Josh Pate understands that many analysts have praised Hugh Freeze’s roster overhaul at Auburn, and have even ranked his transfer portal class in the top 5.

The 247Sports analyst then shared on WJOX out of Birmingham, Alabama that while Lincoln Riley may have ruined the transfer portal era for head coaches because of his dramatic roster flip, Freeze has taken a hybrid approach. He’s added pieces while also learning about the roster he inherited.

The balance to strike is to have enough to excite the fan base in Year 1, but also plan for the future.

“To be able to come out of spring, and still be able to go and get a quarterback,” Pate said, “and to also be able to load up with the other guys they’ve gotten, what it does is it gives them a chance to be competitive this year. Like it’s 2023, no fan base wants to hear about your 2- or 3-year plan anymore. They’d love to hear, but they also want to hear about what you’re going to do in the mean time. And they, at the very least, have afforded themselves the opportunity in the mean time to be competitive in every game they play.”