It's been a cold summer, indeed.

There's fun to be had in recruiting, especially when Auburn's accomplished what it's accomplished in the last several weeks.

Big Cat Weekend was a massive success that yielded five commitments, followed by three additional ones in the week following. Two of which were flips from rival Alabama, as Auburn now has the No. 5 recruiting class for 2025 and the top class for 2026.

"I think we’ve been consistent with our message," said head coach Hugh Freeze. "Our message is pretty simple: come and see. We think that Auburn has a different culture and environment than many. I’m not saying that’s for everyone or that we're better than someone else, but I do think we’re different."

Auburn's only signed one top five class in program history, and if things hold up, Freeze will accomplish that in just his second year on the Plains. It takes a lot of moving parts to achieve what Freeze is looking to attain and he feels confident with the people in the building around him.

"I’ve got this staff that does a great job with it and building relationships with [recruits] and their families," Freeze said. "I’m pleased with where we currently are."

Now, there is another aspect to recruiting that's constantly developing: NIL. There's no avoiding it and Freeze knows that it's now part of the game.

"Obviously, we’ve got a competitive NIL with On To Victory, I think that’s a part of the discussion, we can’t sit here and say that it’s not," Freeze said. "It’s not like we’re crazy with it. I’m very upfront in saying I think things in life should be earned. I think we’re fair, I think that helps."

Currently, the Tigers' 2025 class is composed of 22 commits. Freeze is still looking to add some more to it, as well.

"Do we need a few more pieces to the puzzle? Yes," Freeze said. "We’re working hard at that, and hopefully, we’ll land a few more of those."

Out of those 22 commitments that Auburn holds in the 2025 class, 11 of them are from the state of Alabama. It's something that Freeze sought out, hoping to control the state, and the staff is on the same page.

"We’ve made it a priority to start here in state," Freeze said. "I think right now we’re in a good position with that plan that we put in place, it seems to have been beneficial and worked to this point, obviously, it’s never over."

There are four months until early signing day, which has become the popular time to put pen to paper for a lot of recruits, rather than wait until February. With four months to go until December, how does Freeze feel about the current state of Auburn recruiting?

"I’m pleased right now, we’re in the top 10 in the country, I think, and that’s where you have to stay if you want to compete," Freeze said. "If we can finish out with a few more pieces that we’re targeting I think we’ll have been able to stack the ‘25 class on top of the ‘24, which I think was a solid class, also. Pretty comfortable where we are right now."