AUBURN — If there's one thing fans can't criticize Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze for, it's knowing how to manipulate the news cycle and generate hype in recruiting.

Four days prior to his first Big Cat Weekend with the Tigers last year, Freeze flipped Demarcus Riddick from Georgia. At the time of his announcement, Riddick was a five-star linebacker rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 26 player in the Class of 2024.

Before the week was over, Auburn had a couple more commitments in receivers Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson — the latter of which flipped from Alabama and generated national headlines.

The Tigers could certainly use some similar fireworks this year.

Once holding the No. 4 class in 2025, Auburn has fallen outside of the top 10 after suffering a couple of recent decommitments — offensive tackle Carde Smith and linebacker Tyler Lockhart, both four-star prospects.

With less than four weeks to go until Freeze's second Big Cat Weekend — it's scheduled for the last Saturday in July — here's a recruiting update on where things stand, where things could go and a handful of prospects to monitor:

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Where does Auburn football recruiting rank in 2025?

With 14 players currently committed, the Tigers hold the No. 13 class in the nation, sandwiched between Rutgers at 12 and TCU at 11. In terms of average rating per pledge, Auburn is No. 9, which is good for fifth in the SEC behind LSU, Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M.

Half of Auburn's 14 commits are rated in the top 200, according to the 247Sports Composite. That's tied with Oklahoma and LSU for the sixth most in the country, as only Ohio State (12), Alabama (12), Georgia (10), Notre Dame (8) and Oregon (8) have more. Texas A&M and Clemson each have six. No one else in the country has five or more, though Tennessee is close with four.

Who could soon commit to the Tigers?

A three-star recruit who initially committed to Auburn in February before backing off his pledge in May, tight end Hollis Davidson is once again considering the Tigers. He's got a commitment date set for Thursday, and he's choosing between Auburn and Florida State.

Another prospect to monitor is four-star safety Anquon Fegans, who is tabbed as the No. 45 player in the Class of 2025. Fegans will choose between Auburn, Clemson, Georgia and LSU on July 29, he announced last month through Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports. That commitment date is the Monday after Big Cat Weekend.

Something to consider regarding Fegans: The Tigers currently roster Anquon's brother, Antwon Fegans Jr.

What's Auburn standing with 5-star QB Ju Ju Lewis?

Julian "Ju Ju" Lewis has been committed to USC since August 2023, but he's been considering Auburn and Colorado in recent months. He visited both of those schools in June, including for Auburn's annual 7-on-7 camp. Lewis led Carrollton High School to its second consecutive title in the competition.

Lewis is rated as the No. 2 quarterback in the country, with LSU commit Bryce Underwood being the only QB above him in the rankings. It's not clear whether or not he'll be at Big Cat Weekend, but Auburn would have to feel good about where it stands if he shows up.

The plan is for Lewis to shut down his recruitment prior to the start of his senior season, he told On3's Josh Newberg in May. Carrollton's first game is scheduled for August 16.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football recruiting: Update as Big Cat Weekend is on the way