Mailbag: How should we measure Auburn's roster talent in 2026?

This week: RB rotations, OT recruiting, Auburn-Florida memories, why the Euro imports should still be eligible and Alabama food for aliens

(Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)

AUBURN — Surprise again. It’s another Thursday mailbag.

I don’t know if this is going to be the new format moving forward, although I have enjoyed the “there are no rules” vibe of these summer ones.

We’re running the mailbag today because Auburn baseball is about to take center stage at The Observer this weekend through the work of our own Henry Patton. He’s got a feature story on a Tiger that will go up Friday morning, and he’ll be covering all the action at the regional live from Plainsman Park here.

Because of that, I wanted to go ahead and shoot the mailbag out to everybody on this Thursday afternoon, so it doesn’t get lost in all the (deserved) baseball attention.

This week, you asked about Auburn football’s 2026 roster compared to years past and what that means in this day and age of college football. We also take a look at the running back rotation, offensive tackle recruiting, Auburn-Florida memories, the status of basketball’s European imports and giving Alabama food to aliens.

You know the vibes around here. Let’s go.

How do we measure total roster talent level in 2026, and how does the overall talent level compare to 2025? Is any type of measurement possible or even worth talking about?

You are in Auburn and want to pick up dinner that is fast, casual, and healthy. What do you choose?

John

Measuring the talent level of college football rosters has been an evolving question over the last several years, thanks to the advent of the transfer portal and what is now unlimited free agency for players. It’s becoming tougher to keep great recruiting classes together longterm, even if you’re not a team going through coaching changes.

Playoff expansion has also affected this. There was a time when the four-team field was almost always made up of the very best recruiters in the sport. Now, you’re seeing more upward mobility. Stacking talent is harder than ever, and it’s not guaranteeing anything on Saturdays.

National champion Indiana was the ultimate example, ranking No. 72 on the Team Talent Composite last year. Miami (No. 15) ran all the way to the national title game with a roster that, on paper, was weaker than the one Auburn (No. 13) had. You also had Ole Miss, which was No. 11 in the SEC, make it to the semifinal. Georgia and Ohio State, No. 1 and No. 3 overall, didn’t win a playoff game. No. 2 Alabama won one, then got blown out by Indiana. Half of the top 10 didn’t even make the playoff.

Does this mean recruiting rankings are useless? Not exactly. Recruiting at a high level is still the easiest way to have a team built to compete for championships. The problem is that ranking transfers, now a huge part of roster-building, is pretty nebulous. Players who weren’t impressive high-school recruits are turning into title-winning pieces after getting their starts elsewhere. How can you project that?