Auburn Tigers and Hugh Freeze pushing hard to lock in elite running back recruits amid official visits
Hugh Freeze has done a masterful job restocking the talent for the Auburn Tigers via recruiting after the absolutely pitiful work from the previous coaching regime. Back to back Top 8 classes in the nation should put Auburn back in the competitive mix here soon. However, he has to keep up the momentum for his […]
Hugh Freeze has done a masterful job restocking the talent for the Auburn Tigers via recruiting after the absolutely pitiful work from the previous coaching regime. Back to back Top 8 classes in the nation should put Auburn back in the competitive mix here soon. However, he has to keep up the momentum for his 2026 recruiting class.
The Tigers are off to a bit of a slow start so far, but hosted a number of incredible recruits this past weekend, including two extremely important elite running back talents who could come in handy next year. Auburn is pushing hard to land one or both, but the recruiting battles look like they're going to be a tight finish.
Derrek Cooper & Jae Lamar
Both Derek Cooper (five star RB) and Jae Lamar (four star RB) apparently had good visits with the Auburn Tigers this past weekend, but which one (if not both) could Hugh Freeze and his staff actually land here in the coming weeks?
Derrek Cooper should be perceived as the clear highest priority target between the two as he's the consensus five star talent. Cooper is actually considered more than just a running back talent and could perhaps play defensive back for the right program. However, most experts believe he's leaning far more towards running back. Cooper is a track athlete, extremely productive, and can do anything he's asked to at the running back position.
Jae Lamar may not have the "five star" tag next to his name, but he's brought in over 30 scholarship offers as one of the most highly coveted running back prospects in the nation too. Lamar hasn't been quite as productive as Cooper, but he's a bursty athlete with nice balance and some versatility to his game. And unlike Cooper, Lamar might actually land with Auburn.
Cooper still has five more official visits coming up with Miami, Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, and Ohio state. He's visited with four of those five schools more often than Auburn. It's nice that the Tigers got an official visit, but unless he has a change of heart this Miami product likely lands elsewhere.
Lamar–on the other hand–has visited with Auburn just as much as any other school in the nation. He plays his high school football less than three hours away from Auburn. And yes, Georgia might still be perceived to be in the lead for his services down the stretch, but it's quite likely Auburn is running second for his services. If Hugh Freeze can close out strong in pursuit here with Lamar this might actually happen.
Freeze should have a strong pitch. He's sent eight players to the NFL in the last two seasons, including running back Jarquez Hunter this spring. There should be plenty of opportunity to compete for a starting job considering the returning talents this season. Auburn currently has zero running back recruits signed in the 2026 recruiting class as well. Let's just hope that's enough to pull this off since Auburn desperately needs to add some running back talent for the future.
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And if you want to see why Derrek Cooper is such a highly touted five star recruit and a high priority for the Auburn Tigers in the 2026 recruiting class just enjoy his junior season highlights below.
