Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers will return their leading rusher in 2024 as Jarquez Hunter announced his intentions to return to The Plains for his senior season in a social media post Friday afternoon.

The news comes on the heels of Auburn running backs coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams announcing his decision to resign late Thursday night. Williams is credited with being Hunter’s primary recruiter, according to 247Sports.

“Let’s run it back, Auburn Family,” Hunter said in a video posted to Auburn’s official social media accounts. “War Damn Eagle.”

During Auburn’s 2023 campaign, Hunter led the Tigers’ room of running backs with 909 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 159 carries — good for an average of 5.7 yards per carry.

Hunter’s 909 rushing yards ranked him seventh in the SEC in 2023. Since then, all seven SEC rushers ahead of him have gone on to transfer or declare for the NFL Draft.

Hunter’s biggest stretch of the season came in the three-game span of Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas as he notched three consecutive games of 100-plus rushing yards. Hunter tallied a season-high 183 rushing yards against Vanderbilt, which was accompanied by two touchdowns.

Hunter’s decision to return to The Plains comes after he told reporters ahead of the Music City Bowl that he hadn’t yet made up his mind.

“I haven’t decided,” Hunter said on Dec. 19. “Right now, I’m just focused on the bowl game and trying to get past that.”

In Auburn’s disappointing, 31-13 loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl, Hunter tallied just 44 yards on 13 carries and never found the endzone.

With Hunter set to return in 2023, he highlights a running back room that features Damari Alston, Brian Battie, Christian Burnett, Jeremiah Cobb, Sean Jackson, Justin Jones and Luke Reebals.