dye gest article with different tidbits......

[aubiefifty 16,754]

scout.com

Important for Strong Finish In Auburn Football Recruiting

Pat Dye

3-4 minutes

Coach Pat Dye (Photo: Inside the Auburn Tigers/AUTigers.com, Scout.com)

With national signing day coming up next week for college football programs most coaching staffs are still trying to put together a strong finish to their classes, even ones like Auburn who signed a large portion of its 2018 group in the early period back in December.

In my opinion it is important to keep pushing hard to the end. Sometimes the last three or four guys you get on board can be the difference between a good recruiting class and a really good or great one.

After Auburn’s coaches are done with lining up prospects the focus will be on the winter workouts for their players already on campus. After that it won’t be long until spring training begins. In Auburn’s case it is just around the corner with a Feb. 27th start date.

One of the points of emphasis for the Tigers will be finding running backs the Tigers can count on this fall. We known what Kam Martin can do. I expect we will see improvement from Devan Barrett as he heads into his sophomore season. I am looking forward to see how the other backs develop.

I am sure we will get a good look this spring at the two young quarterbacks, Malik Willis and early graduate Joey Gatewood, because Jarrett Stidham will be limited a bit on what he can do as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

It will be important for the Tigers to solidify the offensive line. I think with Coach J.B. Grimes back on campus the Tigers have the right man for that job.

Based on what I have seen there is enough talent there for Auburn to have a good offensive front even though there is no way around it not being as experienced as it was last season. I think it will be very important to develop depth on the offensive line and find the right guy to play center.

On the Auburn sports scene people are having a lot of fun going to the games and watching Coach Bruce Pearl’s basketball team. I know I am enjoying this group. I can’t remember an Auburn basketball team that is more fun to watch play.

One of the reasons for that is going into each game you don’t know who is going to have the hot hand and do the scoring. I think that is one of the reasons the Tigers are having so much success. Coach Pearl can put five guys on the court who are all good offensively. When he puts five players in the game who can all make three-pointers on a consistent basis that is a real challenge to defend.

It is fun to see Anfernee McLemore go out behind the three-point line and make three-pointers or block shots near the basket. It is fun to see Horace Spencer play so effectively near the basket both offensively and defensively. I love watching Desean Murray play so effectively at both ends of the court and Auburn’s guards have played very well this season.

The players deserve a lot of credit for how well the team is playing and Coach Pearl and his staff certainly do, too. Baseball and softball will be starting their seasons soon and I am looking forward to seeing those teams, too.

[triangletiger 1,599]

Glad Coach Dye is enjoying the basketball season along with the rest of us.  Not that he provided much in-depth analysis, but I generally enjoy hearing the perspective on a sport/team from a coach whose expertise is in a different sport.    They're usually good at picking up on the traits that are common to all sports that result in success (e.g., playing as a team/good team chemistry, good team leadership, etc.)