favored to land two more recruits this week: 4-star DL Nolan Wilson on Friday and 5-star safety Jireh Edwards on Saturday.
While Alabama is on a heater, Auburn is lost in the wilderness. Hugh Freeze's class is currently ranked No. 89 in the country, one spot ahead of UConn and one spot behind powerhouse Louisiana. The Tigers hold just six commitments, only two of whom are ranked nationally. They've seen several of their top recruits flip to others over the last month, and worst of all, they missed out on priority in-state targets like Crowell and Morgan to hated rival Alabama.
You would think this sort of dichotomy between the two programs would force Auburn to re-evaluate what they are doing wrong to lead them to this point. On the contrary, however, in a press conference on Wednesday, Freeze and AD John Cohen instead pointed the finger at shady practices of everyone else. They stated that Auburn is operating under the rules as they understand them in the new revenue-sharing era, while others are certainly not.
Hugh Freeze and #Auburn AD John Cohen comment on Auburn's slow recruiting start in the 2026 class.
— Davis Baker (@DavisBakerTV) July 3, 2025
Both On3/Rivals and 247Sports have Auburn ranked last in the SEC with only six commitments.
"I do think it'll shake out in the long run... but it is hard to sit there and feel… pic.twitter.com/nV7FhKcsrn
After listening to Hugh Freeze and John Cohen, it's abundantly clear they believe Auburn is playing by the rules and going about the new world of NIL the right way, and others aren't. August 1 will be the first day offers can be in writing. We'll see what schools' verbal offers…
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) July 2, 2025
It's the Simpsons meme come to life. "Am I out of touch? No, it's the children who are wrong!"
Freeze and Auburn need to point the finger at themselves
If you thought Auburn was going to take this one on the chin without some faux-moral high ground outrage, think again. Auburn might be ranked 89th in recruiting, but they are always No. 1 when it comes to being sanctimonious.
It's just different down there. We wouldn't understand. Their issues in recruiting certainly don't have anything to do with the amount of money they spent in the Transfer Portal or boosters who are ready for "show, don't tell" from Freeze.
Auburn hasn't had a winning season since 2020. They haven't won more than six games in a single season since 2019. Freeze, for all the promise he brought with him to the Plains, has produced a record of just 11-14 in his two seasons. A worse mark than Bryan Harsin, the guy they couldn't wait to fire.
Freeze's seat is uncomfortable. The writing appears to be on the wall if Auburn stumbles to another subpar season. 7+ wins in the regular season seems to be the bare minimum it will take to buy him a fourth season on the job.
Results have yet to come on the field, but Freeze was able to hang his hat on recruiting over the first two offseasons. Now, he can't do that either, and there's less promise of a brighter tomorrow.