AUBURN, Ala. – All they're missing is a nickname.
Auburn volleyball's seven-member freshman class could be the Magnificent Seven.
Some have earned starting positions from day one – so perhaps the Fab Five or the Fantastic Four.
"They're very talented, they're very physical, but they're young," said Auburn coach Brent Crouch, who began recruiting the class of 2022 three months after he arrived in 2020.
No stranger to opportunities to rebuild programs throughout his coaching career, Crouch sold the same vision to Auburn's freshmen during the recruiting process.
"The chance to really put a program on the map," Crouch said. "They're all very excited about that possibility. There's a difference between joining a traditional powerhouse versus let's go do it for the first time, and they signed up for that.
"When you do it for the first time, those are the folks that get the statues in front of the buildings. The people who have done it the 20th time, they're just another name on the wall. There's a unique opportunity."
That message resonated with the new Tigers, who play their first home match Wednesday at 7 p.m. vs. Alabama State at Neville Arena.
"I wanted to be a part of a program that was building something," freshman pin hitter Akasha Anderson said. "You have more of a relationship with the people you're working with when you're all on the same page of working toward a goal together."
Auburn's traditional selling point also factored into Anderson's decision.
"A big part of it was the Auburn family atmosphere that I got from all the sports," said Anderson, a political science major who won't turn 18 until Oct. 2, after SEC play begins. "We have to understand that it's going to be messy, but it's the beginning of this new thing we're doing at Auburn."
Kendal Kemp, a 6-foot-6 middle blocker from Minnesota, graduated high school early and enrolled at Auburn University in January for the spring semester.
"Everyone was so welcoming," said Kemp, who earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after her first collegiate competition. "It really felt like my second home. I want everyone to know we're working as hard as we can. I'm excited to see what happens and get ever better."
As the youngest team in the SEC and one of the youngest starting lineups in Power Five, Auburn fans can expect growing pains during the process.
"A lot of excitement with that, but we're going to take some lumps," Crouch said. "The biggest challenge is managing expectations. Helping them understand there's some patience involved. They want to be great, and they're going to be great, but you need a lot of practices."
With more talented recruits committed to join the program in the next two years, Crouch sees Auburn ascending in the SEC standings.
"When we talk about buying stock in Auburn volleyball, this is the year," he said. "We're a tournament team by '24, there's just no question about that."
The nickname, like the impact the freshman class of 2022 will have on the program, is only a matter of time.
Auburn (3-0) hosts Alabama State Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT in the Tigers' home opener
🏐 @AuburnVBCoach recaps Sunday's Orange & Blue scrimmage & previews this weekend's season-opening matches in ATL.
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) August 22, 2022
One of the youngest Power Five teams in #NCAAVolleyball, Coach Crouch says 2022 is "the first year of a really great run" for the Tigers. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/mMLIUqRkAO
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer