Summer 2025 was a period of change in college football, as the House Settlement regarding college sports was approved, forever changing the landscape of college football and how college athletes can make money.

It was also a rough time for Auburn football’s recruiting efforts. The Tigers’ 2026 class suffered a handful of decommitments and dropped all the way down to No. 89 in 247Sports’ recruiting team rankings at one point.

Head coach Hugh Freeze and athletic director John Cohen attributed the issues to the changes brought on by the House Settlement and how the athletic department put together its revenue sharing plan.

“I’m here to tell you, we’re gonna do this the right way,” Cohen told reporters on July 2 before an AMBUSH alumni event in Alexander City.

Cohen was alluding to the idea that other schools may not be following the new rules of the settlement. He hinted at schools throwing out unrealistic numbers to recruits in verbal offers, something he said Auburn wasn’t going to do.

In that same breath, Cohen told reporters that Aug. 1 would be a big day for the long-term success of Auburn’s recruiting. That’s the day that those verbal offers can start going into writing, a chance for schools to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.

“That’s a big day,” Cohen said. “It’s not rumor, it’s not innuendo, it’s not, ‘This person said this.’ It’s an offer on paper.”

Now, that day is here. While Cohen and Freeze never said that things would turn around immediately, the recruiting efforts will be looked at through a different lens until signing day.

But how did things get here, and where could they go from here?

Within 11 days in June, Auburn lost three four-star recruits before adding one three star and a four-star quarterback by month’s end. After losing one more four-star recruit, Auburn addressed its challenges with the 2026 recruiting class before picking up four recruits to finish July, including three four-stars.

Here’s a timeline of how the summer unfolded:

Timeline

June 6 | The House Settlement officially passes, meaning schools can officially begin paying athletes directly starting July 1

June 12 | 4-star linebacker JaMichael Garrett decommits from Auburn

June 22 | 4-star linebacker Shadarius Toodle flips from Auburn to Georgia

June 23 | 4-star wide receiver Devin Carter flips from Auburn to Florida State

June 24 | 3-star offensive tackle Nikau Hepi commits to Auburn, breaking the streak of decommitments

June 26 | 4-star quarterback Peyton Falzone commits to Auburn, becoming the first quarterback commit in the Tigers’ 2026 class

July 1 | 4-star wide receiver Denairius Gray flips to Kentucky, dropping Auburn’s class to No. 89 in the country

July 2 | Cohen and Freeze address the media in Alexander City, explaining the recruiting struggles and pointing two Aug. 1 date

July 4 | 3-star tight end Kentrell White commits to Auburn

July 8 | 4-star linebacker Adam Balogun-Ali commits to Auburn

July 17 | 4-star offensive lineman Wilson Zierer commits to Auburn

July 21 | 4-star linebacker Jaquez Wilkes commits to Auburn, becoming the Tigers’ first top 100 commit in the 2026 class

July 31 | The College Sports Commission provides new guidance for third-party NIL deals, allowing NIL collectives to pay athletes if the deals are for a “valid business purpose

Aug. 1 | Verbal offers to recruits in the 2026 class can begin going into writing

What lies ahead?

Aug. 8

Four-star wide receiver Jase Mathews announces his commitment. His finalists include Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

Aug. 21

Five-star safety Bralan Womack announces his commitment. His finalists include Auburn, Ohio State, Florida and Texas A&M. If Womack and Mathews both choose Auburn, it would raise the Tigers’ class ranking from 70 to 33, according to 247Sports.

Aug. 29

Auburn opens the 2025 football season at Baylor.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m