BREAKING: Auburn Tigers Flip 4-Star LB From Georgia Bulldogs

Despite an extremely underwhelming 3-3 start to the season, the Auburn Tigers have secured one of the top linebackers in the 2026 class – for now, at least.

Four-star linebacker Shadarius Toodle has flipped his commitment from Georgia to Auburn, per Hayes Fawcett on X. Toodle originally pledged to the Tigers in July of 2024 before flipping to Georgia on June 22.

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Shadarius Toodle has Flipped his Commitment from Georgia to Auburn, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’3 235 LB flipped from Auburn to Georgia back in June

“Home is where the heart is and my love for Auburn never faded.”https://t.co/qTIFFdgJfH pic.twitter.com/m9oLsINeiF
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 14, 2025

However, Hugh Freeze and company have remained resilient, recruiting Toodle hard even when he shifted his pledge to one of Auburn’s most hated rivals.

The four-star was on campus this past weekend for the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry against the school to which he was formerly committed, but despite the Tigers’ disappointing 20-10 loss, Auburn’s environment and the atmosphere of Jordan-Hare Stadium seem to have reminded Toodle why he chose the Tigers to begin with.

“Home is where my heart is and my love for Auburn never faded,” Toodle told On3.

A native of Mobile, Ala., Toodle is ranked as the No. 13 linebacker in class and No. 244 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle, according to On3. He is also listed as the No. 13 player from the state of Alabama.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder has visited the Plains more than any other school by a long shot, racking up a total of 11 visits to Auburn – the most recent being the Georgia and Ball State games, per On3’s visit center.

According to the Rivals industry rankings, Toodle sits as the fifth-highest-rated commit of Auburn’s 2026 class, behind only five-star safety Bralan Womack, five-star wide receiver Jase Mathews, four-star linebacker/edge rusher Jaquez Wilkes, and four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone.

The Tigers now boast 13 commits in the class, and have ascended to No. 36 in 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings with the commitment of Toodle. However, Auburn’s class still ranks towards the bottom of the SEC at No. 12.

Although this is a massive win for the Tigers, Freeze has more important tasks at hand that will determine the future of his time at Auburn.

Securing another blue-chip recruit is great, and is undoubtedly necessary for the program to continue building through the high school ranks, but if Freeze is fired in the next few weeks, there will likely be a mass exodus of players, both on the recruiting trail and current players.

Auburn has opened conference play 0-3 for the third consecutive season, and Freeze holds a 5-14 record against SEC opponents as head coach of the Tigers. If he wishes to retain future players like Toodle and keep his job, Freeze must get back in the win column – and he has to do it quickly.