The holiday season once again converges on National Signing Day, with high school and college recruits choosing where they will continue their football careers on December 4.

And, somewhat miraculously, Auburn football And Hugh Frozen find themselves back on good footing after a week. The Tigers currently sit in the top five for the 2025 cycle.

The Tigers currently hold a top-five class for the 2025 cycle on three of the four major recruiting sites, with 247Sports and On3 placing the Tigers at No. 5 nationally, and ESPN showing the Tigers at No. 4 in its latest update.

If this holds, it will allow Freeze to achieve the goal of posting a top-five class in his second season on the Plains, following up a 2024 class that was a consensus top-10 nationally . And the momentum is going Auburn’s way, with its final home game of the season being a four-overtime win over then-No. 15 Texas A&M – with many recruits in attendance.

“With all the recruits we want here, that’s definitely the momentum,” Freeze said after Auburn toppled the Aggies. “I know you’re tired of hearing me say it, but we’ve had a top-10 class during my time here. And we’re on our way to number 2, I believe. We have to finish, and lots of crazy things can happen between now and next Wednesday. But there are a lot of those kids in this locker room here today, and a night like this can’t hurt.

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As Auburn attempts to land another vaunted class, here’s what its National Signing Day wish list will look like heading into the final stretch.

Can Auburn football avoid a feared turnaround?

Auburn came out of last year’s signing day relatively unscathed in that department, but the outlook for next week doesn’t look as favorable.

The Tigers actually received some good news in that department earlier this week, when defensive lineman Malik Autry announced Monday that he was ending his recruitment and signing with Auburn.

It’s great news to lock up a top recruit coming out of Opelika. But a few names have been floated as reverse candidates in recent weeks.

Strategist Two knights and the edge rusher Jared Smith — the No. 3 and No. 1 highest-rated commits in Auburn’s class — are under scrutiny. Both were caught in a crystal ball by 247 Smith to look to Ole Miss in recent weeks.

Whether Auburn loses either would be significant, but momentum could play a role here. The Rebels had their College Football Playoff hopes dashed last weekend in Florida, and Knight and Smith were both on the Plains, watching the Tigers pull out their win over Texas A&M.

And could Auburn football take a big turn in its favor?

Freeze personnel have shown a propensity to perform flips in a short period of time. This was the case in 2023, when they took over the defensive end position. Keldric Faulk from the state of Florida. It also happened a year ago on signing day when defensive lineman Amaris Williams moved from Florida to Auburn.

And this year’s signing period could hold some twists and turns.

The crown jewel would be the Ohio State commitment Naeem Offord. The Parker High School product has been committed to the Buckeyes since February 4. But he’s long been rumored to be headed elsewhere, with the Tigers and Oregon the most likely candidates. 247 and On3 convinced him to come to the Plains.

Landing Offord would give the Tigers a top-15 player nationally and put one of the nation’s best defensive backs at the top of the class.

Lockdown the Yellowhammer State

Following the possibility of an Offord turnaround, this would cement what has been an incredible cycle for Auburn in the state of Alabama.

Currently, the Tigers hold commitments from nine of the state’s top 12 players, including eight in the top 10.

Central-Phenix City Daylyn Upshawof which 247 is ranked 22nd in the state rankings, is considered another flip candidate by 247’s Auburn recruiting insider Christian Clemente.

Maintain a top-five class

He’s probably at the top of the list, but if Auburn can solidify its top-five status, it would almost be Freeze’s biggest win in 2024. If Auburn remains static in the rankings, it wouldn’t be worse than fourth. -best class in the SEC. But a jump would mean crossing Alabama, Georgia or Texas in one form or another.

Adam Cole is the Auburn sports editor for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.

This article was originally published on Montgomery Advertiser: Three wishes for Auburn football ahead of National Signing Day