Where Auburn football recruiting sits as spring comes to close, summer approaches
AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze met his own expectations for recruiting in the Class of 2024.
Freeze's goal was to reel in a top-10 class nationally, and with the help of a couple of signatures from notable prospects such as five-star receiver Cam Coleman and four-star defensive lineman Amaris Williams, the Tigers achieved that.
The 54-year-old Freeze wasted no time in raising the bar after that.
"That was our goal, is in Year 1 to have a top-10 class and in Year 2 to have a top-five class," Freeze said Dec. 20.
With the expectation of a top-five haul in mind, here's a look at where Auburn recruiting currently sits in the Class of 2025. There's a long way to go before Early Signing Day arrives and prospects can make their verbal commitments official, but this is a snapshot of what the Tigers have accomplished so far.
ONE SIDE: Projecting what Auburn football's offensive depth chart looks like after spring
THE OTHER: Who will start on defense for Auburn football in 2024? Our projections after spring
Who does Auburn football recruiting have committed in 2025?
The Tigers currently have 10 players pledged in the Class of 2025, with the latest commitment coming from four-star offensive lineman Carde Smith on Wednesday. He's the sixth lineman to be in the class, joining fellow offensive linemen Tavaris Dice, Tai Buster and Spencer Dowland and defensive linemen Jourdin Crawford and Malik Autry.
There's been a clear emphasis on the trenches early on. Four-star edge defender Jakaleb Faulk is more of an outside linebacker than he is a defensive end, but he still does plenty of his work near the line of scrimmage. Other commitments include four-star cornerback Devin Williams, four-star tight end Ryan Ghea and three-star tight end Hollis Davidson.
Where does the group rank nationally?
Auburn's collection of talent ranks No. 8 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. It has a composite score of 182.09, which is No. 3 in the SEC behind LSU (225.67) and Oklahoma (207.35). The Tigers have a lead on Alabama (169.95), but the Crimson Tide only have eight commitments.
In terms of average recruit, Auburn ranks No. 12 in the country and No. 7 in the conference. The Tigers trail LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Florida and Ole Miss in that category.
What are the biggest needs remaining?
Building things up front on both sides of the ball is always wise, but Auburn is going to eventually need to land some skill position players, too. That's not to say there's any reason to panic — there's plenty of time to go — but it's something to keep an eye on.
One position in particular to monitor is linebacker. The top three players at the position — Eugene Asante, Austin Keys and Duke transfer Dorian Mausi Jr. — are all set to run out of eligibility after this season. There's some freshmen such as Demarcus Riddick and DJ Barber waiting to take their places, but that group clearly needs to be reloaded for 2025 and beyond.
There's also the need for a quarterback. Track four-star QB Husan Longstreet, who is set to announce his commitment Sunday. Longstreet is deciding between Auburn, Texas A&M, Oregon, UCLA, Louisville, Michigan, Ole Miss and Miami, per Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports.
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 know as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football recruiting: Where the Tigers sit after spring
