Nation's No. 1 LB Announces Commitment to Struggling SEC Powerhouse

As programs around the SEC have begun to heat up on the recruiting trail, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze has been hitting the links.

In what is arguably the most active time in recruiting on the calendar outside of the signing days, the Tigers came into Tuesday at just seven commits. They also came into Tuesday as one of the punchlines of the college football news cycle recently, as a recent report revealed that Freeze had played around a dozen rounds in June.

The same month that saw them lose two of their top-ranked commits.

With Freeze on the hot seat heading into 2025 after posting an 11-14 record in his first two years on the job, fans around the plains have been hoping to see more. 

On Tuesday, the golf-loving head coach delivered.

As announced on X, the Tigers landed a commitment from the No. 1 inside linebacker in the country, Adam Balogoun-Ali.

 The Florida product chose Auburn over programs such as Miami, Kentucky, North Carolina and Missouri.

This past season for Cardinal Newman, Ali recorded 56 total tackles, two sacks and four tackles for a loss.

Hugh Freeze of the Auburn Tigers.

© Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

With his addition, Auburn's recruiting class saw a slight bump in the rankings as they now hold the No. 73 spot in On3's industry rankings.

However, there is still work to be done. Some notable programs ahead of the Tigers include Tulane, Toledo, UNLV and App State among others. All it takes is one recruit to get the ball rolling, and maybe for Auburn, this was that recruit.