Can Auburn Tigers Close Top 5 Recruiting Class?

The Auburn Tigers 2025 recruiting class is one of the tops in the country, but with the struggles on the field, will they be able to hold onto it through Signing Day?

Malik Autry of Opelika, Ala. is one of the prized recruiting in the Auburn Tigers 2025 class. / Brian Smith, On SI

The Auburn Tigers sit with a 3-5 record on the gridiron but also have the nation’s No. 5 recruiting class according to 247 Sports, Rivals, and On3.

That’s not a common combination. It’s also why programs like Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Georgia, and LSU are not shy about contacting Auburn commitments in an attempt to change their minds about their future destination. 

Can the Tigers hold onto this elite recruiting class despite their on-field struggles? Here are four reasons to believe they can.

1) Of Auburn’s 27 high school commitments, 11 come from inside the Yellowhammer State. Many of these young men grew up watching the Auburn football program.

Further, Auburn has verbal commitments from seven prospects in Georgia, two from Florida, and one from Mississippi and Tennessee. Staying local with recruiting has advantages. Thus, there’s more likely to be loyalty toward Auburn overall despite the win-loss record being what it is. 

2) Recruiting closer to home also means Auburn hosts several of its commitments each time there is a recruiting event or home football game. The more these young men become familiar with Auburn, and each other, the more likely they eventually sign with the Tigers.

Many SEC schools – such as Alabama and Georgia – consistently forego the local recruiting grounds and attempt to sign elite recruits in states like California and Texas. Even Auburn does this a little bit, but the Tide and Dawgs have really bought into this recruiting philosophy. 

That is fine as long as every season sees a team at or near the top of the polls. Let’s see how that works out for Bama if the Crimson Tide continues heading back toward the pack during SEC play. Auburn does not have to worry about it with its recruiting strategy.

3) It does not hurt that Auburn just knocked off Kentucky 24-10 to earn its first SEC victory of the 2024 season with the offense being a major reason why. Finally getting over the hump is a relief for Hugh Freeze and his team, and it’s likely to help squelch concerns from offensive recruits and their family members.

As a reference, Florida State’s recruiting class is hemorrhaging recruits. It just lost another commitment, big-time wide receiver CJ Wiley, a prospect who visited Auburn multiple times. The Noles are 1-7 and do not even possess a wide receiver commitment in their class despite having three at the beginning of October.

Recruits continue to take notice of FSU’s atrocious offense. It’s not a coincidence that FSU is on a four-game losing streak and recruits are bailing. As for Auburn, it will be far less likely for Auburn to lose top prospects like running back Alvin Henderson or wide receiver Derick Smith because there are signs of Auburn’s offense coming to life.

4) Playing time matters. This is a veteran Auburn football team. Every offensive position group has a key senior starter, and it’s much the same on the defensive side of the football. If a prospect comes in and earns it, he will see early playing time.

That would be why Freeze and his staff can sell playing time to recruits. Somebody has to start and there’s a need for competition in the two-deep as well. Top prospects want to play early. Auburn certainly has that opportunity available.

Overall, Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is going to be under fire as other programs continue to recruit prospects committed to the Tigers. That being the case, the four points above are good reasons to believe the Tigers will hold onto this class and finish in the top five of the national recruiting rankings.

The early signing period begins December 4th this year.