Linebacker Shadarius Toodle Will be Worth Wait for Auburn Tigers

He may not be on campus until 2026, but linebacker Shadarius Toodle is a talented commitment for the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze is off to a fast start with the recruiting Class of 2026 / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Auburn Tigers 2026 Linebacker commit Shadarius Toodle of Cottage Hill High School in Mobile, Ala. has the kind of confidence which should fit particularly well with the ambitious plans of head coach Hugh Freeze.

Without even so much as a modicum of doubt, Freeze is proving to be the defining factor in many recruits' decisions to head to the Plains and that includes Toodle.

"He will hold you to a standard," Toodle told Ben Thomas of AL.com. "He will want you to come to practice on time. There is definitely a price to pay to be able to play at Auburn."

Freeze is finding success in the recruitment windows once again by balancing more pressing immediate needs with more long-term type planning. Plus, the Auburn boss isn't going to soft soap the hard grind and discipline which is required to find success with the Tigers.

It's working, so Toodle will join forces with fellow 2026 pledge and linebacker JaMichael Garrett later on down the line - good vibes on campus are also massively helping to seal deals.

"All the recruits were hanging out, talking to each other," Toodle said of his experience on campus. "We were all playing NCAA, just having a great time."

Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 220 pounds, Toodle already has a prototypical linebacker's body, the type which elevated him to being the 4th ranked junior in-state prospect.

Indeed, Toodle's high school coach, Carvel Jones, feels that his protégé at Cottage Hill is the most athletic player he's been around thus far.

"He's the most athletic person I've ever coached or played against at his size," Jones explained. "He is learning the ins and outs of the defense so when he gets ready to go to Auburn, he can be a Day 1 guy. He's putting in all the work."

Building back up the Auburn program has been happening rather quickly, especially now that Freeze has grabbed the recruiting bull by the horns as such.

That being said, in the never ceasing quest to get ever more elite players to jump onboard, it's always nice to get a helping hand every so often..

So, just like freshly recruited running back Alvin Henderson did just recently, Toodle will try his best to get others to join him - guys like fellow linebacker and Mobile, Ala. junior prospect Anthony "Tank" Jones.

"I'm definitely trying to get Tank to commit to Auburn," Toodle declared.

The futures bright, the future's Auburn.