Recruiting is fun once again in the state of Alabama.
Gone are the days of Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban running roughshod over some outmatched Auburn coach trying to keep up with the GOAT.
New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has proven already that he can be an elite recruiter on the national stage as his program is ranked second in the team rankings behind only Ohio State. With four fewer commits than the Buckeyes, the Crimson Tide are in great shape.
But second-year Auburn coach Hugh Freeze is not going gently into that good night. The Tigers are scratching and clawing and battling and subtweeting like nobody’s business.
And Auburn has a lot to be proud about right now. The Tigers are on a phenomenal recruiting run this summer.
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Ranked sixth in the Recruiting Team Rankings, Auburn has landed seven commitments in the 2025 class during the month of July alone, including four-star defensive backs Blake Woodby and Anquon Fegans and in recent days flipped four-star in-state athlete Derick Smith and four-star defensive tackle Antonio Coleman from the Crimson Tide.
After Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend, one of the biggest recruiting events of the summer in recent days, the Tigers added three major 2026 pledges in linebackers Shadarius Toodle and Jamichael Garrett and four-star defensive end Hezekiah Harris, all in-state commitments.
In late June after months of persistence, Auburn flipped four-star running back Alvin Henderson, who has put up almost comical numbers in the backfield in tiny Elba, Ala. Another key addition that month came from four-star safety Eric Winters, who wowed this offseason with his coverage ability.
Auburn is still very much in the market to flip five-star quarterback Julian Lewis from Carrollton, Ga., and the Tigers seem to be riding this momentum before ever taking the field this season.
The Tigers have had impressive recruiting classes before but if they can stay in this position nationally, it would be their best placement since 2010 when they finished fourth overall.
Let’s also not forget the Iron Bowl last season in Freeze’s first game (Auburn fans will never forget) when Alabama needed a last-second, back-of-the-end-zone miracle throw from Jalen Milroe to Isaiah Bond to win it. Also in the final minutes, Auburn muffed a punt and Alabama converted a fourth-and-1 to keep that drive alive.
Auburn seems to have turned a major corner. And the Tigers deserve their flowers.
But Alabama is hardly crying poor, either. The Crimson Tide have enough talent to win another national title this season. DeBoer took Washington to the national championship last season and has won 104 of the 116 games he’s ever coached. That’s incredible.
There have been some recruiting misses this cycle though, almost unheard of during the Saban era.
Decommitments this recruiting cycle for the Crimson Tide reads like a Who’s Who of the top players in the class: Four-star receiver Jaime Ffrench, four-star defensive end Javion Hilson, four-star athlete Derick Smith, four-star defensive end Zion Grady, four-star defensive tackle Antonio Coleman, four-star offensive lineman Mason Short, four-star athlete Zymear Smith, four-star offensive lineman Dontrell Glover and three-star offensive lineman Myles Johnson.
Through all that turnover, though, Alabama still has a higher-ranked class than Auburn as high four-stars such as receiver Caleb Cunningham, offensive lineman Ty Haywood and defensive back Dijon Lee Jr. are committed.
DeBoer is clearly one of the biggest winners in college football. Prospects have gravitated toward the staff he’s brought in, especially new co-defensive coordinator/DB coach Maurice Linguist, who left a head coaching job at Buffalo to take an assistant role. Others are very well-liked as well.
General manager Courtney Morgan has been an invaluable recruiting tool, as well, for DeBoer at Washington and now at Alabama. Morgan has deep recruiting ties around the country but especially in California.
Alabama has superstar quarterback commit Keelon Russell (Jayden Daniels 2.0?) flipped from SMU and a bunch of other elite prospects pledged on both sides of the ball. There was some runoff when Saban left but the Crimson Tide have rebounded in a strong manner.
The Alabama social channels like to use #ColdSummer when the team gets a new commitment. Auburn has been so hot that its social media – and many prospects – have mocked that hashtag by repeating it.
It’s on again between Alabama and Auburn.
And it’s fun again.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.