Auburn accomplished one of its biggest wins on the recruiting trail in the nascent Hugh Freeze era. Walker White, a 2024 quarterback and key target, announced his commitment to the Plains on Thursday.

The Little Rock (Ark.) Christian Academy four-star was the No. 1 player in Arkansas and the 13th-ranked thrower in the country per the 247Sports Composite. A dual-threat quarterback, White was down to Baylor, Auburn and Clemson.

“The cherry on top for me was me stepping on that field at night. My heart sank,” White said on the 247Sports Youtube channel. “… I told myself, ‘This is where I want to play.’ It felt right. I’m at peace with it.”

Under head coach Eric Cohu, Little Rock and White won nine games last fall. White totaled 41 touchdowns as a junior with 1,975 passing yards and nine interceptions. Cohu coached Huntsville’s Madison Academy from 2009-15 before leaving for Tennessee. He was also an adjunct professor of sports management at Liberty, Freeze’s former program.

White visited each of his finalists and the home-state Razorbacks in January. He was offered less than a month after Freeze’s hire and was brought on campus weeks later. The final visit, though, was given to Dabo Swinney last weekend.

White, listed at 6-foot-4, 225-pounds, is a marquee addition for Freeze and offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery. In three years, White scored 70 touchdowns in one of Arkansas’ larger classifications while showing improvement as a decision-maker and scrambler.

One of the more significant issues of Bryan Harsin’s tenure was his inability to secure a future quarterback. The Tigers signed three-star Holden Geriner in 2021 but lost on multiple throwers last fall. Clemson entered the state and snagged Briarwood Christian five-star Christoper Vizzina before Auburn could make a big push, for example.

White said he felt prioritized as “(Auburn’s) guy” and that distinction was enough to put Auburn ahead of Clemson, which had earned a few national predictions in its favor in the days leading to White’s reveal. Clemson’s quarterback pedigree — from Trevor Lawrence (2017) to Cade Klubnik (2022) — and coaching under new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was nearly enough to sway White. But the Jan. 16 stop in Jordan-Hare Stadium confirmed his decision.

After finalizing their quarterback prospect in the week leading up to signing day, pivoting from one three-star to another in Hank Brown, the Tigers tried to land a player they could build the class around in White. They succeeded.

The Tigers now have three prospects in 2024. White will join Anniston’s Jayden Lewis and Moody’s A’Mon Lane. That group is currently ranked 18th on the 247Sports Composite.

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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].