Hugh Freeze sparks QB rumor at Auburn with visits scheduled for incoming four-star recruit

Hugh Freeze and the Auburn coaching staff are preparing to host several recruits for official visits this month. Among them is in-state four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth, a standout from Jackson High School in Alabama, who will visit the Plains on May 16.

Expand Tweet

Duckworth was initially committed to South Carolina but reopened his recruitment on June 24. Apart from the Tigers, he has scheduled visits with Georgia (May 30), South Carolina (June 6), Florida State (June 13) and Ole Miss (June 20).

Freeze has already secured top-10 recruiting classes for 2024 and 2025, and the 2026 class is off to a strong start and currently ranks 13th nationally with seven commitments.

Duckworth is considered a strong fit for Auburn’s pro-style offense, and Freeze’s success developing quarterbacks, like Malik Willis at Liberty, could be a big draw for him.

As a junior in the 2024 season, Duckworth led Jackson to a 4A state title, passing for 3,439 yards and 39 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 648 yards and 12 scores. He delivered a phenomenal performance against Saraland on Sept. 6 by throwing for 412 yards and five touchdowns.

Duckworth posted at least 100 total yards in every game last season. His arrival would create strong competition for Deuce Knight, the former five-star quarterback who enrolled in Auburn’s 2025 class in December.

Auburn is eyeing another Jackson standout

Besides Landon Duckworth, Auburn is eyeing another Jackson High School standout in four-star running back Ezavier Crowell. He is the No. 2 RB in the 2026 class and the No. 3 recruit in Alabama, according to On3.

On Apr. 28, Crowell tweeted he is no longer planning to commit on December 31, which could suggest he may move up his decision timeline.

Expand Tweet

Crowell will officially visit Plains on June 13. His top six schools include Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. As of now, the Crimson Tide are seen as the frontrunners in this recruitment, but the Tigers can also secure an edge following the upcoming trip.

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.

Know More

Edited by Abhimanyu Gupta