2021 Recruiting Board (Finished 5/19/21)

[Zeek 16,643]

The 2021 Recruiting Class:

1. 4* EDGE | Dylan Brooks | 6'5" 250 lbs. | Roanoke, AL
2. 4* DT/NT | Lee Hunter | 6'5" 292 lbs. | Eight Mile, AL
3. 4* DB | Ahmari Harvey | 5'11" 171 lbs. | Tallahassee, FL
4. 4* QB | Dematrius Davis | 6'0" 200 lbs. | Houston, TX
5. 4* DT | Marquis Robinson | 6'3" 300 lbs. | Milton, FL
6. 3* WR | Hal Presley | 6'3" 190 lbs. | Arlington, TX
7. 3* WR | Tar'varish Dawson | 5'10" 175 lbs. | Lehigh Acres, FL
8. 3* EDGE | Tobechi Okoli | 6'5" 255 lbs. | Kansas City, MO
9. 3* WR/TE | Landen King | 6'5" 220 lbs. | Humble, TX
10. 3* OT | Colby Smith | 6'7" 315 lbs. | West End, NC
11. 3* DB | Juwon Gaston | 5'11" 187 lbs. | Montgomery, AL | Did not academically qualify and will be attending Hutchison Community College
12. 3* OL | Garner Langlo | 6'7" 270 lbs. | Ocala, FL
13. 3* DL | Ian Matthews | 6'5" 290 lbs. | Columbus, GA
14. 3* RB | Jarquez Hunter | 5'10" 190 lbs. | Philadelphia, MS
15. 3* DB | Armani Diamond | 5'11" 171 lbs | Eight Mile, AL
16. 3* DB | Cayden Bridges | 6'2" 192 lbs. | Magee, MS
17. Transfer CB | Dreshun Miller | 6'1" 192 lbs. | West Virginia | has 2 years to play
18. Transfer NT | Tony Fair | 6'3" 335 lbs. | UAB | has 1 year to play
19. Transfer EDGE | Andrew "Eku" Leota | 6'4" 250 lbs. | Northwestern | 3 years to play 
20. Transfer LB | Joko Willis | 6'3" 215 lbs. | Independence C.C. | 4 years to play
21. Transfer DB | Bydarrius Knighten | 6'0" 200 lbs. | SE Mizzou State | 1 year to play
22. Transfer DB | Donovan Kaufman | 5'10" 197 lbs. | 4 years to play
23. 2020 Signee | Oscar Chapman | Punter | Australia | Counts against the 2021 class
24. Departed DB | Kamal Hadden | Enrolled in classes but has already transferred out
25. Departed TE | Grant Calcaterra | Technically signed and therefor counts against our total

High school players are place in order of their 247 ratings.

Transfers are listed randomly.

The 2021 Class is finished! I'd like to keep this thread open so I can come back and post updates about players from this class. I'd like to see how this last second make-shift class ends up panning out for Bryan Harsin and Company.

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by Zeek
Finished 5/19

[Zeek 16,643]

As discussed in other threads Jeremiah "Scoob" Williams will be announcing October 10th

Here is the link to the 247 article sharing when he will announce

 

[Zeek 16,643]

Really good snapshot from 247

https://247sports.com/college/auburn/LongFormArticle/Auburn-recruiting-snapshot-2021-class-overview-151557104/

Quote

With the early signing period for college football only three months away, this is a good time to take a closer look at the 2021 Auburn recruiting class and where things stand with the Tigers.

As of Wednesday, Auburn has the No. 19 recruiting class from 247Sports with 13 commitments.

Gus Malzahn's first year as Auburn coach was 2013 and the Tigers were in the top 10 every year through 2017. The Tigers then fell just short in 2018 and '19. In 2020, they returned to finish No. 7. Can the Tigers get back into the top 10 this cycle? They certainly have a shot, but it's by no means a slam dunk.

Here's a snapshot of where things stand for the Tigers ….

TOTAL COMMITS: 13 (Most recent: 4-star safety Ahmari Harvey, Aug. 21). When Harvey committed, that gave the Tigers 14 verbals. But then offensive tackle J'Marion Gooch flipped to Tennessee on Aug. 31.

SPOTS TO FILL: Up to eight or nine perhaps (it's fluid). This is our best guess based on the current intel. Many things can determine this. For example, Auburn signed fewer than 25 in a previous class largely because it didn't want to reach at certain positions. The Tigers later added quarterback Cord Sandberg that August using an available spot. In 2020, the Tigers signed 26. It varies from year to year.

One other thing to consider: Punter Oscar Chapman of Australia arrived at Auburn as a blue shirt this month; that means he counts toward the 2021 numbers. So while the Tigers have 13 verbals, you can add one more to that total because of Chapman.

CLASS RANKING: No. 19 overall, No. 7 in the SEC. The Tigers trail Alabama (No. 1), LSU (No. 4), Tennessee (No. 6), Florida (No. 7), Georgia (No. 11) and Texas A&M (No. 17). 

AVERAGE RATING PER COMMIT: 90.06 (90.00 is the 4-star threshold). Auburn’s average rating per commit is 12th best nationally. The 2019 class had an average of 91.16 but with only 21 signees finished at No. 11 in the national rankings. In 2020, Auburn's class average was 90.89. Should Auburn hold its current average rating when the final numbers are tabulated National Signing Day in February, finishing in the top 10 would be a challenge. More than likely, that average will need to rise.

Now, here's a position-by-position overview ...
QUARTERBACK

Committed: 1 -- 4-star (247Sports) Dematrius Davis (early enrollee)

Spots to fill: 0

The 411: Davis not only is a talented dual-threat guy, he has proven time and again to be a winner against high-level competition at the high school level. He is the No. 205 overall recruit in the industry generated 247Sports Composite (4-star) and the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback. Davis committed to Auburn on May 17, just two weeks after de-committing from Virginia Tech. He's 37-2 as a high school starter with two state championships. Davis was a finalist for the Elite 11, a prestigious quarterback event. At this time, it seems unlikely the Tigers will add a second quarterback to the class. Davis' season begins next week.
RUNNING BACK

Committed: 1 -- 4-star Armoni Goodwin (early enrollee)

Spots to fill: 0-1

The 411: Goodwin is the No. 91 overall recruit in the industry generated 247Sports Composite (4-star). He committed to the Tigers on May 22, 2019. Goodwin missed all but four games in 2019 after sustaining a serious knee injury in September. He now appears to be 100 percent back. In three games this season, Goodwin has 523 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 46 carries. That's an average of 11.3 yards per attempt. Goodwin and his family are close to running backs coach Cadillac Williams, but other schools continue to heavily recruit him -- notably LSU. That said, he appears to be solid. Auburn doesn't have to add a second back to the class, but would if it's an elite player. Four-star Clemson commit Phil Mafah is one target. Georgia commit Lovasea Carroll is another. 

TIGHT END

Committed: 1 -- 3-star Landen King (early enrollee)

Spots to fill: 0-1

The 411: After signing two tight ends in the 2019 class and two more in 2020, the Tigers only need one this cycle. But they might still take two (but only if it's a high-end talent). As a junior, King earned first-team all-district honors at H-back in Texas District 22-6A. He caught 53 passes for 853 yards and nine touchdowns as he averaged 16.1 yards per reception. He helped Atascocita to a 12-2 record and a Texas Class 6A Division I state quarterfinal berth. At last check, Auburn still was flirting with Notre Dame commit Cane Berrong of Georgia. The Irish, though, like their chances of him sticking. King's season begins next week.

RECEIVER

Committed: 0

Spots to fill: 2 (updated from 1 to 2).

The 411: Auburn got a big commitment from a 2021 receiver -- Malcolm Johnson Jr.. -- in August but he then reclassified to 2020 and already is on campus. So after taking five receivers in 2020, Auburn may only need one or two at the most for 2021. Three to watch are Oregon commit Isaiah Brevard, Baylor commit Hal Presley and Tennessee commit Roc Taylor. Brevard and Taylor each have visited the Tigers; Presley has not. Each of the three have said they are fairly solid with their verbals, but behind the scenes Auburn has worked all of them fairly hard. 

If Auburn puts up big passing numbers this season, that could change the dynamic here as it might open some eyes. In other words, fans may have to be patient. Worth noting, athlete commit Tar'varis Dawson will get work at both receiver and corner. He told us recently the Tigers have talked to him more about receiver of late.

In sum, we expect new names to emerge this fall.

 
OFFENSIVE LINE

Committed: 3 -- 4-star OT Caleb Johnson (early enrollee), 4-star OG Jaeden Roberts (early enrollee), 3-star Garner Langlo

Spots to fill: 1-2

The 411: The Tigers signed six offensive linemen last year and are going big again in 2021. But maybe not as big as they were about a month ago. With the NCAA granting every player on the roster an extra year due to the Covid-19 situation, Auburn doesn't have quite the need here it once did thanks to the big haul of 2020. That said, the Tigers would like to add more to the class and has targeted some elite tackles, namely 5-star recruit Amarius Mims of Georgia. He won't announce until October. Auburn is a factor, but probably is sitting behind Georgia and Tennessee. In the meantime, the Tigers also are working 3-star tackle Diego Pounds of North Carolina extremely hard. Four-star tackle Savion Byrd of Texas is another target but SMU and Oklahoma look like his top two at the moment. The Tigers continue to monitor several other targets, some of whom they haven't yet offered. Early season video will be important here from emerging targets.

Don't be surprised if new targets emerge in the coming weeks. Since the spring evaluation period was shelved, a whole new batch of evaluations are taking place right now.

DEFENSIVE LINE/BUCK

Committed: 3 -- 4-star DT Lee Hunter (early enrollee), 4-star DT Marquis Robinson (early enrollee), 3-star DE Tobechi Okoli

Spots to fill: 2-3

The 411: After coming up big in the previous cycle, defensive line coach Rodney Garner appears poised to do it again. Hunter, Auburn's highest-ranked pledge, committed to Auburn last December, Robinson and Okoli jumped in the boat in August. With the interior and strong-side shored up, now Auburn's focus is on adding some edge rushers to the mix. Four-star buck/outside backer Jeremiah Williams of Alabama, is a top target and seems to be torn between Auburn and Florida with Georgia also in the hunt. That said, Auburn is more optimistic now than it was a month ago and we have projected him to the Tigers, though the Gators still are right there.

Then you have Vols 4-star commit Dylan Brooks, an end who lives about an hour from Auburn. The Tigers continue to recruit the Auburn legacy.

End/buck Jimmori Robinson of Monroe College (N.Y.) is another to watch. If Auburn pushes, he'd probably commit. The Tigers also continue to recruit end Shambre Jackson of Florida, though he might be trending to Florida State. At last check, he told us the Seminoles were recruiting him harder than Auburn.

LINEBACKER

Committed: 0

Spots to fill: 1-2

The 411: Auburn signed three backers in 2020 and may only need one this cycle. Smael Mondon, a 5-star recruit from Georgia, is the highest-ranked target and the Tigers have a realistic shot of signing him. That said, Georgia is right there and presents a formidable foe. At one point, Mondon seemed likely to have a summer commitment, but things got pushed back. When he'll make a decision now is anyone's guess. What has Auburn in the hunt? Mainly, it's Mondon's relationship with linebackers coach Travis Williams and the rest of the staff. 

Xavian Sorey of Florida is another big target, but Auburn might be sitting in third at best with him with Alabama, Florida and Georgia being the others to watch. Elsewhere, 3-star Arkansas commit Raheim Sanders of Florida remains someone to track. Two of his former former teammates play for the Tigers (Octavius Brothers and Ladarius Tennison). Trevin Wallace of Wayne County (Ga.) also is on Auburn's radar, along with some other players. 

For now, all eyes are on Mondon.

DEFENSIVE BACK/ATH

Committed: 4 -- 4-star safety Ahmari Harvey; 3-star corner Kamal Hadden; 3-star ATH Tar'varish Dawson, 3-star safety Phillip O'Brien Jr. (early enrollee).

Spots to fill: 2-3

The 411: In the secondary, Auburn needs a big haul and it is well on its way to doing that. Harvey and O'Brien are solid safety prospects. Dawson is a speedster who will get a look at both receiver and cornerback. Hadden has great length. You could see Auburn sign up to two or maybe even three more defensive backs.

Corner is the biggest need now and the Tigers are very much in the running with 5-star recruit Ga'Quincy McKinstry, 4-star Nyland Green and 3-star Kamari Lassister. Land any combination of two from that group and the coaching staff probably would be thrilled. Would the Tigers take all three? That is unclear. Auburn leads in the Crystal Ball for McKinstry. He and Lassiter (Auburn, Clemson, Georgia) potentially could have decisions in the near future. In a nutshell, the potential is there for the Tigers to have a really nice secondary class.

Our best guess is, Lassiter will be the first to decide. A commit decision could come this month. Some at Auburn feel good about the Tigers' chances -- but we think it's still too close to call.

Of the three, Green may be the most difficult to land. Georgia and Tennessee might be ahead of Auburn.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Committed: 0

Spots to fill: 0

The 411: At this time, we don't think the Tigers will sign any kickers for 2021. But ... if we're reading the rules correctly, Chapman of Australia, who will be a "blue shirt," will count toward the 2021 scholarship totals. Per USA Today, "Blue shirt rules allow for unrecruited players to be awarded a scholarship at the start of freshman practice. This allows a team that may have too many commits to essentially borrow against their next year’s scholarship total. The rules are rather strict in regard to what is defined as being 'unrecruited.' That means there was no official visit taken by the athlete, the coach didn’t visit the athlete at home, there was no National Letter of Intent signed, and no form of athletic aid."

So here it says up to 8 or 9 meaning that we would sit at either 21-22 which would be a pretty small class but reasonable with players opting out this year and there being so much uncertainty (not to mention how much the last class was loaded up).

I'm agitated to see us behind Tennessee & Texas A&M considering we've had a lot more success in the last 2 decades than those programs. We always seem to come through in the end but Tenn recruiting is alarming to me.

I'll update some of my OP based off this post.

[Sizzle 3,909]

3 hours ago, Zeek said:

Really good snapshot from 247

https://247sports.com/college/auburn/LongFormArticle/Auburn-recruiting-snapshot-2021-class-overview-151557104/

So here it says up to 8 or 9 meaning that we would sit at either 21-22 which would be a pretty small class but reasonable with players opting out this year and there being so much uncertainty (not to mention how much the last class was loaded up).

I'm agitated to see us behind Tennessee & Texas A&M considering we've had a lot more success in the last 2 decades than those programs. We always seem to come through in the end but Tenn recruiting is alarming to me.

I'll update some of my OP based off this post.

Tennessee is loading up with a few quality players but it’s mostly just quantity, that’s why they’re so high. We’re filled with quality players. Don’t think too much about it. The same thing would happen to Clemson a couple years ago, some years they’d be around the 12- 15 range because they go after quality and not quantity 

[Zeek 16,643]

1 hour ago, Sizzle said:

Tennessee is loading up with a few quality players but it’s mostly just quantity, that’s why they’re so high. We’re filled with quality players. Don’t think too much about it. The same thing would happen to Clemson a couple years ago, some years they’d be around the 12- 15 range because they go after quality and not quantity 

Yeah I'm just miffed about them getting dudes we wanted. Gooch was someone I really liked but I think local pressure got to him.

[Sizzle 3,909]

32 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Yeah I'm just miffed about them getting dudes we wanted. Gooch was someone I really liked but I think local pressure got to him.

I liked him too. But him switching commitments wasn’t surprising 

[ellitor 33,080]

WR Colzie is not and has not been a target for months. I had more but Keith covered it his snapshot article

[SumterAubie 3,031]

36 minutes ago, ellitor said:

WR Colzie is not and has not been a target for months. I had more but Keith covered it his snapshot article

What do you know about this stuff? Newcomer!  

[WaynesAUworld 179]

On 9/18/2020 at 8:30 PM, ellitor said:

WR Colzie is not and has not been a target for months. I had more but Keith covered it his snapshot article

Just couldn’t stay away huh?  You love us too much to let false recruiting info seep into our brains! 😉

Thank you And War Eagle E. 😁

Edited September 20, 2020 by WaynesAUworld

[JFDTiger80 790]

On 9/17/2020 at 5:51 PM, Zeek said:

Total Spots (roughly 23)

With 13 commits we're looking to fill the remaining 10 spots to round out the class. Here is a positional breakdown of commits and prospects.

Quarterback (1) DONE

Dematrius Davis || 4* Dual-Threat || 5'10.5" 200 lbs. || Houston, TX

Running-Back (1) DONE

Armoni Goodwin || 4* || 5'8" 190 lbs. || Trussville, AL

Tight End (1) DONE

Landen King || 3* || 6'5" 220 lbs. || Humble, TX

Offensive Line (5-6) 3 Currently Committed

Jaeden Roberts || 4* || Offensive Guard || 6'5" 340 lbs. || Houston, TX

Caleb Johnson || 4* || Offensive Tackle || 6'7" 295 lbs. || Ocala, FL

Garner Langlo || 3* || Offensive Guard || 6'7" 270 lbs. || Ocala, FL

Amarius Mims || 5* || Offensive Tackle || 6'7" 315 lbs. || Cochran, GA

Diego Pounds || 3* || Offensive Tackle || 6'6" 305 lbs. || Raleigh, NC

Wide Receiver (1-2)

Deion Colzie || 4* || Wide Receiver || 6'4" 193 lbs. || Athens, GA

Defensive Line (5) 4 Currently Committed

Lee Hunter || 4* || Defensive Tackle || 6'5" 292 lbs. || Eight Mile, AL

Marquis Robinson || 4* || Defensive Tackle || 6'3" 300 lbs. || Milton, FL

Tobechi Okoli || 3* || Defensive End || 6'5" 250 lbs. || Kansas City, MO

Jeremiah "Scoob" Williams || 4* || Buck || 6'3" 224 lbs. || Birmingham, AL

Shambre Jackson || 4* || DE || 6'2" 230 lbs. || Orlando, FL

Jimmori Robinson || NR || DE || 6'6" 248 lbs. || Rochester, NY

Linebacker (1)

Smael Mondon || 5* || OLB || 6'3" 220 lbs. || Dallas, GA

Xavian Sorey || 4* || OLB || 6'3" 214 lbs. || Bradenton, FL

Deshauwn Alleyne || 3* || 6'0" 210 lbs. || Port Saint Lucie, FL

Defensive Back (5-6) 4 Currently Committed

Ahmari Harvey || 4* || Safety || 5'10.5" 171 lbs. || Tallahassee, FL

Phillip O'Brien Jr. || 3* || Safety || 6'0" 169 lbs. || Deerfield Beach, FL

Kamal Hadden || 3* || Corner Back || 6'2" 185 lbs. || River Rouge, MI

Tar'varish Dawson || 3* || Athlete DB || 5'10" 175 lbs. || Lehigh Acres, FL

Ga'Quincy McKinstry || 5* || Corner Back || 5'11.5" 172 lbs. || Pinson, AL

Nyland Green || 4* || Corner Back || 6'2" 183 lbs. || Covington, GA

Kamari Lassiter || 3* || Corner Back || 6'0" 185 lbs. || Tuscaloosa, AL

Markevious Brown || 4* || Corner Back || 6'0" 170 lbs. || Bradenton, FL

Jalin Shephard || 3* || Corner Back ||  5'9.5" 167 lbs. || Hogansville, GA

 

Thanks to JBoy and Eli Gravitt for helping me out. If it's not obvious, the commits are bolded in orange.

Zeek, really appreciate this post.  There has been so little news since E made his announcement. 

[Zeek 16,643]

8 minutes ago, JFDTiger80 said:

Zeek, really appreciate this post.  There has been so little news since E made his announcement. 

No sweat, just summarizing what has been out there for everyone. I'm usually off (which lights the bat signal for E to clear things up).

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

Rod Orr announcing today. Tell ya what, the FSU board is some kind of excited about him. Some over there saying they think he's a first year starter at tackle. I know the story and I know what's up, and why we haven't offered, but it kind of stinks to know there's a guy who would love to come to AU and a power 5 program that is about to get him is really excited about him...

Edited September 25, 2020 by tigerbrotha12

[bigbird 60,460]

1 hour ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

Some over there saying they think he's a first year starter at tackle.

For them, he probably is...

[toddc 13,194]

43 minutes ago, bigbird said:

For them, he probably is...

Plus they don’t have much else to get excited about these days. 😝 

[McLoofus 35,182]

You can take Diego Pounds off the board. UNC

[fredst 9,064]

3 hours ago, McLoofus said:

You can take Diego Pounds off the board. UNC

Ol’ Mac can still ‘cruit

[1auburn1 1,110]

5 minutes ago, fredst said:

Ol’ Mac can still ‘cruit

Real recruiters recruit.  Regardless of the circumstances. 

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Wasn't there a player who Auburn is after gonna give his commitment today? Sorry if I got it all wrong.

[Sizzle 3,909]

10 minutes ago, auburn4ever said:

Wasn't there a player who Auburn is after gonna give his commitment today? Sorry if I got it all wrong.

Look a couple posts above yours. He answered it

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Oh, I see it now. Thank you.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Now we must do our very best to get Mims and. Scooby's commitments

Edited September 26, 2020 by auburn4ever

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I just heard on tv that Rod Orr committed to FSU. I thought he was headed to Tennessee.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I'm watching IMG and Ravenwood (TN). Both teams are playing one heck of a game. I wish we'd get some guys from both these teams.

[Sizzle 3,909]

And he’s talking about ‘21 not ‘22

[Sizzle 3,909]