2018 4* QB Joey Gatewood (Auburn 12/5/15)

[bigbird 60,368]

42 minutes ago, auburn4ever said:

Do we stand out on Joey's early list?

Well, since he's committed to us, I'd say 50/50

[ellitor 33,062]

SECCountry Interview Link also includes AU offers over the weekend.

Quote

Worst-case scenario for Auburn, Joey Gatewood

ORLANDO, Fla. — Joey Gatewood wants to be an Auburn Tiger. That much is clear.

With that said, the 4-star quarterback understands the business of college football. He had the eye-opening, firsthand experience when Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee — a close mentor to Gatewood — left his post with the Tigers to take the same position at UConn.

For weeks, the question has been the same: Is Gatewood still committed to Auburn?

The answer for now is a resounding yes.

“I’m still committed as ever,” Gatewood said at the Under Armour regional camp in Orlando.

Despite constant murmurs, Gatewood’s commitment hasn’t wavered. Gus Malzahn made him a priority, stopping by his school in Jacksonville, Fla., more than once post-Lashlee. It assured Gatewood that Auburn was still the right place.

But it began to make Gatewood think.

Other programs began picking up their communications. Texas, Oregon and Georgia established themselves as worthy foes to Auburn. The Tigers sit in a safe position for now.

In fact, there’s only one scenario at this time that Gatewood believes could make him second-guess his commitment. Even that might not be enough.

Auburn QB commit Joey Gatewood (Chris Kirschner/SEC Country)

“There wasn’t no doubts (post-Lashlee). What happened, happened. I didn’t have any control over it,” Gatewood said. “Honestly, if Gus left (it would change things). If Gus wasn’t there, I would maybe — see, I don’t want to say too much because, even with that, I still don’t know what I would do. I don’t think that’d make me de-commit yet. I’d have to see what happens.”

If Auburn has a strong 2017 season, Malzahn won’t be going anywhere. Based on Gatewood’s comments, that would mean the 4-star quarterback commit will stick around too.

There’s only one more reassurance Gatewood needs: Proof of a positive bond with new OC Chip Lindsey.

After Lashlee’s departure, Malzahn called Gatewood within minutes. Malzahn wanted Gatewood to be patient, to trust Malzahn’s hiring process. Gatewood has spoken and texted with Lindsey on a few occasions.

This upcoming weekend will be critical.

Gatewood undoubtedly will be one of the top priorities on campus Saturday for junior day. He hasn’t been to Auburn since he attended a game last fall. The quarterback is equally as eager as Auburn to reconnect and get some personal coach-player time.

“I’m excited to get up there and hang out with Lindsey for the day,” Gatewood said. “I’m going to spend the whole weekend with him — me and him. We’re going to chill. We’ll take it from there. He’s a good dude. From what he’s telling me, I think everything is still going to work.”

 

 

[NoALtiger 3,849]

Just from reading his interviews, JG seems like a really level headed and thoughtful guy. He's got a really bright future and he'll be a big get for us. 

[ellitor 33,062]

Quote

 

Sounds like Auburn QB commit Joey Gatewood hit it off with OC Chip Lindsey during daylong visit

AUBURN, Ala. — All eyes were on Joey Gatewood.

Sure, there were more than 30 other of Auburn’s top targets on campus Saturday for junior day, but Gatewood — the staple of the Tigers’ 2018 commits so far — made the trip to Auburn for his first daylong visit with new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. So he became the center of attention for the offensive staff.

Gatewood’s rich relationship with former offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee has been well-documented. The 4-star quarterback wants to develop a similar bond with Lindsey.

Step one went as well as imaginable.

RECRUITING: Quay Walker to follow in Big Cat’s footsteps? | Junior day reactions

“This was an important visit. It was really nice spending the day with him. We bonded,” Gatewood said. “It’s coming along. He’s a great dude. My mom loves him. He’s a really nice person. He’s a good guy. I can’t wait to get to know him even more.”

Gatewood has become a hot commodity on the recruiting trail since Lashlee’s departure.

Several Power 5 programs saw the OC exit as an opportunity to pull away the third-ranked athlete in the nation from Auburn. Texas and Oregon have revved up recruiting efforts. Georgia has made its presence felt as the Bulldogs search for their dual-threat quarterback.

Auburn has made it tough for other schools to gain much of an edge. The Saturday visit to the Plains helped solidify that.

“It’s great. It’s still my school … I feel like I fit the same. It’s still the same. It’s perfect,” Gatewood said. “I want to make sure I’m making the right decision because I’m coming up to an end. I expect to graduate early. I’m pretty sure Auburn’s locked down.”

Auburn commit Joey Gatewood (Benjamin Wolk/SEC Country)

Gatewood brings a versatile skill set to the recruiting class.

He has no problems throwing the deep ball. He was agile enough to finish in the top eight of the Under Armour iLLSPEED competition in Orlando, which is typically reserved for wide receivers and cornerbacks. For his high school team — because fellow Bartram Trail (Fla.) quarterback Riley Smith is so talented — Gatewood offers his abilities at other positions.

The Tigers still remain fully confident in Gatewood’s talent as a signal-caller.

“I think what (Chip Lindsey) likes about me is that I can do both. I can throw it and can run it,” Gatewood said. “He likes the fact I can throw it. I have a big arm.”

Gatewood wasn’t able to make this most recent trip an overnight one.

He plans to return for the A-Day game on April 8. The star quarterback commit hopes to make a full weekend out of that visit, which might be all he needs to confirm once and for all that the Tigers are the right destination point for him.

He’s relatively certain of that, so Gatewood has started to search for his future wide receivers. At the Under Armour camp, Gatewood mentioned IMG Academy wide receiver Joshua Moore as a favorite target of his.

Central (Ala.) receiver Justyn Ross and Pensacola (Fla.) receiver Jacob Copeland have jumped to the top of Gatewood’s wish list.

“I’m the one that texted Justyn Ross to meet me up here,” Gatewood said. “I’m going to make that my receiver. Him and Jacob Copeland. We need them to get behind Auburn.”

 

 

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

I like that he is already talking about the receivers who he wants to recruit to Auburn. He should also start recruiting O-Linemen a QB's best friend.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

Just now, AuburnNTexas said:

I like that he is already talking about the receivers who he wants to recruit to Auburn. He should also start recruiting O-Linemen a QB's best friend.

You have to love recruits that recruit. 

[GwillMac6 20,607]

47 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

You have to love recruits that recruit. 

especially when they are alpha QBs like every indication Joey G has gave us he is for the 1 and a half years he has been committed to AU! Will be the Malcolm Askew of this class for 2018.

[ellitor 33,062]

22 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

especially when they are alpha QBs like every indication Joey G has gave us he is for the 1 and a half years he has been committed to AU! Will be the Malcolm Askew of this class for 2018.

Him & Worm both.

[GwillMac6 20,607]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

Him & Worm both.

yes! cannot forget worm. he is always hard at work on twitter trying to get kids interested in AU.

[Gowebb11 9,308]

Is it just me, or does the recruiting mojo seem to be much more positive this year? It seems like there are a lot more high profile guys giving us super high reviews lately. I think this staff is settling in and has great chemistry, and the recruits are taking notice. WDE

[GwillMac6 20,607]

5 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

Is it just me, or does the recruiting mojo seem to be much more positive this year? It seems like there are a lot more high profile guys giving us super high reviews lately. I think this staff is settling in and has great chemistry, and the recruits are taking notice. WDE

MAYBE the negative recruiting is not working as well with this group of kids.

[augolf1716 21,096]

Time will tell but I agree with you to a certain extent

[ellitor 33,062]

1 hour ago, Gowebb11 said:

Is it just me, or does the recruiting mojo seem to be much more positive this year? It seems like there are a lot more high profile guys giving us super high reviews lately. I think this staff is settling in and has great chemistry, and the recruits are taking notice. WDE

There's excitement for now because of Chip & Stidham and what they can do in the pass game. That excitement will hit a brick wall though if Gus goes back to doing Gus things.

[Mikey 16,550]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

There's excitement for now because of Chip & Stidham and what they can do in the pass game. That excitement will hit a brick wall though if Gus goes back to doing Gus things.

You mean Gus things like coaching the top three offenses in Auburn history? Those are the things you want to stop?

[ellitor 33,062]

9 minutes ago, Mikey said:

You mean Gus things like coaching the top three offenses in Auburn history? Those are the things you want to stop?

You know exactly what I'm talking about. Him sucking the life out of the O by micromanaging it even to the point of coaching all the O positions making his assistants stand by and watch which is what he did from 2014 though a good bit of 2016. Gus needs to do what he did in 2013 and that was successful for him record wise, be a CEO coach and let his assistants do their jobs. Also let Chip do the pass game by himself because Gus's passing schemes are just too simple & not spaced well enough to be effective in today's college game.

[AUpreacherman22 3,876]

I think 2018 is shaping up to be a very good year on the recruiting trail. 

We have some momentum on D. The new and improved O is having an impact. And we have the centerpiece QB of the class out there working hard recruiting for us. Hopefully it all comes together very nicely. 

[mcgufcm 4,096]

@ellitor I know what you were alluding to, but to be fair, if Gus was micromanaging the offense in 2014, you have to tip your cap to him. That was a really, really freaking good offense. The offense essentially had one game where it no showed all season but dropped 40+ on four SEC teams, including LSU and Bama. If that's the result of micromanaging, I'm pro micromanaging. If the result looks like 2015 and 2016, I'm against micromanaging.

[ellitor 33,062]

Just now, mcgufcm said:

@ellitor I know what you were alluding to, but to be fair, if Gus was micromanaging the offense in 2014, you have to tip your cap to him. That was a really, really freaking good offense. The offense essentially had one game where it no showed all season but dropped 40+ on four SEC teams, including LSU and Bama. If that's the result of micromanaging, I'm pro micromanaging. If the result looks like 2015 and 2016, I'm against micromanaging.

Agreed but it could have been better had he let his coaches do their jobs. They know his philosophy and therefore what to do. He has to start trusting the people he hires.

[Potatooooooes!! 1,366]

15 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Agreed but it could have been better had he let his coaches do their jobs. They know his philosophy and therefore what to do. He has to start trusting the people he hires.

That was because we had Nick Marshal in 2014, not because Gus may or may not have micromanaged. We've all seen what micromanaging has gotten us the last two years. He needs to let the coaches he hired do their jobs, so he can do better at his. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

32 minutes ago, Potatooooooes!! said:

That was because we had Nick Marshal in 2014, not because Gus may or may not have micromanaged. We've all seen what micromanaging has gotten us the last two years. He needs to let the coaches he hired do their jobs, so he can do better at his. 

Nick Marshall is a cornerback now (and again). He was a very good college quarterback and he was surrounded by a lot of talent but you have to give Gus credit for dialing up a rather unique offense that suited our strengths. Those offenses in 2013 and 2014 were *sick*. Maybe they could have been better, but they could have also been a lot worse. Some very good coaches have done less with more.

The offensive roster in 2015 was utter garbage. If the love child of Bobby Petrino and Art Briles spent a year tinkering with that offense, it still would have sucked. 

Gus massively crapped the bed in 2016, though, so your point stands. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

10 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Nick Marshall is a cornerback now (and again). He was a very good college quarterback and he was surrounded by a lot of talent but you have to give Gus credit for dialing up a rather unique offense that suited our strengths. Those offenses in 2013 and 2014 were *sick*. Maybe they could have been better, but they could have also been a lot worse. Some very good coaches have done less with more.

The offensive roster in 2015 was utter garbage. If the love child of Bobby Petrino and Art Briles spent a year tinkering with that offense, it still would have sucked. 

Gus massively crapped the bed in 2016, though, so your point stands. 

Argee wholeheartedly, except for the crapping the bed part.  He did that in one game, but otherwise, 2016 had some serious offensive high points.

Let's be honest, no one has any clue who was really running the offense and when in 2016. The offense was incredible for the run when we had the right O-Line mixture, the right starting running back, and a healthy Sean.  Did Gus meddle? Did he not? No one actually has a clue other than people who are part of the team.  Any and all changes in how the team performed last year could be as easily explained by changes in personnel as they can play calling. Analyzing the calls verified when Rhett took over the play calling early on in the season, but his success could have been because of the O-Line and Running back changes as much as the change in signal caller. As to whether Gus got involved at the end of the season... who knows.  The failure then could have easily been entirely because of key injuries and not play calling (or play calling because of key injuries).

Once again, we're dealing with a talking point that someone put out there with no real proof to back it up and people are running with it like it's a hardened fact.

As has been pointed out numerous times, Gus has run some of the most prolific offenses in college football history. To fear that having him involved at all in the 2017 offense spells it's doom is beyond illogical.

[McLoofus 35,182]

12 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

As has been pointed out numerous times, Gus has run some of the most prolific offenses in college football history. To fear that having him involved at all in the 2017 offense spells it's doom is beyond illogical.

With you there. Totally. 

Agree to disagree on 2016. I would argue that some of said bed-crapping wasn't just his in-game coaching. I think that Clemson was a symptom- granted, the most extreme and glaring one by a mile- of broader issues.

BUT... if any OC came in here and didn't pick that dude's brain in an effort to run the ball more effectively, they'd be foolish. 

[C'viewTiger 242]

Not to derail the derail but this JG kid seems like he's all AU at this point.  Looking forward to seeing how he does this year.

[McLoofus 35,182]

43 minutes ago, AU04ever said:

Not to derail the derail but this JG kid seems like he's all AU at this point.  Looking forward to seeing how he does this year.

Touche.

Let's hope he is a full time starter, if not at his current school then elsewhere. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

11 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

55 minutes ago, AU04ever said:

Not to derail the derail but this JG kid seems like he's all AU at this point.  Looking forward to seeing how he does this year.

Touche.

Let's hope he is a full time starter, if not at his current school then elsewhere. 

And let's hope, in the off season, he seriously considers getting an outside coach to help him refine his skills.