Alabama and Auburn have had two completely different summers when it comes to recruiting.
In year two under Kalen DeBoer, Alabama has been recruiting at a high level that resembles the recruiting from the Saban era. Over a two-week span, the Crimson Tide saw commitments from five 5-star recruits, with a sixth possibly coming in the near future. Three of the top 10 players from the state of Alabama have committed to the Crimson Tide, with another in-state 5-star having Alabama on his short list. The recent success has launched Alabama into a top five recruiting class according to most experts.
On the other end of the state, Auburn and head coach Hugh Freeze have been under heavy criticism over the lack of fireworks on the recruiting trail. Recently, when discussing the House settlement surrounding player payment, Freeze insinuated that other schools were cheating, stating, “We’re doing things the right way.”
Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron believes that Freeze is just making up excuses for his recent struggles in recruiting. On a recent episode of McCarron’s podcast, “The Dynasty,” he didn’t hesitate to call out the Auburn head coach.
“Hugh Freeze is full of shit,” McCarron said. “I think Hugh Freeze is trying to do whatever he can to save face. He’s starting to feel pressure at Auburn – going into his third year, not having the success that the alumni, the boosters, everybody donating a lot of money thought he would have by this point. I think he’s trying to figure out and scramble on why they are not successful.”
Freeze is coming off back-to-back top 10 recruiting classes, but his current class sits outside the top 70 and is in the bottom half of the SEC. While Freeze blames the slow start to doing things the right way, some think he is playing too much golf.
While Alabama was getting commitments in June, Freeze had a three-week window in which he recorded 11 rounds of golf. These were rounds logged in publicly into the USGA handicap system, but there could have been unrecorded rounds in this timeframe as well. Before the early signing period, coaches golfing in the summer weren’t criticized as much. Now that recruits can sign early, the summer months are key in securing top classes.
Another factor McCarron thinks helps Alabama over Auburn in recruiting is the better opportunities provided after graduating from Alabama compared to Auburn.
“The state of Alabama is ran by Alabama fans, Alabama alumni,” McCarron said. “Whether you like it or not – and I’ve never been one to just absolutely hate on Auburn. Hell, I’ve caught hell from Alabama fans for cheering for some of my friends that played at Auburn. If you are from the state of Alabama, I think it is dumb for you not to sing with the University of Alabama. Your avenue for success with life after football is a lot greater – bigger, however you want to describe it – I think, with being an ex-Alabama football player compared to Auburn.”
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