2026 Recruiting

[Cruiser]

Can Pavia three peat against the Rev??

 

[BamaFanatJSU]

Can Pavia three peat against the Rev??

Magic 8-ball says "Very Likely"

 

[Coach D]

The barn is in a pickle. In the last five years, they've paid a total of over $36 million in buyouts to Malzahn and Harsin. For several reasons, both monetary and to maintain a marginally acceptable facade in the coaching ranks, they can't afford to fire Freeze.

Their current low recruiting ranking will improve. It can't not improve. That doesn't mean the final result will help them in their goal of getting to serious contention for anything that matters.

Flips leading up to or on signing day garner a lot of attention. There aren't that many of them, but human nature is that we remember them far more than their actual frequency. So I don't know how they think they were unable to secure commitments, but will be able to salvage their recruiting class by flipping multiple players on signing day. Chalk it up to wishful barn logic.

From what I understand and it’s actually going to be interesting to watch they are waiting for Aug 1 to see how much they are actually going to have to spend to keep their players on roster. Then they know how much they have left to spend on recruits. Then they have to hope teams over promised and can’t actually pay the recruit as much as they said and hoping they (barn) can pay them enough to get them to flip. Currently any offer to recruits isn’t legally binding but as of Aug 1 it is and so if your current recruit was over promised and you can’t give them that offer which will be legally binding on Aug 1 then they will walk. The barn is putting all hope on that which is bold and hopeful. I would think they aren’t building any relationship with recruits now on top of that so it will be interesting. Surprised there’s no thread on it.

 

[JustNeedMe81]

From what I understand and it’s actually going to be interesting to watch they are waiting for Aug 1 to see how much they are actually going to have to spend to keep their players on roster. Then they know how much they have left to spend on recruits. Then they have to hope teams over promised and can’t actually pay the recruit as much as they said and hoping they (barn) can pay them enough to get them to flip. Currently any offer to recruits isn’t legally binding but as of Aug 1 it is and so if your current recruit was over promised and you can’t give them that offer which will be legally binding on Aug 1 then they will walk. The barn is putting all hope on that which is bold and hopeful. I would think they aren’t building any relationship with recruits now on top of that so it will be interesting. Surprised there’s no thread on it.

Create one . This is worthy to watch for next few weeks.

 

[sanjosecrimson]

From what I understand and it’s actually going to be interesting to watch they are waiting for Aug 1 to see how much they are actually going to have to spend to keep their players on roster. Then they know how much they have left to spend on recruits. Then they have to hope teams over promised and can’t actually pay the recruit as much as they said and hoping they (barn) can pay them enough to get them to flip. Currently any offer to recruits isn’t legally binding but as of Aug 1 it is and so if your current recruit was over promised and you can’t give them that offer which will be legally binding on Aug 1 then they will walk. The barn is putting all hope on that which is bold and hopeful. I would think they aren’t building any relationship with recruits now on top of that so it will be interesting. Surprised there’s no thread on it.

Your analysis is more hopeful and promising than most of the posts from the auburn boards. The majority do not think anything will happen on August 1st and Cohen has messed up handling the new rules and the good Reverend hands are tied. Furthermore, as usual, barn logic dictates that teams like Bama and Georgia cheats while the sanctimonious barn has been playing by the rules. You can't make this nonsense up.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

The barn is in a pickle. In the last five years, they've paid a total of over $36 million in buyouts to Malzahn and Harsin. For several reasons, both monetary and to maintain a marginally acceptable facade in the coaching ranks, they can't afford to fire Freeze.

Their current low recruiting ranking will improve. It can't not improve. That doesn't mean the final result will help them in their goal of getting to serious contention for anything that matters.

Flips leading up to or on signing day garner a lot of attention. There aren't that many of them, but human nature is that we remember them far more than their actual frequency. So I don't know how they think they were unable to secure commitments, but will be able to salvage their recruiting class by flipping multiple players on signing day. Chalk it up to wishful barn logic.

They've already run their collective mouths about owning recruiting in the state of Alabama, and those words aren't tasting so good on the way back down. You'd think they'd learn. But when it comes to Alabama, the barn can't think its way out of play school.

All that said, the barn has a long history of confounding pre-season expectations....both ways. When they're predicted to struggle, they pull out a strong season. When they're predicted to contend for the SEC or national honors, they implode. So I have no idea how this season will turn out for them.

Regardless, and as usual, they will put everything they have into beating us at the barn. The week before us, they play Mercer. Mercer is FCS, so there might not be a betting line on the game. But if you can find one, take Mercer plus the points. Freeze will have spent the Mercer week preparing for us.

Come to think of it, they play Vandy on the road the week before that. I wouldn't be surprised if Freeze is preparing for us leading up to that game -- three weeks ahead of our actual game. Especially if the season hasn't gone well, they're not in contention for anything better than the Birmingham Bowl, and Freeze sees a chance to bolster his reputation as a Bama killer.

I confess to enjoying watching the barn twist in the wind. Still, I'm wary. They usually play their best game of the year -- by light years -- against us in their stadium.

A win down there will not be easy no matter what their record is heading in.

Great post, 4Q!

I think that there is pressure on Freeze to beat Vandy as he has lost every game against Pavia...

But then again, a win against Bama trumps that, so who knows...?

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

From what I understand and it’s actually going to be interesting to watch they are waiting for Aug 1 to see how much they are actually going to have to spend to keep their players on roster. Then they know how much they have left to spend on recruits. Then they have to hope teams over promised and can’t actually pay the recruit as much as they said and hoping they (barn) can pay them enough to get them to flip. Currently any offer to recruits isn’t legally binding but as of Aug 1 it is and so if your current recruit was over promised and you can’t give them that offer which will be legally binding on Aug 1 then they will walk. The barn is putting all hope on that which is bold and hopeful. I would think they aren’t building any relationship with recruits now on top of that so it will be interesting. Surprised there’s no thread on it.

How does the Transfer Portal line up with August 1st...?

 

[TheRealPokeChop]

From what I understand and it’s actually going to be interesting to watch they are waiting for Aug 1 to see how much they are actually going to have to spend to keep their players on roster. Then they know how much they have left to spend on recruits. Then they have to hope teams over promised and can’t actually pay the recruit as much as they said and hoping they (barn) can pay them enough to get them to flip. Currently any offer to recruits isn’t legally binding but as of Aug 1 it is and so if your current recruit was over promised and you can’t give them that offer which will be legally binding on Aug 1 then they will walk. The barn is putting all hope on that which is bold and hopeful. I would think they aren’t building any relationship with recruits now on top of that so it will be interesting. Surprised there’s no thread on it.

This has been their line, but it doesnt really hold water.

They are overextended on money promises from the last two class and their portal additions and anything they've paid to retain folks who wanted to leave. And hoping to maybe pick up crumbs from the higher spending programs like Oregon or texas tech or aTm maybe.

But given that auburn summer visits seemed to all be flops they are basically dead in this cycle. Unless everyone else is wrong and theyre right which is every AU fans last glimer of hope.

Just my opinion, if both bama and ugas ADs say youre wrong.....youre wrong.

 

[TheRealPokeChop]

How does the Transfer Portal line up with August 1st...?

Technically its open right now til August 5th
But only for "designated student athletes" basically walk on who schools dont wnat to count against the 105.

Didn't know this was a thing til today.

Redirect Notice

 

[TheRealPokeChop]

Projected as a RB and we already have one 5* RB and another one that is going to be a 4*. Not sure we are going to take 3 RB's but we shall see.

To be clear i don't expect him at all but would welcome him with loving arms. Probably Miami bound

 

[TheRealPokeChop]

Your analysis is more hopeful and promising than most of the posts from the auburn boards. The majority do not think anything will happen on August 1st and Cohen has messed up handling the new rules and the good Reverend hands are tied. Furthermore, as usual, barn logic dictates that teams like Bama and Georgia cheats while the sanctimonious barn has been playing by the rules. You can't make this nonsense up.

This is correct

 

[4Q Basket Case]

From what I understand and it’s actually going to be interesting to watch they are waiting for Aug 1 to see how much they are actually going to have to spend to keep their players on roster. Then they know how much they have left to spend on recruits. Then they have to hope teams over promised and can’t actually pay the recruit as much as they said and hoping they (barn) can pay them enough to get them to flip. Currently any offer to recruits isn’t legally binding but as of Aug 1 it is and so if your current recruit was over promised and you can’t give them that offer which will be legally binding on Aug 1 then they will walk. The barn is putting all hope on that which is bold and hopeful. I would think they aren’t building any relationship with recruits now on top of that so it will be interesting. Surprised there’s no thread on it.

Yet more reason to scratch my head. Greg Byrne is dealing with a tight budget. He knows where every dime of Revenue Sharing / NIL / Pay for play / whatever you want to call it, is coming from, who it's going to, and for how much.

I cannot imagine him setting up a structure whereby recruits are promised something in late June / early July, only to renege on those promises 4-6 weeks later -- because, hey dummy, what we said then wasn't enforceable -- what're you gonna do?

Not only would that be jaw-droppingly stupid in the short term, it would destroy all future credibility. Forgetting moral integrity for a second, nobody with a smidgen of strategic awareness would do that.

And I promise you, Greg Byrne has both moral integrity and strategic acumen.

The fact that barn leadership seems to think a promise means one thing today, but another when it becomes legally enforceable, is insight into their own internal thought processes.

I know you know all that, Coach D. I just can't fathom a school predicating its whole recruiting strategy on competitors over-promising and under-delivering, leaving the school in question to swoop in like Eagles in Lord of the Rings and save the day.

If that's really the barn's recruiting strategy, I welcome it.

Truly SMH.

 

[BamaFanatJSU]

The fact that barn leadership seems to think that a promise means one thing today, but another when it becomes legally enforceable, is insight into their own internal thought processes.

I know you know all that, Coach D. I just can't fathom a school predicating its whole recruiting strategy on competitors over-promising and under-delivering, leaving the school in question to swoop in like the Eagles in Lord of the Rings and save the day.

If that's really the barn's recruiting strategy, I welcome it.

If that truly is what they're relying on this cycle, then they deserve to choke on every single ounce of the lukewarm pool of mediocrity in which they tread water.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

I glanced at audub's home recruiting board and its crickets over there...

 

[sanjosecrimson]

I glanced at audub's home recruiting board and its crickets over there...

Their next shot of getting a high profile recuit is in-state Jaquez Wilkes (Edge/LB), but even that is no guarantee. Currently, they're 0-4 on all their top Safety targets which included Jireh Edwards. The elephant in the room is of course the slade de commitments which they are having a difficulty grasping because heaven forbid rival schools can offer more than a team who's had 4 straight losing seasons!!!

 

[TiderJack]

Here is a name to keep an eye on at OT. Current GT commit Bear Fretwell. Coach Cap offered this week. Measurables are great but not very highly rated.

https://247sports.com/player/bear-fretwell-46156275/

 

[DallasRTR]

I'm concerned about OL in this recruiting class. We have 1 tackle and 1 interior o lineman.
We need more!! Any more possibly coming our way?

 

[TiderJack]

I'm concerned about OL in this recruiting class. We have 1 tackle and 1 interior o lineman.
We need more!! Any more possibly coming our way?

Not concerned but we did miss on a big time OT which we typically get. Utu and Booker both play OT in HS and both are 4*. We may need to go to portal for OT after this season but we have some good young OT's waiting in the wings.

 

[TheRealPokeChop]

I'm concerned about OL in this recruiting class. We have 1 tackle and 1 interior o lineman.
We need more!! Any more possibly coming our way?

Not concerned. We missed on a few tackle prospects, mostly for financial reasons. The staff doesn't see the immediate need to dedicate a lot of rev share for a top OT in this class who won't start next year. Pretty sure they were counting on Lee but UM offered far more rev share than bama seemed willing to. We still have two.targets to watch at tackle? Neither will be immediate starters but can develop into good or great players. Bear is a 3 star but has tremendous size and is currently a ga tech commit (i still trust Brent keys oline evaluations)

Technically we have two guards in thso class, utu could played tackle in college but just a better fit inside. And booker is a pure college guard. Last year's oline class had only one tackle technically but two guards that could played at right tackle if needed.

Fwiw, olinen quelled a lot of concerns about tackle depth in the spring and jackson Lloyd is much further along than expected and will liley be a starter at LT in 2026 (5 star top 3 type of tackle) with formby likely to return at rt. We will need depth but may be just as well off grabbing someone from the portal in February.

Ill agree tacklenis the one spot we could use one or two more guys at (linebacker and tight end maybe the others) but remember to check out last year's class as well where we did very well at all three of those groups and then supplemented in the portal.

 

[Coach D]

Your analysis is more hopeful and promising than most of the posts from the auburn boards. The majority do not think anything will happen on August 1st and Cohen has messed up handling the new rules and the good Reverend hands are tied. Furthermore, as usual, barn logic dictates that teams like Bama and Georgia cheats while the sanctimonious barn has been playing by the rules. You can't make this nonsense up.

Zero hope in it from me. lol I am more trying to understand why they are doing it. But looks like it’s just talk trying to settle their fans at the moment. I’m hopeful it all burns down and they finish behind vandy in recruiting.

I do believe NIL still has no cap so maybe they have a couple big NIL offers (not direct from school) waiting but even then can’t compete with likes of Aggies and UT and so on. But we can’t either. While it’s nice to have what schools can offer we need a lot of fixing with NIL still.