Hugh Freeze and Auburn Tigers flip incredible four star defensive talent from Georgia Bulldogs despite loss in SEC rivalry game

Auburn lands critical recruiting win in a flip of Georgia’s LB commit, Shadarius Toodle

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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The Auburn Tigers have lost three in a row to three straight top ten ranked teams in the country. Facing Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Georgia back to back to back was a bit rough, but Hugh Freeze and company finally at least got a significant win off the field.

Auburn’s recruiting had been lacking for a handful of weeks, but on Tuesday landed incredible four star linebacker Shadarius Toodle, flipping him away from Georgia despite their loss to the Bulldogs over the weekend. This is a big step in the right direction that could become a game-changer for the Tigers’ 2026 recruiting class.

Auburn 2026 Recruiting Stats After Shadarius Toodle Flip

  • Shadarius Toodle joins Auburn as the fifth highest rated recruit in their 2026 class and the second linebacker to commit to Hugh Freeze of the cycle.
  • Auburn Tigers currently rank 24th among all FBS programs in the national team recruiting ranks for 2026.
  • Auburn now has three blue chip (four and five star) offensive recruits and four blue chip defensive recruits in their 2026 class.

Shadarius Toodle flips from Georgia Bulldogs to Auburn Tigers

Shadarius Toodle, for those unfamiliar, is a 6’3″, 235-pound monster of an athlete at the linebacker position who has been considered a top 250 overall recruit in the country for nearly two years now. He’s garnered almost 40 FBS scholarship offers, invites to All-American games, and continues to prove he’s one of the best players at his position in the entire nation.

Toodle had been committed to Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs since June amid his frenzy of official visits this past summer, but had already been committed to Auburn prior to that. Flipping him back on Tuesday is a big win, as Hugh Freeze continues to prove he can win in-state recruits (Toodle is from Mobile).

Toodle becomes the team’s fifth highest rated recruit in their 2026 class and the best linebacker for them overall. Given his size and athleticism he should be able to plug and play alongside breakout defensive star linebacker Xavier Atkins as early as his true freshman season in 2026.

Atkins has been imperfect in coverage, but he’s already racked up three sacks, 40+ tackles, an interception, and continues to be the anchor of Auburn’s special 2025 defense. If Toodle can learn from Atkins quickly, and step onto the field early next year, that should help generate more momentum for Freeze in defensive recruiting.

Auburn currently ranks a dismal 24th among all FBS programs in the national recruiting ranks, so hopefully this sparks some other top recruiting flips in the coming weeks. The Tigers likely need to start winning again on the field if they really want to regain their momentum off of it, but this is at least a step in the right direction for the team.

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