The Auburn Tigers are headed into the third season of the Hugh Freeze era, and the first two years have obviously not gone the way he, nor any fan, wanted it to go.

While the results have not been there in terms of the win column, Freeze has been able to hang his hat on borderline elite recruiting to point to the fact that he is building something special on The Plains. It was always going to take time for that recruiting prowess to actually bear fruit in terms of production on the field.

This offseason has started to prove though that at a certain point: you can only sell a vision for so long and eventually need to be able to pitch recruits on winning.

Auburn has struggled mightily on the recruiting trail over the last couple months, culminating this week in four-star wide receiver Denairius Gray flipping to Kentucky.

Gray is the fourth lost recruit in the last few weeks alone and his loss means the Tigers are well outside even the top-50 for recruiting rankings in the class of 2026.

In order to salvage this class and convince players to come to Auburn, Freeze and his staff are in a spot where they simply have to have a good season in 2025.

For two years, the pitch of being competitive in the future works, but until you actually prove it on the field, that pitch loses its luster for recruits.

The good news is that Freeze has by far the most equipped group he has had over the three seasons with an excellent pass rushing group, a wide receiver room that stacks up against anyone in the nation, and a high potential quarterback.

Make no mistake: this is the most talented roster Auburn has had in a long time.

On the other side of the coin though, if they don’t get results with it, that talent pipeline starts to dry up and future recruiting classes will be in disaster territory.

The way this offseason has gone — the situation headed into the fall could not be more clear.

Freeze must win, win big, and win now. Or else.