Strong Draft Class Could End Rough Season on High Note for Tigers

While Auburn trudged through the 2024 season, two outgoing players stand out in the 2025 NFL Draft class that could officially end last year on a high note.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze greets fans during Tiger Walk before Auburn Tigers A-Day football practice at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 12, 2025. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the best parts of a coach's entire existence is watching his former player find homes in the NFL. For Auburn Tigers' head coach Hugh Freeze, that feeling of jubilation goes unmatched.

Granted, as a veteran head coach, he's heard the names of dozens of players heading to the National Football League.

Yet, through all of that, this draft class feels differently to those on the outside, in a multitude of ways. For Freeze and the Auburn faithful, you'd expect the outgoing class to be the last one for a while with a losing record. However, within that, the strides the program made to exorcise the demons of coaches past will go a long way.

Hunter Steps Forward

Jarquez Hunter, to a man, could be the quietest legend the Auburn football program will ever know. For a player with 3,929 yards from scrimmage, ranking in the top five in rushing yards, total yards and receptions by a running back, the numbers look stunning.

In the calmest way possible, Hunter etched his name into Auburn history with Freeze at the helm for the majority of his career.

While he only touched the ball 101 times as a freshman, the future NFL running back made up for it down the stretch. That 1,201-yard season to cap his career cannot go underdiscussed.

Future Standout

Keandre Lambert-Smith arrived on The Plains with two last names, 126 catches and a reputation as a wideout with great speed but not a true playmaker after a stint at Penn State. Freeze and the brain trust made sure that Lambert-Smith would see the better path ahead. In just one season at Auburn, the NFL-player-to-be average 19.6 yards per grab, pulling down eight receiving touchdowns in the process.

When the team needed a big play. Finishing his collegiate career with three straight 100-yard games helped solidify Lambert-Smith's reputation, opening eyes around the NFL.

Overview

Make no mistake, 2024 was a tough season for Auburn on the football field. At the same time, growth occurred, and hope springs from a place that others thought only despair grew. While the team looks to trend in the right direction, 2024 could serve as a springboard to much-needed better days.

With young talent taking their spots, many in the 2025 draft class will return to campus as alums, proud of what they had a strong hand in helping build.