Major college football program plummets in recruiting rankings after two unexpected flips

An unfortunate trend of high-profile decommitments has plummeted the Auburn Tigers to the bottom of recruiting rankings.

Entering his third season at the helm, head coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers are still searching for a spark after posting back-to-back losing seasons. The major SEC program hasn't finished with a winning season since the 2020 COVID year under Gus Malzahn.

The support is there for the Tigers, who are estimated to spend $11.5 million in NIL funds this year, ranking 16th nationally and ninth in the SEC, per NCAA estimates.

Historically, Auburn has often finished among the best on the recruiting trail, and the Tigers signed a promising class in the 2025 cycle, ranking eighth nationally and fifth in the SEC.

That momentum appeared to be sticking in the 2026 class before some recent swings and misses.

Four-star linebacker JaMichael Garrett, one of the first players to commit to Auburn back in July of last year, decommitted on June 12. The Baton Rouge product ranks as the No. 8 linebacker in his class, per 247Sports.

Four-star Ladarius Toodle, the 18th ranked linebacker, flipped his commitment from Auburn to SEC rival Georgia on Sunday. Toodle, an in-state prospect out of Mobile, also pledged to the Tigers in July of 2024 before giving into a late push from the Bulldogs.

Adding to the string of bad news for Freeze and Co, four-star wide receiver Devin Carter flipped his commitment to Florida State on Monday.

Carter, out of Douglasville, Georgia, ranks as the No. 15 wide receiver and originally pledged to Auburn in January of this year. His father, Dexter Carter, was a first-round draft pick out of Florida State in 1990.