The reports came Monday as Auburn is finalizing a deal to hire Hugh Freeze away from Liberty and install him as the new coach on The Plains. Here are five recruiting targets Freeze should contact as soon as possible:
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When mentioning Smith, Qua Russaw is included here because the Montgomery (Ala.) Carver teammates are a legitimate package deal. Alabama, Georgia and others are involved but the duo has also been to Auburn numerous times as well. This should be Freeze’s first call because Smith is arguably the top defensive tackle in the country and Russaw is absolutely one of the best defensive end/outside linebackers in the class.
There seems to still be some significant interest although it’s believed the Crimson Tide are the big-time front-runners at this point. Still, the addition of Freeze and who he brings on his staff will be crucial here as a much-needed breath of fresh air comes to Auburn. Smith and Russaw showed a lot of interest during the bad times, what about when there is some optimism coming to town?
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This might sound crazy but Vizzina is an in-state prospect who has shown dual-threat capabilities this season and might see that Cade Klubnik is the future at quarterback at Clemson. Soo… it could be worth a phone call from Freeze to at least gauge interest in the Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian prospect who had decent passing numbers this season and rushed for 11 scores as well. The Auburn quarterback situation is a mess and Freeze’s offense doesn’t go if the Tigers cannot move the ball. He’s also done a phenomenal job with quarterbacks who can move in his past stops.
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A two-month commitment to Auburn did not work out through the summer and early fall but that was a different Auburn then led by Bryan Harsin with uncertainty, a bad recruiting department and so much more going on there. Freeze needs to target guys like English, the top-ranked receiver in the state from Phenix City (Ala.) Central who had a big senior season with 70 catches for 850 yards and 11 touchdowns. The receiver production at Auburn has been dismal this season and English could provide a spark.
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For a player committed to Alabama since June, Mitchell has shown an inordinate amount of interest in Auburn over the last few months. The four-star defensive back from Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson has been to Auburn numerous times this season, keeps showing up to games and showing interest and a new coach - depending on the assistants maybe on the defensive side of the ball - could pique his interest even more. Mitchell seems to have real interest in the program and he keeps coming back so a call to gauge just how serious it is would be worth it.
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The four-star defensive end has been committed to Florida State since July and the Seminoles are having a great season but Auburn assistant Roc Bellantoni has not stopped recruiting the Highland Home, Ala., and Faulk keeps mentioning the Tigers in his recruitment. Faulk lives only about 90 minutes from Auburn’s campus, he wants to go somewhere he’s loved and if Freeze picks up the phone and makes Faulk one of his first calls then that could make a serious impression. It’s worth a shot.
