Where Should Auburn's 2025 Recruiting Class Finish in the National Rankings?

Can the Tigers land a top-five recruiting class?

After Auburn's top-notch 2024 recruiting class, will the Tigers once again sign a top-10 class?

Hugh Freeze and his coaching staff are raising the bar. From the 2024 class, Rivals has the Tigers with a total of nine prospects inside the top 175 that will play on the Plains. From that group, there are the No. 7 and No. 38 overall players in wide receivers Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson. The class comes in at #8 overall.

Here's what Rivals National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney says about three of Auburn's receiver prospects.

"Four-stars Perry Thompson and Bryce Cain could be game-changers in Auburn's offense but the big fish is five-star Cam Coleman. He has the size and athleticism to stretch the field in Freeze's offense. He can high-point the ball, make the back-shoulder catches and everything else."

With Auburn's staff being proven and having a year under their belt, here are four reasons the 2025 Auburn recruiting class should finish inside the top 10 once again.

First, it's the fast start. From the top-10 in-state recruits for 2025, Auburn has two recruits in the fold – defensive end Jakaleb Faulk from Highland Home (Ala.) High School and defensive tackle Malik Autry from Opelika (Ala.) High School – with offers from the likes of Georgia, LSU, and Florida, among others.

Keep in mind, that 2025 is a really deep year inside the state of Alabama. Auburn has five verbal commitments from in-state prospects already and the staff is excited about all of them, including defensive tackle Antonio "Big Tony" Coleman from powerhouse Saraland (Ala.) High School and on the cover of this article.

Continuing with the same list of Rivals' top-10 Alabama prep recruits, the Tigers are also in the race for every prospect who is currently uncommitted. While it's hard to pinpoint which of those recruits will sign with the Tigers, offensive tackle Micah DeBose from Prichard (Ala.) Vigor at #2 and running back Alvin Henderson from Elba (Ala.) High School at #4 are probably the most likely. Here's another reason Auburn should finish with a top-10 class.

Auburn is doing well with top prospects from a key recruiting state just to the west. For instance, 5-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham recently visited the Tigers and came away impressed. 

He's from Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County. It's going to be a battle to sign Cunningham and other prospects from under the noses of Lane Kiffin and Jeff Lebby. Auburn did, however, already sign 2024 edge defender Jamonta Waller from Picayune (Miss.) Picayune Memorial. There's another edge with Cunningham and other players in Mississippi that Auburn shall pursue.

It certainly helps that now Auburn has former Ole Miss wide receivers coach Derrick Nix on the Tigers staff. Nix is a top-flight recruiter and knows the Magnolia State well with experience on the Rebels staff from 2009 through 2023. 

Will is proof that Auburn can take prospects from an SEC rival's backyard and Nix improves their odds even more. That's not the only example of how Auburn does work in their competitor's home state, and the following is the third reason the Tigers should have a top-10 class.

There's also 5-star quarterback Julian "Ju Ju" Lewis who could end up at Auburn based on his recent visit to the Plains. Coming from Carrollton (Ga.) High School, Lewis is technically committed to Southern California but Georgia prep phenom is taking visits to several schools. His recruitment will be as highly contested as any in the country.

Cornerback Jalyn Crawford from Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview and offensive tackle Favour Edwin from McDonough (Ga.) Eagle's Landing Christian Academy are the two 2024 prospects Auburn gained from the Peach State. 

Auburn already has Milton (Ga.) High School tight end Ryan Ghea in the 2025 recruiting fold and he's a tremendous get. Ghea is going to help the Tigers as an inline tight end and out wide as well. Georgia has always been a part of Auburn's prime recruiting territory and it shall continue to be.

For the fourth reason, do not forget about the state of Florida. Auburn has two signees from the 2024 class from talent-rich Florida in defensive back Kensley Faustin from Naples (Fla.) High School and defensive lineman TJ Lindsey from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. 

Plus, Miami Gardens (Fla.) Norland defensive tackle Dimitry Nicholas is signing with the Tigers in February. That appears to just be the beginning of Auburn's efforts inside of Florida.

Examining Auburn's 2025 offers from the Rivals database, roughly 50 Florida recruits are being targeted by Freeze and his staff. With that much effort to scout and offer players inside of Florida, Look for Auburn to be a consistent player for the Sunshine State's top recruits moving forward.

In summary, the Tigers have a tremendous start to their 2025 class and have positioned themselves well for in-state and out-of-state prospects. At a bare minimum, the 2025 class should finish inside the national top 10 of the recruiting rankings.