"I could see myself playing here": Four-star OT leans towards Hugh Freeze's Auburn following multi-day trip

Modified Apr 09, 2025 15:04 GMT

Auburn has four-star offensive tackle Broderick Shull in the 2025 class. Looking ahead to 2026, one of the top priorities for coach Hugh Freeze and his staff is offensive tackle Dalton Toothman, who visited Plains for a multi-day visit over the weekend.

"It was a great experience," Toothman told Rivals following the trip. "Loved the hospitality. It really just felt like a family here. I could experience that everybody, you know, fit well together. I just had a good time."

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The three-star prospect from Vancleave High School (Mississippi) is the No. 68 offensive tackle in the 2026 class and the No. 28 recruit in Mississippi, according to the On3. Offensive line coach Jake Thornton is his primary recruiter at AU, who offered him a scholarship on Jan. 27.

"I could see myself playing here," Toothman told 247Sports. "Like I said, I feel like I've known Coach Thornton all my life."

The visit also gave Toothman his first chance to meet Hugh Freeze in person.

"He's a great guy," Toothman told Rivals. "He seemed like a guy that fits well with the players, that likes to, you know, keep up with the guys. And, I mean, he just seemed like a great dude."

This spring, Toothman also plans to visit LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Baylor, Ole Miss and Florida State.

Dalton Toothman sets official visit to Auburn

Dalton Toothman is scheduled to return to Auburn on April 5 for Big Cat Weekend for an unofficial visit before officially visiting the Tigers from May 16-18.

"Just getting to experience more of the actual game because they're practicing," Toothman told Rivals. "I want to see how Coach (Jake) Thornton coaches, Coach Kam (Stutts) and just how they develop their players. How they go one-on-one with guys and just to experience the culture here again."

Toothman also has official visits lined up with Mississippi State from June 13-15 and Baylor from June 20-22. As of now, Auburn is viewed as the frontrunner in his recruitment, and the Tigers will likely keep pushing to hold that lead.

Hugh Freeze and his staff have secured seven commitments for the 2026 class, though they are yet to land an offensive tackle.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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