Auburn football recruiting: What to look for during Big Cat Weekend

On the heels of the commitment from 5-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick on Wednesday, Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers couldn’t ask for more momentum as they head towards Big Cat Weekend, Auburn’s annual recruiting event.
Now, the big question is whether the Tigers can keep the momentum. And given the probable list of those who intend to visit The Plains Saturday, it’s possible Freeze and Co. pull some more surprises and claim the commitments of some of their top targets.
And, based on who’s slated to attend, Riddick might not be the only flip the Tigers force.
Here’s a look at some of the names to watch for heading into Big Cat Weekend.
2024 5-star ATH KJ Bolden
Coming out of Buford, Ga., KJ Bolden is listed as a blue chip athlete, but is primarily being recruited as a safety.
Bolden, who recruiting services tend to believe is leaning towards Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, hasn’t committed to any of his 40 offers, which include 11 of the 14 programs currently in the SEC. Bolden also holds offers from Oklahoma and Texas.
Earlier this month, Bolden unveiled his Top 5 schools, which included Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State. Bolden also set his commitment date for August 5.
With Bolden’s plan to announce his commitment quickly approaching, expect Freeze and the Auburn coaching staff to push hard to secure the nation’s top safety this weekend.
2024 5-star WR Perry Thompson
Perry Thompson, the 5-star wide receiver from Foley High School, is currently committed to Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide and has been since late June.
However, as Auburn taught us earlier in the week, no flip is too big to pull off. Ironically, when Riddick made his pledge to the Tigers Wednesday, there was a lot of interaction between he and Thompson, who publicly congratulated Riddick and send out other cryptic signs that riled up Auburn fans.
It’s worth noting that Alabama’s equivalent recruiting event is also this weekend, but Thompson will be on The Plains, he announced on Twitter July 2.
Thompson is ranked the fourth-best wide receiver in the country by both On3 and 247Sports and is the second-most coveted prospect out of the state of Alabama.
2024 4-star OL DeAndre Carter
The Auburn Tigers have set to earn the commitment of an offensive lineman in the 2024 cycle, which makes DeAndre Carter, a Santa Ana, Calif. native, a big priority coming into Big Cat Weekend.
Stretching 6-foot-4 and weighing 320 pounds, Carter is ranked as the nation’s top interior offensive lineman and boasts offers from 28 programs, including the likes of Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State, Texas and USC.
Big Cat Weekend will be Carter’s second visit to The Plains after taking an official visit on June 16 — just nine days after he was offered by the Tigers.
2024 4-star ATH Malcolm Simmons
If Freeze and the Auburn Tigers want to establish themselves a big recruiting threat, they’ve gotta start by winning the battles in their backyard. And that could start with 4-star athlete Malcolm Simmons, who hails from right down the road in Alexander City, Ala.
Evidently, Freeze thinks a lot of Simmons considering he offered him when still at Liberty.
Simmons’ trip to Auburn will be his second after unofficially visiting in September of 2022 under Bryan Harsin’s staff. However, Simmons wasn’t offered by the Tigers until April, after Freeze had taken over.
2025 5-star EDGE Zion Grady
Zion Grady, who ranks as the No. 2 edge rusher in the country in the 2025 class, listed Auburn in his Top 10 on July 23. The Tigers are joined by Alabama, Arizona, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and USC.
Coming out of Troy, Ala., the push for Grady is another example of Freeze pushing hard to establish Auburn as a recruiting power within state lines — something the last coaching staff at Auburn neglected to do.
Though Grady is a part of the 2025 cycle, there’s no such thing as building a strong class too early.