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247sports.com Auburn continues strong kicker tradition with addition of AllAmerican Towns McGough Christian Clemente 2–3 minutes Dating back over a decade to Cody Parkey, Auburn has turned into KickerU. That looks set to continue after Towns McGough, the nation's No. 3 kicker in the Kohl's Kicking Camp rankings, has signed with Auburn. From Auburn High (Ala.), McGough was also heavily considering Ole Miss. The Rebels had offered McGough the chance to join on scholarship, while the Tigers add McGough as a preferred walk-on who's expected to receive an NIL deal that will compensate for not being on scholarship. “He’s a once in a lifetime kid that you get to coach. He’s a great kid. He’s a 4.0 kid," Auburn High head coach Keith Etheredge told Auburn Undercover. "He’s awesome in the classroom. He’s the most normal kicker I have ever seen. His leg is unbelievable. For him to have just been doing it for two years, the kid is going to kick on Sundays. He’s going to break NFL records if he stays healthy.” Growing up playing soccer, McGough just recently transitioned to kicking footballs instead of soccer balls and is in his second year of football. As a senior, McGough was named a MaxPreps All-American and named to the Under Armour All-American Game. He also played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, but injured his kicking leg in practice and had to kick with his non-dominant foot in warmups and in the game. As a senior, McGough hit 19 of his 22 field goal attempts and did not miss inside 56 yards. He connected on kicks from 50 yards twice, 52 yards, 55 yards, 56 yards and 60 yards out. McGough averaged 73 yards on his kickoffs. Alex McPherson heads into his redshirt sophomore season in 2024, but could opt to declare for the NFL Draft after that. Auburn has sent its past three kickers to the NFL in Anders Carlson, Daniel Carlson and Parkey. Special teams coordinator Tanner Burns will hope McPherson continues that streak and McGough follows suit.

247sports.com Auburn QB signee Walker White set to play in AllAmerican Bowl Steve Wiltfong 4–5 minutes Miami has quickly replenished the defensive tackle room via the transfer portal. With starters Leonard Taylor and Branson Deen onto the next phases of their careers, the Hurricanes have brought in a couple of key pieces. Middle Tennessee State’s Marley Cook committed to Miami on Sunday after spending all day Saturday and parts of Sunday in South Florida on an official visit with the program. NC State’s C.J. Clark committed to Miami last Friday. Ohio State was slated to get the 6-foot-2, 298-pounder on campus this weekend, but after meeting with NFL Hall of Famer and defensive line coach Jason Taylor late in the week, pivoted those plans and made the trip down to Miami. Cook knew coming into the visit that this would be the place he would call home. "What I really liked about Miami is the culture there," Cook told InsideTheU ahead of his commitment. "Everybody there is good people. You don't have to worry about no bad culture of anything. You ain't got no termites or whatnot. Another thing, I like the campus too. It's not too big and it's not too small. It's just the right size for everybody to get around and get to class." Taylor, Joe Salave'a, and associate head coach Todd Stroud all played major roles in helping Miami secure a pledge from Cook, who was one one the more popular names in the portal with offers from the Hurricanes, Buckeyes, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Baylor, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, TCU, Louisville, and Missouri amongst others. "They hit me up every morning and every evening. That's why," Cook said. "I'm not talking about every other day. I'm talking about every single day. They were calling me every single morning to see how I'm doing. They do that better than any coach that I had throughout this whole recruiting process." The 6-foot-2, 298-pounder generated 18 pressures from the interior this past fall, but had a monster junior season in 2022, totaling 49 pressures, seven sacks, and 9.5 tackles for loss. That included three pressures and a sack in an upset win over Miami early in that season. His 90.1 pass rush grade that season was fourth best amongst defensive tackles. The Hurricanes made it clear that they need some of that production from Cook with some vacancies in the teeth of the defense. "Coach Taylor told me that they got three guys, and a possibility of four guys leaving, so I knew that I would be in the right spot and in the right place to compete for a starting job," Cook said. Cook holds an 89 rating from the 247Sports transfer rankings council and is considered the No. 10 defensive lineman in the portal. It's his final year of college and he plans to make the most of it. "Miami, going here is not a vacation. It's a business trip," Cook said. "You have all the fun stuff on the side, but at the end of the day my main focus is getting drafted." Chris Wash of Always On Sports Representation believes Cook is already a draftable defensive tackle at the next level and thinks another year at the Power 5 level will only elevate his stock. "I've dealt with coach Joe, coach Taylor and coach Stroud throughout this whole process and it was a great experience," Wash said. "Very easy to work with, very professional. Marley's decision, as he stated, came down to a business decision. He's not coming there to party — he's going to play football. It's also important for the fans to know at Miami that this kid is a projected draft pick if he were to come out this year. He's coming to Miami to win and boost his draft stock."

saturdaydownsouth.com Auburn locks in 2nd OT signee of 2024 class Grant Bricker | 20 hours ago 2–3 minutes Auburn had an addition to its 2024 class late on the 1st day of the Early Signing Period in signee Favour Edwin. Edwin is a 3-star offensive tackle out of McDonough (Ga.) Eagles Landing Christian Academy. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 52 OT in the 2024 class. He’s a lot to handle at 6-foot-6.5, 300 pounds. Alabama and Florida were the only other SEC schools to offer him out of high school. App State, Arkansas State, Clemson, Colorado, FAU, Georgia Tech, Houston, James Madison, and West Virginia also reached out to Edwin. BOOM!! WE AIN’T DONE YET! ?@EdwinFave is an Auburn Tiger! ? McDonough, Georgia ? Offensive Line pic.twitter.com/zl9MBhA7bF — Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 21, 2023 Edwin joins fellow OT and 3-star signee Seth Wilfred out of Ephraim, Utah. The Tigers also have inside offensive lineman and 4-star signee DeAndre Carter on the way out of Santa Ana, California. Hugh Freeze’s second class at Auburn finished at No. 7 overall, per 247Sports. The Tigers will be facing Maryland in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium. Here’s a highlight tape of Edwin: TRENDING 58,148 READS 51,772 READS 23,016 READS Grant Bricker

si.com Did Auburn's Recruiting Class Help Close The Gap With Alabama and Georgia? Brian Smith 4–5 minutes The top of the SEC has Alabama and Georgia above all others, but will Auburn's 2024 recruiting class help to get the Tigers into that conversation? The answer is a resounding yes! Here's why, with four points being covered that talk about the long-term effects of the 2024 Auburn recruiting class. 1) Walker White can be a big-play quarterback. Long-term, Auburn's offense will be versatile but also operate primarily through its signal caller. That's where White comes into play. His ability to create plays with his feet and his arm gives Hugh Freeze and the offensive staff a playmaker behind center. Of note, White's downfield passing ability will be a great addition to what the Tigers do on offense. He has a big arm. To throw to the players being brought in with him, that arm shall be put to good use. That brings us to the point about playing against Bama and UGA. It's hard enough to sustain 10, 12, and 14-play drives versus mid-level SEC teams. Doing that one or two times, in a single game against Bama or Georgia is not out of the question. Sustaining long drives, over and over, against the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs, is not all that realistic. Auburn needs chunk-yardage plays and White can provide that. He has a chance to be Auburn's next big-time quarterback. 2) Playmakers will help tilt the advantage toward Auburn. The speed of a slot receiver like Bryce Cain can be utilized in numerous ways. Cain likely sees a plethora of single coverage as well because of the players also coming to the Plains. Hard to imagine Bama and UGA consistently playing man coverage against Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson, and the same should be brought up about Malcolm Simmons. Coleman and Thompson are the big-bodied receivers who make the 50-50 ball catches; they provide top-end speed. When needed, each of them will also make a defender miss. Simmons is quite as big but do not be fooled because he's another weapon when the football is in his hands. All four of these young men will be hard for Alabama or Georgia to cover. To that point, do not be surprised if Auburn uses more four-wide receiver sets to place pressure on defenses by spreading them out. Auburn will be able to place pressure on the Bama and Georgia defenses. 3) Auburn's defensive line recruiting is big-time. If you did not yet watch the HUDL film for Amaris Williams, take the time to do so. He's an absolutely incredible athlete who plays running back and wildcat quarterback for his Clinton (N.C.) High School program, at 265 pounds! Along with TJ Lindsey, Malik Blocton, and eventually Dimitry Nicolas (signing in February), this is a versatile group that adds all of the size, speed, and athleticism to allow the Auburn coaching staff to be creative. It's one thing to be pumped to play Bama or Georgia, it's another to have the raw trench-talent to create havoc behind the line of scrimmage. These four defenders are going to elevate Auburn's defensive front and create chances for more big plays against the Tide and Bulldogs. 4) The defense will have the talent to be aggressive, even against Bama and UGA. Bama and Georgia often run over the opposition during the late third quarter and fourth quarter of any given game; each of them wears an opponent down. Auburn is helping itself with the 2024 class to no longer be one of those teams that get blown off the football or have tired legs at a position like cornerback. More size, more speed, and more sheer numbers of talented players for the Tigers, that's the 2024 class in a nutshell. A player like Demarcus Riddick is a prime example. He's a speedy defender who can play against a slot receiver or bang in the box against the run. Playing safety for Chilton County High School in Clanton, Ala., Riddick is a known playmaker who will help Auburn match up better against either of their SEC rivals. Recruiting Pages to Bookmark

si.com Did Auburn's Recruiting Class Help Close The Gap With Alabama and Georgia? Brian Smith 4–5 minutes The top of the SEC has Alabama and Georgia above all others, but will Auburn's 2024 recruiting class help to get the Tigers into that conversation? The answer is a resounding yes! Here's why, with four points being covered that talk about the long-term effects of the 2024 Auburn recruiting class. 1) Walker White can be a big-play quarterback. Long-term, Auburn's offense will be versatile but also operate primarily through its signal caller. That's where White comes into play. His ability to create plays with his feet and his arm gives Hugh Freeze and the offensive staff a playmaker behind center. Of note, White's downfield passing ability will be a great addition to what the Tigers do on offense. He has a big arm. To throw to the players being brought in with him, that arm shall be put to good use. That brings us to the point about playing against Bama and UGA. It's hard enough to sustain 10, 12, and 14-play drives versus mid-level SEC teams. Doing that one or two times, in a single game against Bama or Georgia is not out of the question. Sustaining long drives, over and over, against the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs, is not all that realistic. Auburn needs chunk-yardage plays and White can provide that. He has a chance to be Auburn's next big-time quarterback. 2) Playmakers will help tilt the advantage toward Auburn. The speed of a slot receiver like Bryce Cain can be utilized in numerous ways. Cain likely sees a plethora of single coverage as well because of the players also coming to the Plains. Hard to imagine Bama and UGA consistently playing man coverage against Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson, and the same should be brought up about Malcolm Simmons. Coleman and Thompson are the big-bodied receivers who make the 50-50 ball catches; they provide top-end speed. When needed, each of them will also make a defender miss. Simmons is quite as big but do not be fooled because he's another weapon when the football is in his hands. All four of these young men will be hard for Alabama or Georgia to cover. To that point, do not be surprised if Auburn uses more four-wide receiver sets to place pressure on defenses by spreading them out. Auburn will be able to place pressure on the Bama and Georgia defenses. 3) Auburn's defensive line recruiting is big-time. If you did not yet watch the HUDL film for Amaris Williams, take the time to do so. He's an absolutely incredible athlete who plays running back and wildcat quarterback for his Clinton (N.C.) High School program, at 265 pounds! Along with TJ Lindsey, Malik Blocton, and eventually Dimitry Nicolas (signing in February), this is a versatile group that adds all of the size, speed, and athleticism to allow the Auburn coaching staff to be creative. It's one thing to be pumped to play Bama or Georgia, it's another to have the raw trench-talent to create havoc behind the line of scrimmage. These four defenders are going to elevate Auburn's defensive front and create chances for more big plays against the Tide and Bulldogs. 4) The defense will have the talent to be aggressive, even against Bama and UGA. Bama and Georgia often run over the opposition during the late third quarter and fourth quarter of any given game; each of them wears an opponent down. Auburn is helping itself with the 2024 class to no longer be one of those teams that get blown off the football or have tired legs at a position like cornerback. More size, more speed, and more sheer numbers of talented players for the Tigers, that's the 2024 class in a nutshell. A player like Demarcus Riddick is a prime example. He's a speedy defender who can play against a slot receiver or bang in the box against the run. Playing safety for Chilton County High School in Clanton, Ala., Riddick is a known playmaker who will help Auburn match up better against either of their SEC rivals.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Massive offensive tackle Favour Edwin signs with Auburn JD McCarthy ~2 minutes Auburn has landed its second commitment of the day and it is once again along the trenches. The Tigers announced that three-star offensive tackle Favour Edwin had signed with the program late Wednesday night. He is Auburn’s 20th signee of early signing period. Offensive line coach and Jake Thornton beat out Alabama and Florida for the McDonough, Georgia product, who is in his first year of playing football. Edwin is the No. 680 overall player and No. 52 offensive tackle in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is also the No. 80 player from Georgia. Originally from Nigeria, Edwin is listed at 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds. The only linemen on Auburn’s roster who are the same size are Gunner Britton and Tyler Johnson, who are also 6-foot-6. Edwin is Auburn’s third signee along the offensive line, joining four-star DeAndre Carter and three-star Seth Wilfred. You can view all of Auburn’s activity during the early sighing period here. BOOM!! WE AIN'T DONE YET! 💥@EdwinFave is an Auburn Tiger! 🏠 McDonough, Georgia 💪 Offensive Line pic.twitter.com/zl9MBhA7bF — Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 21, 2023 Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

247sports.com Caldwell Column What a job by Freeze and Auburn staff Jason Caldwell 4–5 minutes Most important class in the last 25 years I was a young kid when Bo Jackson, Alan Evans and others signed in the 1982 class, but I remember watching that group of young guys combine with a hard-nosed group of veterans to really put Auburn football back on the map. This is a class that has the potential to have the same type of impact for the Tigers when you talk about the type of talent that Hugh Freeze and his staff are bringing to the Plains. The class features six Top 100 players and 10 in the Top 247. Last year they had five in the Top 247 with Keldric Faulk in the Top 100. The previous two recruiting classes saw Bryan Harsin sign just seven Top 247 players combined and none in the Top 100. That’s the type of talent you need to dig yourself out of a deep hole, and that’s exactly where Auburn was when Freeze took the job. Were there some good football players left on the roster? Yes, some very good players. Were there enough of them? Not even close. Freeze talked about stacking classes being the key to having sustained success and that started with getting guys like Faulk, Connor Lew, Kayin Lee and others at the end of last year’s cycle. It carried over this year and looks to be moving in a great direction already for the 2025 class. If you want to compete with Alabama, Georgia and the other top programs in college football on a yearly basis and not just when you play them at home, you have to get more talent across the board. That is now happening at Auburn once again. Light years ahead in just 13 months When Freeze was hired last year, he took over a roster that was almost completely depleted on the lines of scrimmage and several other key areas. They immediately set out to fix things as quickly as possible in year one, starting with the offensive line. Bringing in one-year transfers Gunner Britton and Avery Jones helped to stabilize the offensive line. Dillon Wade was a strong player that would eventually settle in at left tackle while his Tulsa teammate Jaden Muskrat became a key reserve for the Tigers. Junior college tackle Izavion Miller stepped in to earn the starting job at right tackle with true freshman Connor Lew eventually becoming the starting center. Throw in additions like Dylan Senda from Northwestern and true freshmen like Tyler Johnson and Braden Joiner and the offensive line has undergone a facelift in just a year. Adding DeAndre Carter and junior college transfer Seth Wilfred earlier in the day on Wednesday, Auburn got a huge addition late on signing day when Favour Edwin signed with the Tigers over Alabama and Florida With Johnson coming on strong during bowl practices, Auburn feels like he could be an answer at tackle sooner rather than later. Now with Edwin onboard and Wilfred another possibility at tackle, the Tigers are continuing to add some much needed pieces along the offensive line. While Marcus Davis, Josh Aldridge and others deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve done in recruiting, there’s not a coach on the staff that has done more work overhauling a room than what Jake Thornton has done on the offensive line. Phenix City pipeline open again The last Auburn signee from Phenix City was John Broussard, who played for the Tigers in 2016-17 before transferring out. Prior to that, Jonathan Wallace was with the Tigers from 2012-15 and started a few games during his career on the Plains. You have to go all the way back to James Joseph and Ed King, who both finished in 1990, to find full-time starters from Phenix City for the Auburn Tigers. In fact, there have only been 13 lettermen in Auburn history from Phenix City, which is hard to believe considering it’s just 35-40 minutes away. That makes the signing of Cam Coleman so much more important than just because it’s adding one of the best players in the country. You’re getting an elite talent at wide receiver, but it’s also getting you back into a school that continues to churn out top prospects year in and year out. We’ll see what type of impact this has, but it sure feels like this is an important one for Auburn’s chances at getting more players from Central in the future.

al.com Auburn gets much-needed OL commitment with 3-star Favour Edwin Updated: Dec. 21, 2023, 10:35 a.m.|Published: Dec. 20, 2023, 10:37 p.m. 2–3 minutes Auburn signee Favour Edwin highlights from Eagles Landing Christian Academy After Auburn made Favour Edwin’s shortlist on Nov. 2, Hugh Freeze and the Tigers won the race and earned both his commitment and his signature as Edwin chose Auburn late on Wednesday night. Auburn beat out the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Georgia Tech for the 3-star offensive line prospect out of Eagles Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Ga. Measuring 6-foot-8 and 290 pounds, Edwin ranks as the 56th-ranked offensive tackle in the country and the 69th-best high school prospect out of the state of Georgia, according to 247Sports, which adds Edwin just started playing football in the spring of 2023 after an early background in basketball. According to 247Sports, on August 16, Freeze and the Tigers became the second to offer Edwin, coming on the heels of an offer from Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Edwin went on to take visits to The Plains on Sept. 30 as Auburn hosted Georgia and on Nov. 25 as Auburn hosted Alabama. By his second visit, Edwin had already trimmed down his list five teams, including the Tigers and Crimson Tide. Set to lose three starting offensive linemen in Gunner Britton, Avery Jones and Kam Stutts, Auburn has offered a healthy handful of offensive linemen in the transfer portal. With the addition of Edwin, Freeze and the Tigers are set to welcome at least three new faces to the offensive line room as Edwin is slated to join 4-star DeAndre Carter and 3-star JUCO prospect Seth Wilfred. This number could swell, should the Tigers land an offensive lineman out of the transfer portal. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com Hugh Freeze gave up play-calling duties to recruit. Was it worth it? Updated: Dec. 21, 2023, 9:09 a.m.|Published: Dec. 21, 2023, 9:07 a.m. 6–8 minutes Before he’d ever coached a game at Auburn, before he’d been through a single fall camp practice, before he’d landed the commitments of top prospects like five-star receivers Perry Thompson or Cam Coleman, head coach Hugh Freeze stood on at a podium in July at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Nashville to say he was giving up playcalling duties all in an effort to focus on recruiting. On that afternoon at SEC Media Days, Freeze said he was giving up playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery because he no longer felt he was the elite play-caller he used to be. But leading up to Auburn’s Sept. 30 game against Georgia, Freeze said in reality the decision would be more so to allow him time to be on the road, to be calling recruits and to be game-planning for years to come instead of just the week ahead. His belief centered on an understanding that what he needed to make Auburn competitive within in the SEC wasn’t on the team’s 2023 roster. Throughout the season, Freeze has talked about the team’s so-called talent gap to the rest of the SEC. So he focused instead on building for years to come. The first season of that choice culminated Wednesday with National Signing Day. Auburn signed 25 total players on Wednesday in a class that is now ranked No. 7 nationally, according to 247Sports. “So, I think the time I chose to maybe spend away from the offensive side of the ball, it paid some dividends there,” Freeze said Wednesday. Freeze spending time outside of the gritty game-planning details allowed him to bring in the best wide receiver class in Auburn’s history with five-star recruits Thompson and Coleman as well as four-star recruits Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain. “I think I couldn’t have asked any more out of the effort that it took to try, in a short amount of time, to get into the battles for the top guys,” Freeze said. “Because truthfully the elite schools are always a couple years ahead. We had to close the gap on a lot to get in in those battles. We didn’t win all of them but we sure were in them.” The 2024 class is Auburn’s first top-10 group since 2020. It’s the first Auburn class to contain a five-star recruit since linebacker Owen Pappoe in 2019. “I thought the effort that was put into trying to make our first class here a top-10 class, which was our goal— I don’t know where we stand with that, I can’t keep up with all of that,” Freeze said. “That was our goal, is in Year One to have a top-10 class and in Year Two to have a top-five class.” Though the belief Freeze seemed to have at the beginning of the season — to serve as somewhat of a CEO while tending to all the necessary parts of rebuilding Auburn — isn’t exactly what came to fruition. Freeze’s appearance ahead of the Georgia game on Auburn’s weekly Tiger Talk radio show laid out his dilemma. By that point in the season, Auburn was 3-1 but had clearly shown its struggles offensively — especially as that week Auburn was coming off a 27-10 loss to Texas A&M where the only touchdown Auburn scored came from linebacker Eugene Asante returning a fumble. On the show, Freeze said he was having to take on a larger role with the play-calling and the offense as a whole. As the season went on, Freeze talked frequently about how difficult it was for him to not be as hands-on as he’s been in the past. This was the first season where Freeze has been a head coach while also not serving as the primary play-caller on offense. But in order to help with the struggling offense of the 2023 season, that meant Freeze could no longer spend as much time in recruiting. Auburn had dozens of recruits on campus the week of the Georgia game — just as it did in home games later in the season against Ole Miss and Alabama. And after Auburn lost to Ole Miss, dropping to 3-4 for the season with an anemic offense, Freeze had to make a change. Three weeks later, Auburn then on a three-game winning streak, Freeze sat down after his 48-10 win over Arkansas and described how after the Ole Miss game, he came into the offensive staff meetings and firmly stated they were going to play the game his way. No questions about it. “We had a dang chance to win a few other games, and I wish I had put my foot down earlier and said, ‘This is the only thing I feel comfortable being able to help. If we operate like this, I can help,’” Freeze said after beating Arkansas. “And that’s probably the turning point.” That meant adding in more of the run-pass-option and high-tempo schemes Freeze has pushed for. And when that change occurred, Auburn’s offense began its best run of play for the whole season. Albeit, the passing offense still finished as the worst in the SEC. That’s why Freeze needed wide receivers. He believes adding talent like Thompson and Coleman around quarterback Payton Thorne will be that solution. Whether his added playcalling involvement cost Auburn any recruiting battles isn’t clear. It would certainly be a stretch to suggest Auburn only landed one of its three top flip targets on Signing Day because Freeze spent more time working on the game-planning and play-calling as the year progressed. And what Freeze’s role next year could look like is unclear. Montgomery is still the offensive coordinator and, to this point, nothing concrete has suggested Auburn plans to cut ties. Montgomery will be made available to the media on the eve of the Music City Bowl in Nashville. That will be the first time for any clarity surrounding exactly what his role looked like once Freeze became more involved. It’s now on Freeze to determine what he wants his involvement to look like, and how to balance his time, going forward. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

al.com Hugh Freeze started fencing in Auburn’s backyard early. It paid off on Signing Day Published: Dec. 21, 2023, 1:05 p.m. 7–9 minutes It was July 26 and 5-star Chilton County linebacker Demarcus Riddick sat at a table flanked by his parents. His mother, celebrating a birthday, dug into a gift bag and pulled out an Auburn hat as Riddick announced his commitment to Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers, who beat out Alabama and Georgia for the commitment of Riddick. “This is where I want to be for the next three or four years, it feels like home being there,” Riddick said after announcing his commitment to Auburn. Ironically, Riddick didn’t get an opportunity to experience that home-like feeling until after Hugh Freeze arrived at Auburn eight months prior. Despite Riddick being a coveted prospect less than an hour and a half away from Auburn’s campus, he was never pursued by the Tigers under former head coach Bryan Harsin. But such was the reputation of Harsin, who is said to have paid little to no attention to many of the high school football programs in Auburn’s backyard. “He came in under COVID so you kinda give him a pass in year one,” said Erik Speakman, former head coach of Opelika High School, which is located just 20 minutes from Auburn’s campus. “But then you really never saw much of those guys. And it wasn’t just him, but the whole staff.” Harsin’s recruiting efforts – or lack thereof – played a big role in he and the program’s rapid decline. After less than two seasons on The Plains, Harsin was axed on Halloween in 2022, putting an abrupt end to a tenure that lasted less than two full seasons. By that point, however, Harsin had already left Auburn’s roster with a pair of black eyes and a gruesome amount of attrition, making for a steep uphill battle for whoever took over as Auburn’s next head coach. Come November of 2022, Freeze was announced as Auburn’s head coach, therefore inheriting said uphill battle. And Freeze learned quick that he and his still-developing coaching staff were going to have their hands full trying to get Auburn’s roster back on track. “I don’t want to be negative,” Freeze told local media members before taking the podium at SEC Media Days in July. “Just… it was off from what I believe an Auburn roster should look like. Recruiting has been a little more challenging than I thought for Auburn, because of what I believe Auburn should be and what it’s proven it can be.” Eight days after Freeze muttered those words in a tiny breakout room somewhere in the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Nashville, Riddick announced his commitment to Auburn, giving the Tigers their first 5-star commit since Owen Pappoe in 2019. But perhaps more importantly, the commitment of Riddick symbolized one of the first fence posts Freeze and the Tigers’ current coaching staff put in the ground as they set out to build a fence around the perimeter of Auburn’s backyard – something Harsin and his staff never bothered to do. The June 15th commitment of 4-star linebacker Joseph Phillips, who comes by way of Booker T. Washington High School in Tuskegee, was another critical piece in Freeze’s fence-building efforts. No stranger to the grind of recruiting in the SEC, however, Freeze knew there was more he had to do to try and stake claim of his territory. Back in August, Jackson High School football coach Cody Fluornoy and Opelika’s Speakman told AL.com that Freeze and other members of Auburn’s coaching staff had paid their programs a visit during the offseason. No, the Tigers weren’t heavily recruiting a player at either of their programs, but it was still a sight for sore eyes considering neither prep program received much attention from Auburn under Harsin. But that wasn’t going to be the case under Freeze, whose previous SEC experience from his time at Ole Miss likely taught him two things: the importance of winning recruiting battles in your home state and the quality of high school talent in the state of Alabama. “You really better do your homework,” Speakman said in August, days after Auburn’s big recruiting win in Riddick. “And I think that’s what you’re seeing now with Coach Freeze is his familiarity with the SEC from his time at Ole Miss — Just the emphasis on getting in-state guys that wanna be at Auburn and wanna play for Auburn, and then those guys in Georgia and some guys from Florida.” Looking at 247Sports’ prospect rankings for the 2024 class, there were five players from the state of Alabama ranked inside the top-26, proving just how nutrient dense the soil of the Yellowhammer State is in terms of football talent. Texas was the only state to with more players in the top-26 as the Lonestar State boasted six. Of those five Alabama natives ranked inside the top-26, Freeze and the Tigers landed a pair of them in 5-star wide receiver Cam Coleman, who ranks as the No. 1 player in the state of Alabama, and fellow 5-star wide receiver Perry Thompson, who ranks as the fifth-best player in the state of Alabama. Meanwhile, Nick Saban and Alabama are on track to land a pair of their own as 5-star athlete Jaylen Mbakwe signed his letter of intent with the Crimson Tide Wednesday, while 5-star wide receiver Ryan Williams remains committed to the Tide, despite the relentless pursuit of Freeze and the Tigers. Williams, ranked as the second-best player in the state of Alabama, says he won’t sign his letter of intent until February, meaning there are still two months left in Williams’ recruitment, which is bound to come down to the wire. Now, if you take a magnifying glass to the state of Alabama exclusively, you’ll find that the Tigers landed nine of the state’s top-25 prospects Wednesday as Coleman, Thompson, Riddick, Phillips, 4-star wide receivers Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain, 4-star defensive back A’Mon Lane-Ganus, 4-star safety Kaleb Harris and 4-star defensive lineman Malik Blocton all signed their letters of intent with the Tigers. Auburn’s rival in Tuscaloosa, meanwhile, saw five of the state’s top-25 prospects sign their name on the dotted line, cementing their plans to play for Saban and the Crimson Tide. During his press conference Wednesday afternoon, Freeze didn’t want to jump to any conclusions – especially since the dust off the day had still all but settled. “I don’t know if we won the state this year or not,” Freeze said. “I don’t know how that’s determined.” And to be fair to Freeze, that likely won’t be determined until February, when both Auburn and Alabama put finishing touches on their 2024 recruiting classes. Nonetheless, after inking 10 high school players from the state of Alabama Wednesday, Freeze and Auburn’s coaching staff are steadily adding to their fenced-in backyard – a home improvement project that started back in June and July with the commitments of Phillips and Riddick. “We certainly want to in the future of winning our share if not more than our share in this state,” Freeze said Wednesday. “I thought Joseph (Phillips) and (Demarcus) Riddick really helped kick-start that.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com 5-star Auburn high school kicker Towns McGough picks the Tigers Updated: Dec. 21, 2023, 4:23 p.m.|Published: Dec. 21, 2023, 4:08 p.m. ~2 minutes A long line of elite kickers will continue as Auburn, which landed the signing of hometown kicker Towns McGough. McGough, who goes to Auburn High School, was named a MaxPreps first team All-American kicker and a 5-star recruit by Kohls’s Kicking Camp. He made 19 of 22 field goals this season with all of his misses coming from beyond 56 yards. He made six field goals of beyond 50 yards and one from 60. He is the third five-star rated recruit in Auburn’s 2024 signing class, which is now ranked No. 7 in the country by 247Sports. The right-footed kicker also proved he can make a field goal with his left — just in case. McGough is taking a preferred walk-on spot with Auburn, choosing to stay home over going to Ole Miss. Despite being a hometown kid, his recruitment to Auburn was not easy. Current Auburn redshirt freshman kicker Alex McPherson is still in line to be the kicker next year. McGough is set to join a consistent line of NFL-bound kickers including Cody Parkey, Daniel Carlson and Anders Carlson. McPherson did not miss a field goal in 2023 and would appear on track for an NFL kicking job, too, before McGough’s turn. McPherson’s brother Evan is the kicker for the Cincinnati Bengals. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

i am one of the dummies that was not big on him until i realized he cannot catch the ball for his players......live and learn.

that was about all there was salty. let me say i saw parts of the videos on some of our recruits and we have some studs. i have been being lazy mostly. you only have four shopping days for my christmas present salty...................

starts at seven central