This weekend, Auburn football returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
It's for A-Day, sure, but there's many reasons to be excited for fans. Saturday will give the public their first look at the program under head coach Hugh Freeze, but also it's a jam-packed weekend of recruiting.
The Tigers are set to host a lengthy list of high-end prospects, which means it's time for another AuburnSports.com WAR ROOM, presented by Lynch Toyota of Auburn.
TOP TARGETS
Auburn's done a phenomenal job of getting some of its top targets on campus this spring and this weekend will be the most talented slate yet.
We'll start with the nation's No. 15 player, five-star KJ Bolden from Buford, Georgia. Bolden visited Auburn in mid-March and will be back on the Plains Saturday, which is big. When the year started, Bolden dropped his top 15 schools and Auburn wasn't in it.
The Tigers may be on the outside looking in, but they're at least getting back in the race.
Committed to Georgia, Demarcus Riddick is an in-state product from Clanton, Alabama, that Freeze is trying to pull away from Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. They've hosted him once on campus this year and Freeze has traveled to see him play basketball.
Seeing Riddick visit Auburn is a good sign, but he grew up a Georgia fan. Just something to consider.
Kevin Riley is in Alabama territory, on the western side of the state near Tuscaloosa. Auburn's made him a priority at running back and the Tigers are looking to pair him with the most recent commit, J'Marion Burnette.
It could be a tough pull away from Alabama, with Riley telling Rivals.com in March that an official visit to Alabama is likely, although he hasn't thought much about others. His knowledge on Auburn is fairly limited, which is why he's attending the A-Day game.
Auburn's begun pushing hard for a flip from Perry Thompson and I like the Tigers' chances at pulling it off at some point down the road.
He's been on campus several times this spring and the relationship he has with Marcus Davis is growing stronger each day. Thompson will be a name to watch going forward.
Another guy that Auburn is in good standing with is Joseph Phillips. He doesn't walk around the facilities with a name tag, that's how well the Tigers know him and he knows them.
Initially, Phillips wanted to make his decision in March. He's since decided to push that back in favor of taking all of his official visits, but Auburn will certainly get one. With campus so close, Auburn might be the most likely landing spot for the outside linebacker.
Martavious Collins de-committed from Alabama a couple of weeks after visiting Auburn for the first time under the new staff. With his recruitment wide open, getting Collins back on campus as a "free agent," if you will, could give Auburn a significant boost in his recruitment.
Auburn is becoming a popular destination for wide receiver Cam Coleman, who lives just down the road in Phenix City, Alabama.
Within a week, he made two trips to the Plains. One to meet the coaching staff for the first time and another to get a look at practice. Coleman's said that he'll never decline a trip to Auburn and Marcus Davis is looking for him to become a playmaker for the Tigers.
There's still a while before Coleman comes to any decision, but Auburn is in a nice spot right now.
Four-star Alabama commit Sterling Dixon will be on campus as well. He was in Auburn in late March and mentioned that the Tigers are making it difficult for him to sign with Alabama.
Hugh Freeze has kept in consistent contact with Dixon, which he likes. It tells Dixon that Auburn holds him as a high-priority target. The fight is far from over with Dixon, as Auburn will likely host him for at least one game in the fall as well.
COMMITS ARE COMING
Auburn's staff won't be the only ones recruiting this weekend. Several commits will be in town and will be pushing for others to join their class in Auburn.
Notable names include quarterback Walker White, running back J'Marion Burnette and cornerback Jayden Lewis.
OTHER NAMES TO KNOW
Alongside some of the previous names listed, other big-time targets will be on campus. Georgia tight end commit Landen Thomas and offensive lineman Fletcher Westphal will visit Friday.
Other visitors for A-Day include offensive lineman Kevin Heywood, tight end Carter Nelson, wide receiver Jalewis Solomon, cornerback Tevis Metcalf, linebacker D'Angelo Barber, offensive lineman Isaiah Autry, offensive guard William Satterwhite, athlete Amir Jackson and safety Zaquan Patterson.
Defensive linemen like Jeremiah Beaman, Terrance Hibbler, Justin Greene, Malik Blocton, Charlie Collins and Jordan Ross will also be in attendance.
EYES ON 2025s
There are two big names that jump out in the 2025 class for this weekend.
Ryan Williams, the talented wide receiver out of Saraland, Alabama, and an Auburn legacy, will return. He's a big name for Auburn and there's a good chance he's their No. 1 target in the class.
This one is not over. Auburn's in there.
Alvin Henderson is the other big name heading to the Plains this weekend. He visited Wednesday, but will be back with his cousin (J'Marion Burnette) for the A-Day game. That's two visits within the span of four days.
Quite a significant note for Auburn, which could be the school to beat down the road.
Other 2025 visitors include outside linebacker Jadon Perlotte, wide receiver Caleb Cunningham and tight end Ryan Ghea.
