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Anyone who has been paying close attention to the recruiting battles that could end up defining the next handful of college football seasons knows that the Ohio State Buckeyes are seemingly a major player for every high profile recruit in the country. The Buckeyes boast the 3rd-ranked class in 2024 and a top-ranked haul in 2025 that has a chance to be among the best in recent college football history. However, when Ohio State dared to venture down into the state of Alabama, it was the Auburn Tigers who bested the Buckeyes for one of the top players in the Yellowhammer State.
“Shadarius Toodle, a Top 247 linebacker in the Class of 2026 from Cottage Hill Christian Academy (Ala.), has announced his commitment to Auburn,” writes Christian Clemente of 247Sports. “It comes at Auburn's Big Cat Weekend recruiting event.” In addition to Auburn and Ohio State, Toodle was also considering offers from powerhouse programs such as LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Miami FL. But in the end, committing to Auburn was a choice that Toodle said was, “the best decision I've ever made.”
“It's just the atmosphere,” Toodle responded, per Clemente, when asked why Auburn was ultimate his choice. “I loved it every time I came up here, I've been up here like four times. My family loves it. Got to talk with Coach Freeze, got to talk with the staff and they just made me feel at home.”
Toodle wasn't the only player from the state of Alabama who committed to Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers on Saturday morning. Joining Toodle is Hezekiah Harris, the 3rd-ranked edge rusher in the country, who chose Auburn over SEC rivals Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
Is Hugh Freeze on his way to turning Auburn around?
A 6-7 record in his debut season at Auburn isn't the most impressive mark, but Hugh Freeze appears to have Auburn back on track and on their way toward perennial contendership in the increasingly competitive SEC. Against three of the SEC's best last season — Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama — the Tigers more than held their own, losing each of those contests by seven points or fewer. And now, with a full year at Auburn under his belt, Freeze is starting to find his footing on the recruiting trail.
Auburn has the 16th-ranked recruiting class for 2025, led by Malik Autry, Jakaleb Faulk, Eric Winters and Jourdin Crawford, a quartet of 4-star defenders all from the state of Alabama who rank inside of 247Sports' Top 100 rankings for the 2025 recruiting class. Though it's early, the additions of Toodle and Harris have moved Auburn up to No. 2 in the 2026 rankings.
The Auburn Tigers haven't won ten games in a season since 2017, when Gus Malzahn was still coaching the team. That drought could continue for another year or two, but once Hugh Freeze gets all of his guys in place, the SEC might have yet another National Title contender on their hands.
