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Auburn HC Hugh Freeze visits Class of 2026 dual-sport athlete Shadarius Toodle at his high school basketball game
Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze was a guest at an Alabama high school basketball game on Monday to visit Shadarius Toodle. Toodle is a dual-sport athlete who plays football and basketball. The four-star linebacker is also an Auburn commit, having given his pledge to the Tigers in July 2024.
Toodle and his Cottage Hill Christian Academy (Mobile, AL) basketball teammates faced the Mobile Christian Leopards. Cottage Hill Christian lost 74-65, bringing its record this season to 6-12 overall. But it wasn't an entirely gloomy outing for Toodle who had the pleasure of Freeze’s presence.
Reviewing Shadarius Toodle’s recruitment by Auburn
Hugh Freeze’s visit wasn't the first Shadarius Toodle got from an Auburn coach since he received an offer from the Tigers in February 2024. Auburn’s defensive coordinator/linebackers coach, D.J. Durkin, as well as defensive edge coach Josh Aldridge, paid him visits before his commitment to the program.
The 2026 linebacker prospect is in high demand, with 31 college offers per 247Sports. The four-star prospect has offers from Michigan, LSU, Florida, Missouri, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and many more. However, what made Auburn stand out amid such competition is how the program treats him “like family.”
Apart from the sentimental feeling, Toodle is convinced by the project Freeze has undertaken at Auburn. He told On3:
“Coach Freeze is doing great things at Auburn, and I feel like I could fit in at that school.”
He added:
“Coach Freeze is changing the program. He’s turning the program back into a national championship contender. He had a big recruiting class with the 2024 class, and I feel like he can do that with the 2026 class too.”
Meanwhile, Freeze is not the only person at Auburn who has impressed Shadarius Toodle. Having had the opportunity to also interact with Tigers defensive edge coach Aldridge, especially during the 2024 spring game, he feels strongly attached to him:
“He’s a good person. He’s a genuine person, just like Coach Freeze. He calls me every other week and talks to me and my family.”
He is particularly impressed by Aldridge's approach to coaching. Describing the edge coach’s style, he said:
“He’s a chill coach, but when he needs to get loud, he can get loud.”
Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 220 pounds, Shadarius Toodle has the right physique for a defensive player. He is the No. 5 linebacker in the 2026 class, according to On3 Industry Ranking.
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