AUBURN | Auburn’s chances of signing the nation’s No. 3 running back changed dramatically 16 months ago.

The hiring of Hugh Freeze as head coach in November of 2022 had a huge impact on Alvin Henderson and his recruitment.

“Just because of the relationship I’ve built with Coach Freeze,” said the standout 2025 prospect from Elba, Ala. “Because when Coach (Bryan) Harsin was here, I really didn’t communicate with Auburn.

“When Coach Freeze came in, he showed me and my family that I was his No. 1 guy. He feels like I can be the person to come in and help build the class and obviously recruit another great running back and then everybody else at a position we need.”

Henderson’s recruitment to Auburn hasn’t been without some bumps in the road over that time. Running backs coach Cadillac Williams left for a position in the NFL and was replaced by Derrick Nix, who will serve as AU’s offensive coordinator and running backs coach.

Fortunately for the Tigers, Nix made a quick connection with Henderson, who was able to watch Nix and AU’s team in practice Saturday.

“From day one I met Coach Nix, our relationship hit just like that. So we’ve been tight ever since Coach Lac left,” said Henderson.

“I just wanted to see how Coach Nix interacted with the running backs this spring. He told me I he was going to play a huge role in the offense so I wanted to see how all of that would look. I was pretty impressed.”

Henderson, 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, narrowed a long list of offers to five schools on Friday: Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Penn State and Oregon.

He’s in the process of visiting most of those finalists one last time before announcing a final decision in the next few weeks. He plans to settle on a commitment date soon.

"I’m just taking my last few visits to see where everything sits and how coaches plan to use me,” he said. “Like what’s their last remarks now that I’m committing here soon and what they want to see out of me before I commit and what I want to see out of them, like how they’re going to use me and where. Just where I fit best in as a family.”

Henderson plans to be locked in once his decision is made.

“I’m kinda glad I’m committing,” he said. “I was planning on committing in July but I can’t go the whole summer with all these coaches blowing me up and stuff.”