AUBURN — It's go time for Auburn football recruiting.

After once holding the No. 4 class in the nation, per the 247Sports team rankings, the Tigers have fallen to No. 15 on the heels of what coach Hugh Freeze labelled recently as a "lull." Auburn hasn't landed a commitment from a recruit since offensive lineman Jacobe Ward announced July 6, and it hasn't gained a pledge from a four-star prospect since running back Alvin Henderson flipped from Penn State on June 21.

Head coach Hugh Freeze hopes the arrival of Big Cat Weekend, which is scheduled for Saturday, means a turnaround is coming.

"I expect it to pick back up with Big Cat," Freeze said at SEC Media Days. "We're never out of the fight on the guys we want, I don't believe that. We're not going to win every battle, but we're on the right ones, and I do think, Big Cat, hopefully we persuade a few more to come with us."

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Big Cat Weekend is Auburn's premier recruiting event of the offseason. It's a tradition that started under former coach Gene Chizik, and it's survived in the regimes after him of Gus Malzahn, Bryan Harsin and now Freeze. The goal of Big Cat is to get as many high-level recruits on campus as possible, and make their stays as enjoyable as possible.

Momentum is the name of the game in recruiting, and Big Cat, if done correctly, could help the Tigers propel themselves back up the rankings.

Take last year, for example.

Auburn entered the weekend festivities with just one receiver committed in speedster Bryce Cain. It exited with two more, as Malcolm Simmons popped first before Perry Thompson flipped from Alabama later that day. That trio, now all on campus, combined with five-star recruit Cam Coleman to create what has been nicknamed the "Freeze Four."

Will the Tigers succeed in once again creating momentum at Freeze's second Big Cat? It's certainly possible.

With dozens of prospects set to be on campus, Auburn almost assuredly has a plan for how to roll out any commits it receives. Freeze and his staff have shown they know how to play the game and manipulate the news cycle, so expect at least a couple public pledges to come either during the weekend or soon after it.

There are three big names to keep an eye on. The first is four-star safety Anquon Fegans, who has a commitment date scheduled for July 29; getting him on campus so close to the day of his announcement is a positive sign. There's also his teammate at Thompson High School: Four-star edge rusher Jared Smith, who was recently predicted by Steve Wiltfong of On3 Sports to end up at Auburn. Smith's commitment date is set for Aug. 3.

Four-star cornerback Blake Woodby is another one to monitor. He hasn't announced a specific date for when he'll make his pledge public, but he has narrowed down his top three candidates in Auburn, Maryland and Oregon.

Some connections to consider: Fegans has a brother currently on Auburn's roster in Antwon Fegans and Woodby has a teammate at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore who is currently committed to the Tigers in three-star moneybacker Bryce Deas.

Fegans, Smith and Woodby are all top-100 recruits in the Class of 2025. Their national rankings, per the 247Sports Composite, are No. 44, No. 57 and No. 100, respectively. If Auburn were to land all three and everything else around the country stayed the same, the Tigers would be up to 19 pledges in 2025 and vault up the rankings to No. 6 in the country with a team score of 267.48.

For reference, Auburn ended the 2024 cycle with 18 commitments and a team score of 275.39 and finished with the nation's No. 10 class. It was a haul that featured 15 recruits rated as a four-star prospect or better. If the Tigers landed Fegans, Smith and Woodby, they'd have 12 four-star recruits committed.

The game of recruiting comes with natural ebbs and flows. In order for Auburn to finish as high in the rankings as possible, Freeze and his staff are going to do what they can to ensure Big Cat Weekend is a positive moment on the way to signing day.

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: What successful Big Cat Weekend means for recruiting