Auburn, Freeze Weighing Roster Retainment, Talent Acquisition as Revenue Share Begins

The Auburn Tigers have struggled immensely in recruiting as of late, but head coach Hugh Freeze isn’t convinced it can’t be solved.

The Auburn skipper sat down with the media on July 2, detailing the two main reasons Auburn looks like it does right now. First, Freeze doesn’t believe other schools are operating within the terms of the recent revenue sharing settlement, and second, he is more focused on maintaining his current roster than picking up new talent.

“The main thing that I don't think people understand is retaining your current roster,” Freeze said. “It used to not affect high school recruiting– you were going to sign your 20 to 25 guys. But now with the salary cap, you have to look at a room like our wide receiver room, where on paper we're not losing a single kid.

“We've got to retain those guys cuz I like that room a whole lot. So you don't have the means, so to speak, to go after, you know, the number of high school receivers that you would normally go after.”

Freeze focuses heavily on his current roster, but he acknowledges the unpredictability of the modern recruiting and NIL landscape with NIL and the transfer portal still factors in the sport.

“It's kind of difficult to sit here trying to sign a class when you really don't know what your current roster will be in January,” Freeze admitted. “That's a challenge, but you have to operate within the manner of what the settlement really says and the interpretation that we've received, and that's what we're doing.”

The fruits of Freeze’s labor are showing. He’s picked up and retained players through just about every means he can find, just not recruiting. Many believe that on Aug. 1, when third-party money is officially allowed to be used, he’ll take over the recruiting landscape, as he’s so often done.

The issue? By then, it could be too late for Freeze and Auburn. Freeze has been known to surprise fans, though, so only time will tell.

“Once things shake out and everybody knows what the reality of revenue sharing and outside NIL bills and all of that,” Freeze said, “I think once we get to the facts of all of that, I think we'll be in the game for many top players.”

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