Less than a month ago, Auburn football recruiting held the No. 4 class in the nation.

After a couple of decommitments and some targets choosing to pledge elsewhere, the Tigers now find themselves outside the top 10 at No. 14, per the 247Sports composite team rankings. That's off from where Auburn wants to be − coach Hugh Freeze has said he's striving to be in the top five − and it's worse than where the Tigers ended last year (No. 10).

But recruiting the Class of 2025 is far from over. There's still more than four months until the early signing period opens, and Freeze expects Big Cat Weekend to help Auburn make up ground. Big Cat, which is scheduled for July 27, is Auburn's premier recruiting event. It started under former coach Gene Chizik and it has become a fixture of the offseason. The goal is to get as many high-level recruits on campus as possible, and make their stays as enjoyable as possible.

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"We had really good momentum, then as recruiting does, you have a little lull it seems," Freeze said. "... But I expect it to pick back up with Big Cat. 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 next weekend."

Last year's Big Cat Weekend featured a scavenger hunt, and the highlight came when receiver Perry Thompson, then committed to Alabama, flipped to Auburn. Recruits in attendance picked Freeze up and tossed him in a pool in celebration. Malcolm Simmons also committed at the event last year.

"I'm confident that we're going to recruit very, very well," Freeze said July 2 at an AMBUSH event in Alexander City. "You guys know the rankings better than I, but it ebbs and flows with the commitments and decommitments. I think all of that is still fluctuating, never final until you get them there. But it's my goal (to get in the top five). I've spoken it and told y'all that. And I do believe we're going to be really close to a top-five class when it's all said and done."

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: Hugh Freeze's expectations for Big Cat