It hasn’t taken long for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers to see the fruits of their labor when it comes to their 2024 signing class, which ranked eighth in the nation, according to 247Sports.

And while that signing class was bolstered by Auburn’s historic crop of wide receiver signees, it sounds as though the Tigers really hit on some of the other 2024 signees, too.

When asked which freshmen — other than the quartet of blue-chip wide receivers — have turned heads midway through fall camp, Freeze was quick to ramble off a handful of names.

At the top of Freeze’s list, ironically, was former five-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick, who was one of the first recruiting dominoes to fall for Auburn last summer.

After Riddick’s commitment in late July, the pledges of guys like four-star wide receiver Malcolm Simmons and five-star wide receiver Perry Thompson followed shortly after.

“I think he’s going to be outstanding,” Freeze said of Riddick. “He’s gotten bigger and can run. I would start right there.”

On Thursday, Auburn senior linebacker Eugene Asante also mentioned Riddick, saying the freshman “brings a different level of speed, athleticism” and that he thought Riddick will bring value to the Auburn defense in 2024 — especially on third down.

Moving down the line, Freeze also mentioned former four-star defensive back Jay Crawford, who has been vying for play time at one of Auburn’s cornerback spots behind Kayin Lee and Keionte Scott since the spring.

“He’s going to be really good,” Freeze said of Crawford, who is a guy that Auburn wide receiver Robert Lewis also mentioned this fall.

“He’s got some speed to him, and he’s been real patient at the line,” Lewis said of Crawford. “He’s going to get hands on you, too.”

Staying on the defensive side of the football, Freeze also made mention of freshman defensive lineman Malik Blocton, who is the younger brother of former Auburn defensive lineman Marcus Harris.

“Malik Blocton is going to play as a freshman. He’s got something to him,” Freeze said.

During Auburn’s scrimmage last Saturday, Blocton jogged out onto the field with the first-team defense, though defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams says that may not always be the case.

Nonetheless, Blocton has earned first-team consideration.

“He’s a football junkie. He wants to know everything that’s going on. When you’re asking questions in the meeting room, he’s answering them,” King-Williams said. “And you can coach him – you can coach him hard. Those are the things you see from him that make you like, ‘Wow, this reminds me of someone we had before.’”

Auburn freshman edge rusher Amaris Williams, was, unsurprisingly, another rookie Freeze raved about on Friday.

“Amaris Williams, I don’t know if you’re talking about him enough, but he’s really, really talented,” Freeze said.

Williams was the surprise of signing day in December as he flipped his commitment from Florida to Auburn at the last minute, adding a five-star to the Tigers’ nationally ranked recruiting class.

“He’s shown me plenty. He’s gonna play. He’s gonna play for sure,” Auburn defensive edge coach Josh Aldridge said of Williams. “It’s just cleaning up. He makes plays that he shouldn’t make sometimes. Like, he’s using bad fundamentals, but he’s such a great athlete, and he’s so strong that it’s like, well, it’s hard to tell him he’s doing wrong — because he’s making the play. But that’s part of growing and learning.”

Finally, shoring up Freeze’s list of freshmen who have turned heads during fall camp was offensive lineman DeAndre Carter.

“We definitely hit on him. He’s got to change his body a little bit but boy his feet are good for a big guy, When he pulls he brings a punch with him,” Freeze said of Carter, who lists as 6-foot-4 and 345 pounds.

Coming out of the west coast powerhouse Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California, Carter was the No. 15 interior offensive lineman of the 2024 class, according to 247Sports.

“DeAndre Carter — that’s a football player. I’m excited,” said Auburn offensive line coach Jake Thornton. “Got him in the summertime, getting him in shape. He’s still got a little bit of a way to go there. He flashes, and when he flashes, you can see the player he will become.”

And not to worry, Freeze is still thrilled to have a group of elite freshmen in the wide receiver room.

“I’m leaving out the receivers, but most of them are being talked about,” Freeze said. “We’re high on Malcolm, and Perry, and Bryce. I think all of those guys — we hit on all four of those receivers.”