With Auburn's spring practices now underway, do not forget that this is also a valuable recruiting time for the Tigers.
According to Rivals, Auburn has the #7 recruiting class with nine verbal commitments. For 2025, Hugh Freeze wants a top-five class going by his statements this past Dec. 20, National Signing Day.
“That was our goal, in Year 1 to have a top-10 class,” Freeze said of the 2024 recruiting haul. “And, in Year 2, to have a top-five class. And that is the way, I think, you start building a program that is able to stack itself upon each other and create competitiveness among the roster that drives you to chase a standard every day that’s needed to win in this conference.”
With Freeze's goals in mind, note that recruiting victories are not always going to develop from the Tigers leading throughout a top recruit's decision-making process. Sometimes the Auburn staff must fight just to land unofficial visits. To that point, the next two recruits are prospects who could end up on the Plains but are currently most likely to sign elsewhere.
Each of these young men should be considered top talent, and both plan to trek to Auburn for March unofficial visits. Andrew Maddox is one of the South's most recruited prospects. The defensive lineman hails from Hattiesburg (Miss.) Oak Grove and is currently 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds.
He is slated to visit the Plains on March 16. There's stiff competition for ESPN's 108th-ranked recruit. Maddox is also going to see LSU (March 8), Ole Miss (March 19), Mississippi State (March 21), Florida (April 5), and Miami (April 6).
Ole Miss is the perceived favorite with a 247 crystal ball selection for the Rebels. Again, that's why Maddox's visit to Auburn is vital. If the Tigers want to sign him there must be an excellent unofficial visit.
Also visiting Auburn on March 30 will be Darrell Johnson. Coming from Eastman (Ga.) Dodge County, Johnson is a speedy linebacker who could play multiple positions at the Power 4 level like the hybrid spot, or slide inside to the weakside linebacker position. He's the #32 player nationally per the On3 Industry Rankings.
Johnson's recruitment is hot and heavy including Florida State, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas A&M coming after him. He's a rare defender who can play in the box or in space; signing him would be a coup for the Tigers.
Auburn is already on track to have a top-10 class. Adding at least one of Maddox and/or Johnson could place the Tigers into the top five, right where Freeze wants the Tigers to be.
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