The Auburn Tigers have eight players scheduled to come to their annual “Cookout” that happens in July every offseason. This is the one weekend in July where recruits are allowed to take official visits to campus, and the Tigers should be rolling in them this coming weekend. Although Alabama commit Caleb Cunningham announced he will not be attending, many others will be.

The record number eight high school recruits will be taking official visits and attending the “Cookout” on the plains this coming weekend. This is a sign that things are on the right track in Auburn for head coach Hugh Freeze who is going into his second season.

Last year, Freeze hosted Auburn’s first “cookout” in his tenure and had the biggest moment of the weekend across the SEC and arguably college football when Alabama wide receiver commit Perry Thompson flipped his commit to Auburn by literally flipped his head coach by dumping him into a swimming pool.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ WR PERRY THOMPSON FLIPS FROM BAMA TO AUBURN AT #BIGCAT! RECRUITS TOSS HUGH FREEZE INTO THE POOL TO CELEBRATE AND PERRY JUMPS IN BEHIND HIM #WARDAMNEAGLE #FREEZEWARNING pic.twitter.com/HK73ahDUVg

— Power of Dixieland (@PwrofDixieland)

The moment was the first of many that followed that see the Auburn football program on the rise against it’s in-state rival Alabama, and rising in the SEC as a whole.

At their lowest, Auburn only hosted two recruits for it’s annual “cookout” during previous head coach Bryan Harsin’s two year stint on the Plains. In fact, as of this past offseason, the Tigers just lost their last player from Harsin’s 2021 recruiting class. As of this spring, all had moved on from the Auburn program. These were only a few signs of a program in peril.

Freeze has the Tigers far from in a state of peril and is wrecking shop within the state and across the SEC. And do not expect eight to be the record forever for the “cookout.” With the momentum the Tigers have going on the recruiting trail and as a program, one can only imagine how many will come to Auburn in 2025.