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2017 4* LB Tadarian "TD" Moultry signs with AU (Updated)


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TDs lead recruiter was Cristobal. When he left, all chance was removed. Pruitt is not nearly the recruiter. TD does not like Pruitt.

Also, TD solidified a firm commitment to AU when KJ committed. They want to play together.

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Auburn's defense has a big hole to fill heading into next season -- a 6-foot-2, 253-pound hole, to be precise.

Following the departure of defensive end Carl Lawson, who declared early for this year's NFL Draft, Auburn will have to replace its most productive pass-rusher. Lawson led the Tigers with 13.5 tackles for a loss and nine sacks last season, adding a team-high 24 quarterback hurries as well.

Auburn has a couple options to replace Lawson already on campus, namely Jeff Holland, Nick Coe and Byron Cowart. Another potential option, however, could be arriving this summer: four-star linebacker commit Tadarian "T.D." Moultry.

"They said they don't want to put too much pressure on me, so I'll be coming off the edge and getting the quarterback," Moultry said Sunday after completing his official visit to Auburn. "They need somebody to get the quarterback... so I'll be doing a lot of practicing on the edge."

Moultry, a standout at Jackson-Olin and a U.S. Army All-American, said he will wear No. 55 at Auburn next season. That number, of course, belonged to Lawson during his four years on the Plains.

 

Moultry is hoping to have similar success as Lawson, who played the Buck defensive end position and is projected to be an early-round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.

"It is (exicting)," Moultry said. "It could play a big role in college and the NFL, because NFL scouts love it if you can get that quarterback.

Moultry has experience as a pass-rusher already. He completed his senior season at Jackson-Olin with 133 total tackles, including 10 for a loss, five sacks and six quarterback hurries. He also forced two fumbles and broke up four passes.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder said his goal is to "make an instant impact" as a freshman pass-rusher next season. Auburn coaches haven't spoken to him about a desired playing weight, but he said he'd be comfortable at 240 pounds.

How much he actually puts on will depend on the regimen the strength and conditioning staff puts him on. It won't be easy, and Moultry is already well aware of that, as he has received warnings from early enrollee KJ Britt, who is a good friend of his and described the workouts as "hell."

"I can play at 240 with my size, I could still be big but really solid," Moultry said. "I could play now at 230, but I'm nothing but muscle. It's just whatever they put me at and how big they want me, I don't know. They didn't say anything about my size, they was just like 'you're physical, you're straight.' You know, coach T-Will (Travis Williams) played at 205 in college."

While Moultry is "locked and loaded" with his commitment and will sign with Auburn in a week on National Signing Day, his focus over the next several months will be on acclimating himself to the Tigers' offseason workout program so that he's fully prepared when he enrolls this summer.

"I'm ready," Moultry said. "I'm ready to sign and get out of high school."

Moultry playing Buck, means we only have two linebackers so far in the 2017 Class. If we land Taylor, only gives us 4 in two years. Not enough.

Edited by aufan57
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TD was told this a week or so ago. He would still prefer to wear his traditional #30 but Tre has it for another year. And he will play multiple positions next year, that will include both LB spots and Buck.

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19 minutes ago, aufan57 said:

Moultry playing Buck, means we only have two linebackers so far in the 2017 Class. If we land Taylor, only gives us 4 in two years. Not enough.

A Buck can be a DE or LB in CKS's system. Varies play to play. Also depends on if we get Bryant or not which we are very much in it for.

Edited by ellitor
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  • 3 months later...

TD Talks about his recruitment.  Wasn't sure if this should go in the football page or here.  Feel free to move if you want.  link

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Recruiting rankings never mattered to Auburn linebacker signee Tadarian Moultry.

He didn’t care for them when he was a middle-of-the-pack prospect, and his interest in them didn’t grow when he ultimately became a 5-star prospect ranked inside the top 20 in America. That’s just the Auburn signee’s nature.

He knows that the real work lies ahead.

RELATED: Auburn’s 2017 linebacker class wants to bring first Butkus to Auburn

“It’s all good, but I don’t believe in the rankings and the social media and all that,” Moultry said. “Once you put the pads on, it’s different. I try to let people know not to worry about the rankings and the scholarship offers and all that. You’re going to have to put those stars away.”

Moultry isn’t your average 18-year-old.

He’s had some life experiences that have altered his point of view. His high school coach, Tim Vakakes, often jokes that Moultry is a 50-year-old man in an 18-year-old’s body. That maturity has given him a perspective many other top prospects don’t have until later in their college years or beyond.

“You have to determine your future, not rankings. I don’t believe in that. There are some players in the NFL that were 3-stars with no offers. But their work ethic got them that far,” Moultry said. “So I said from the beginning that I didn’t have a ranking. I try to tell myself that. Don’t get the big head.”

Auburn recruiting-Tadarian Moultry
Auburn signee Tadarian Moultry is one of three linebackers in the Tigers’ Class of 2017. (Jeff Sentell/SEC Country)

The following is a Q&A with Moultry for our Auburn recruiting rewind series

Q: If you could give a junior one piece of advice about the recruiting process, what would it be?

A: “Enjoy it. Enjoy your recruitment. I didn’t enjoy it, because I was so serious with the coaches. I told the coaches early how it was and how it wasn’t going to be. I called Georgia and told them, ‘Y’all will not get me, because you didn’t say anything about education.’ Ole Miss, they didn’t feed me. Bama didn’t recruit me hard enough. LSU, I think I told them, ‘Y’all too far.’ I didn’t make a trip. I just told the coaches, ‘This is how you’re going to recruit me.’ So if you want to recruit these guys who are going to be good as me one day, you need to make sure you do that. … But I would just say, enjoy the recruitment. Wherever you can go, go.”

Q: What school came in second? What could they have done better?

A: “Ole Miss. And if they fed me. They didn’t feed me when I went down there.”

Q: What was the most creative thing a school or coach did to get your attention?

A: “Try to get in contact with my family and get to know them instead of getting to know just me. I will be on campus for three to four years, so I want you to know my family as well.”

Q: What was the biggest rumor about your recruitment that wasn’t true?

A: “I don’t remember one. I was locked down.”

Q: What is the funniest thing any head coach said to you during the entire recruiting process?

A: “I don’t remember anything funny. I think I was being too serious with them.”

Q: What was your biggest regret of the recruiting process?

A: “I didn’t really enjoy it. I didn’t have a ride to go certain places and experience certain places with my family. I wanted to take an official to LSU, California, Missouri. I wasn’t able to experience that.”

Q: Was there any funny recruiting story that stands out to you?

A:  “We did the Running Man Challenge at one of those camps. I think it was Rivals. It was real big. They were recording like we were going to race, and we hit the running man.”

Q: Which coach was it the hardest to tell no?

A: “Not one. Not one. They said, ‘Thank you at least for telling us. If you decide to make a second choice, let us know.'”

Q: What school disappointed you the most during you recruitment?

A: “Of course, Alabama. They could’ve recruited me like family and stayed in contact with me. My coach, he was like, ‘I am sure you get to Bama whenever they ask. Because they know I’m an Auburn fan, but I’m not recruiting you to Auburn. You go to Auburn because you want to go to Auburn.’ If you want me to come, you need to say ‘Bring T.D.,’ or ‘Hey, T.D., come on.’ I never had to do that with Auburn. They always said, ‘Hey, bring T.D.’ or ‘T.D., can you come on down?’ But my coach was always like, ‘Come on, we’re going to go to Bama.’ They never asked about me but one time. I went there four times. And the one time they asked me, they didn’t acknowledge me. They didn’t say anything to me.”

Q: Which school would you have taken more seriously if they recruited you earlier in the process?

A: “Probably Bama, because I grew up a Bama fan.”

Q: How much negative recruiting was out there?

A: “There wasn’t any of that. I think they took me serious. They said, ‘Hey, he’s a young man, and he sees through that.’ I don’t want a team bashing another. Because at the end of the day, I might be going to that school you’re bashing. Don’t bash them, just tell me how you can get me.”

Q: Which non-Auburn coach was the nicest to you? Anyone that was a little more hard-edged?

A: “I guess Ole Miss’ coach. Coach [Hugh] Freeze [was the nicest]. I’d say Nick Saban [for most hard-edged]. The one time I tried to talk to him, it took like two phone calls just to get to him.”

Q: If you were in charge of the NCAA, what’s the one rule you would change with recruiting?

A: “They can talk to us whenever they want.”

 

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