No group on a college football team should be more appreciative of the early signing period, allowing them to enroll in January and participate in all of spring practice and summer workouts.
It means the difference between arriving in a program and learning everything a month before the season or having a full eight months to get your head around everything that comes with playing at the highest level of college athletics.
These five true freshmen made their presence felt for Hugh Freeze and Auburn this spring.
1. Deuce Knight (QB) - If Jackson Arnold is the immediate answer at quarterback for Freeze, Knight is the future, as he has proven why he was so highly coveted out of high school. Despite throwing a couple of interceptions during A-Day's practice, the 6-foot-4 quarterback was impressive this spring.
"He has great instinct when the pocket is collapsing, to keep his eyes downfield to extend plays and then either throw it away or run," Freeze said. "And he's done it well all spring."
Knight can make every throw, and as Freeze pointed out, he puts the ball where his receivers can make plays. While that might not have been the answer two seasons ago, it is now as Auburn's receiver room is one of its best. He's also had the advantage of him and Arnold being the only two signal-callers getting the majority of the reps this spring. Knight will only get better.
2. Sam Turner (WR) - There's no lack of confidence in Turner, who has jumped onto the scene early and often for Marcus Davis' group. The Decatur, Ga., native came to Auburn after flipping from Georgia Tech and looking up to KeAndre Lambert-Smith during his recruitment.
"For a freshman, he's sharp," Freeze said. "He picks it up."
"I bring a deep threat," Turner said. "A guy that could get open and just a physical receiver and a guy who just going to go hard at every single play."
Young players will have to earn their way on the field in a loaded receiver room. Don't put it past Turner to make some noise this fall.
3. Jared Smith (DE) - Can I interest you in a 6-foot-6, 245-lbs. tackler, who will only get bigger and better? One of the best signings of the 2025 class, Smith has a lot of learning to do, but his upside might be the biggest other than Knight.
"They've been forming well," Amaris Williams said of the young defensive linemen. "Like Jared Smith, he's been learning. Keldric (Faulk) and I have been teaching him different things, right from wrong, when it comes to his technique and his game and stuff like that."
Out of powerhouse Thompson HS, Smith can add depth along the defensive line this fall while not being counted on to play much.
AnQuon "Newboy" Fegans (S) - If fans weren't aware of the Thompson product, they got to see why he's been praised so much this spring with an interception of Knight on A-Day.
"Newboy's real smart," Raion Strader said. "Newboy, he knows everything on the field. He's always in the right place, and I think he can make a couple plays himself this year."
A starter from the beginning? That could be the case for Fegans.
Blake "Bobble" Woodby (CB) - Watching Woodby during A-Day, he was extremely attentive to what Wesley "Crime Dawg" McGriff was preaching in between his reps on the field. After getting beat by Perry Thompson, McGriff took him aside and showed him that he needed to get outside leverage.
He's just another freshman who can come in and provide depth in a secondary that could be incredibly good this season. Need proof? Listen to Malcolm Simmons.
"I'd probably say the hardest right now is young Blake Woodby," the receiver said. "He's been the hardest to go up against."
Other notables: Eric Winters (S), Elijah Melendez (LB), Alvin Henderson (RB), Bryce "Juice" Deas (LB)
