Hugh Freeze has yet to coach Jarquez Hunter in a game, but he has already seen enough from Auburn’s junior running back to make quite the proclamation this spring.

Hunter is in a tier of his own when it comes to running backs Freeze has coached during his career.

“I think Jarquez is special; I do,” Freeze said this week. “I think he’s probably the best running back I’ve ever coached, truthfully.”

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That’s high praise for Hunter, the 5-foot-10, 210-pounder who is preparing to be thrust into the lead role in Auburn’s backfield after two years of complementing Tank Bigsby. Of course, it also come with a caveat from Freeze: He hasn’t coached many truly great running backs during his career at Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty.

In his one season at Arkansas State, Freeze’s leading rusher was quarterback Ryan Aplin (588 yards and 10 touchdowns), while his top-two running backs in 2011 were Derek Lawson and Frankie Jackson. Lawson ran for 484 yards and three touchdowns as a senior that year, while Jackson had 355 yards and six touchdowns on 4.03 yards per carry.

Across four seasons at Ole Miss, Freeze’s most productive running back was Jaylen Walton, who had 1,957 yards and 17 touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry from 2012-15 but never had more than 730 rushing yards in a season. There was also Akeem Judd, who had 1,251 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry during Freeze’s final two seasons with the Rebels, including 826 yards in 2016.

While at Liberty, Freeze had a 1,000-yard rusher in Frankie Hickson during his first year as head coach. Hickson averaged 5.6 yards per carry and had 12 touchdowns in 2019 while posting the most productive single season for a running back of Freeze’s head coaching career. Freeze also had Dae Dae Hunter, who last season ran for 854 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry, which would have been top-25 among FBS rushers had he finished with enough touches to qualify.

None of those backs compares to Hunter, according to Freeze—at least from what he has seen on film the last two seasons and throughout this spring.

“I haven’t had a lot of great ones, but I think he’s a really, really good running back…. I think Jarquez is the best that I’ve coached thus far. (I’m) excited about his demeanor and the way he goes about his work. He keeps his mouth shut and just goes to work.”

In his first two seasons at Auburn, Hunter has been a highly productive running back while often playing second fiddle to Bigsby. As a freshman in 2021, he rushed for 593 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 6.7 yards per carry and fewer than seven carries per game. He followed it up with 668 yards and seven touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry last season on less than eight touches per game.

“I’m fired up about Jarquez,” running backs coach Cadillac Williams said. “Since Day 1, when he stepped on campus, one of the things that truly stands out about Jarquez is just his humble approach to everything…. Just the way he works — relentless effort. He’s got a work ethic where he’s coming to work each and every day and being that same person whether he’s having a bad day or a good day, he’s always even keel. I love just his tenacity. I just love his grit. Love how he’s willing to learn each and every day.

“He’s always trying to find ways that he can get better. The sky is the limit for Jarquez. I think he has a chance to be a very, very special back.”

Auburn is counting on that this season, as the Philadelphia, Miss., native is stepping into the lead role in the backfield in Freeze’s system as he marries it with offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery’s offensive style. After learning behind Bigsby—who finished his career as the seventh-leading rusher in program history — Hunter is prepared for the spotlight this season in whatever capacity that role requires.

Hunter was at his most productive the last two years when he has taken on a larger workload against quality competition. Two of his best outings to date were last season against Texas A&M, when he averaged a 8.8 yards on a career-high 13 attempts while rushing for 114 yards in a win against the Aggies, and in the Iron Bowl, when he ran for 134 yards on 11 attempts, averaging 12.2 yards per carry against Alabama’s vaunted defense. It was Hunter’s third consecutive 100-yard performance to close out his sophomore season.

Now he’ll try to carry it over into his junior campaign as RB1 on the Plains.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be 1,000 (yards), 1,200, 1,500 or 2,000 — I have no idea, but if needed he can definitely be that workhorse back that we need,” Williams said. “The game is trending to getting other guys involved. I’m a firm believer on less tread on the tires, guys who have an opportunity to play on the next level, it’s the best. He will have that opportunity.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.