The past five years have been tough for Auburn football, with just one winning season, no bowl victories, and a losing record in conference play. This struggle has been especially painful for fans, given rival Alabama’s dominance in the SEC.
However, Auburn is gearing up for the second year under Hugh Freeze, who was brought in from a successful stint with the Liberty Flames and is known for his impressive tenure at Ole Miss. Freeze went 6-7 in his first season with Auburn, but expectations are high for significant improvement.
A key to Auburn’s future success lies in excelling in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. On Friday, Auburn made a major move by securing a commitment from Alvin Henderson, a four-star running back prospect who had been committed to Penn State.
This acquisition is a promising sign for Auburn’s future. With Henderson’s commitment, Auburn now has 16 hard commits for the 2025 class, 44% of whom are from Alabama. According to On3 Sports, Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is now ranked seventh nationally, reflecting their strong recruiting efforts.
On Friday, Auburn football officially flipped Penn State commit and four-star running back prospect Alvin Henderson, demonstrating their recruiting prowess. Henderson, who also received offers from schools such as Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, and Texas, had an outstanding high school career. He rushed for 3,523 yards and 61 touchdowns in 14 games last year at Elba High School, which finished the season 13-1. Over his high school career, Henderson has amassed 132 rushing touchdowns.
According to 247Sports recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna, Henderson shows excellent burst and quickness, allowing him to create separation at the second level and break significant gains. Petagna also commends Henderson’s patience behind the line of scrimmage.
Auburn has dominated recruiting this offseason, and under second-year head coach Hugh Freeze, they have secured the eighth-best recruiting class for 2024, led by five-star wide receiver Cam Coleman. In the 2025 class, Henderson joins an elite group of commits, becoming the 11th four-star recruit to commit to Auburn. Auburn’s focus has been on stacking defensive talent, including top prospects like Eric Winters, Malik Autry, Tyler Lockhart, and Jakaleb Faulk.
