Early National Signing Day News

[Zeek 16,649]

War Eagle and thank you for all the time you take to contribute to this forum and reading/interacting with my posts. The 2022 class has been a weird one as our staff has been comfortable with playing the long game. This approach will either succeed come December 15th or it will leave us in the rain without an umbrella. While it is worth noting that these recruiting classes take a long time of getting to know players for years, there are still high expectations for Auburn to consistently recruit in the top 20 on off years, top 15 on slightly down years, and to sniff the top 10 consistently otherwise.

Here is a general list of players to watch as we approach the Early National Signing Day (ENSD) a week from now on December 15th. While it's called ENSD, the vast majority of players sign on this day instead of the original signing day which isn't until February 2nd, 2022. Without any further front-loading, here is who we need to keep an eye on heading into the home stretch:

 

December 13th, 2021:

• 4* CB Austin Ausberry - while he is an LSU legacy and his father works for LSU, he has consistently made it clear that he would not factor that into his decision. Auburn took him at his word and has recruited him harder than anyone other than the presumed favorite. This has paid off and it seems like Auburn might truly lead for Ausberry heading into his commitment. Anything can happen but I expect this to be the first domino to fall for the rest of our recruits. Update: Committed to Auburn 
• #1 JUCO S Marquise Gilbert - FSU seems confident they're going to land literally every single person they are recruiting against us for at the moment. They have to be wrong somewhere. Our staff feels we should land him at this point. So no one really knows. He does visit FSU on the 10th so that might be the tie breaker with them having the last visit. We will see December 15th. Update: Committed to Auburn

December 14th, 2021:

• 3* NT Enyce Sledge - his ranking is admittedly low (somewhere in the 1000s according to 247) but his frame and tape have won the staff over. Nick Eason values Sledge as high, if not higher, than many of the DL still left on our board. This looks like an Auburn vs Oklahoma State battle here at the end. If I had to choose I would lean towards Sledge wearing the orange and blue. 
• 4* CB JaDarian Rhym - committed to LSU but he has felt like an Auburn lean for a while. Brian Kelly keeping the secondary coach has made this a battle again. Still, the relationship he and his family have with Zac Etheridge has put the plainsmen in a strong position heading into signing day. Would be another big win by the staff that has never stopped recruiting Rhym. Update: Committing at 5:00 PM today instead of Wednesday

December 15th, 2021:

• 4* DL Khurtiss Perry - pay attention to whether or not he gets the in-home visit scheduled this week. If he does then I would have to think Auburn gets the nod on the fifteenth. Alabama has really slow played the kid and reportedly weren't happy that he didn't add more weight over his senior season. In the scenario where Perry doesn't schedule an in-home visit with Harsin this week expect him to commit to Bama; which would feel like a classic tide troll job. Auburn's staff views him as a Marlon Davidson type that can play inside or outside which adds to his usage.
• 4* WR Darrius Clemons - this is a weird feeling for sure. We have always recruited DC as our #1 receiver target and he kind of left us hanging when Oregon had some commitments either get processed or flipped. Now that Cristobal has left for Miami things are looking good for the Tigers again. Miami and Michigan are making strong pushes right now but it could be too little too late. If he signs on December 15th I expect it to be to Auburn... if he delays his signing than expect Auburn to move on from him at that point. Update: Clemons has picked up two CBs to Michigan but some believe Auburn is still in it
• 3* WR Camden Brown - despite his ranking this kid is a hot commodity late in the process. South Carolina is pushing hard, UGA has a last second OV with him after not recruiting him hard, Auburn is doing an in-home visit Thursday. This has been a crazy recruitment and I have no idea which way it will go... usually the team to get the last OV should be favored so it might be a question of how bad UGA really wants him at this time. To preemptively answer some questions, yes the staff would absolutely take both Clemons and Brown. Update: Auburn's confidence is rising sharply
• #2 JUCO CB Keionte Scott - not sure who we are really competing with here. It has seemed like Auburn is the favorite for a hot second now. Would be surprised if he ends up going somewhere else to be quite honest. 
• 4* LB Robert Woodyard - has felt like an Auburn lock for a long time now. He is committed to Alabama though so there is some potential for shenanigans but it seems like an Auburn win here for a highly rated LB. He did have an injury that hampered a lot of his senior season and I'm not sure how long he has left on his recovery. That is worth noting and it wouldn't be the first time Bama left an injured player hung out to dry.
• 4* Justin Williams  - Auburn is in a weird spot here with both Citizen and Williams committing on the same day. Truthfully, Williams is probably Citizen's backup plan but it is hard to pull that off when you aren't sure what Citizen is leaning towards doing. Tennessee has been on Williams hard for longer. Some feel that if we miss Citizen we get Williams but if Williams goes with Tennessee then we are probably in a good spot with Citizen. I'm not so sure. Auburn could realistically miss on both and be hunting for a 3* gem among those who didn't sign in December. Update: Auburn was slow playing Williams and it looks like Tennessee is now the favorite
• 4* OT Julian Armella - a late push by the Tigers have made things interesting. FSU is still the team to beat but we will see. Auburn will visit Armella again this Thursday while visitng Camden Brown. This is one to watch but I wouldn't get your hopes up... yet.
• 3* OL Anez Cooper - he has lost 50ish lbs but the staff is still split on what to do with him. If other options fall through he might be the plan b.
• #1 JUCO DL Jeffrey M'ba - not 100% sure he commits on the 15th but he is supposed to make a decision before going home to France for the holidays. He is a monster of a human being and a slew of teams are pursuing him hard. Auburn and Tennessee seem like the favorites. We know RG is a good closer and Tennessee has a lot of confidence in landing M'ba at this point. Update: Auburn is now the favorite. He will sign on Wednesday but he won't make the announcement of who he signed with public until December 19th.
• 3* CB Myles Pollard - Auburn won't give up but I think he is solid to his Michigan commitment.
• 4* LB DeMario Tolan - LSU seems like the favorite to keep him committed and in their class. Auburn has put in the work to be in the picture. Another quiet kid that is difficult to read. My guess is LSU right now but there are still some things to develop so we will see. Update: his OV to LSU has all but locked him down for the Bayou Tigers.
• 4* DL Tyre West - currently committed to Georgia but it seems like he is being processed out of the class. FSU is the favorite (God they are in our way on a bunch of these kids) but he is currently on a two day OV to Auburn. That could be the game changer if it goes well. Stay tuned. Update: Auburn canceled the OV and FSU is the favorite.
• 3* WR Marquarius White - just not a fan of 155 lbs. players in the SEC personally. You hope they will fill out but as many know that can be easier said than done. His speed is desirable but he is also a Tennessee commit and seems pretty solid to them. Still, the staff has him taking an OV this weekend which could change things. It might be a race between Camden Brown and White to see who bites first for that 4th WR spot. Update: Auburn is no longer pursuing.

Those are the key players I think are worth watching over the next seven days. Other than that I expect Bobo to "flip" or decommit soon. There are some guys we are still pursuing hard that are either long shots or aren't signing until February. We will discuss those guys after signing day. There is also a lot of plans on utilizing the transfer portal again and the staff has already been in communication with some players through back channels that aren't in the portal yet.

 

Some FAQs:
1. How many spots do we have? Sadly I have no clue and no one else seems to know.

2. What's going on with the OL? I believe we lose Bobo but pick up at least two more high school OL before going to the portal. It seems like Auburn is in a great position with the FIU (I think) OT transfer that is being heavily recruited by every major program. It isn't ideal but it is a work in progress. The 2023 class is where we should finally start to see some success in OL recruiting.

3. Would we take this guy + this guy? If the staff feels like a QB will leave (Bo or TJ) then we could see them take a "screw it" shot and let Tanner Bailey in the class. At running back the answer is an emphatic no; we are taking Alston + 1 other not 2 others. We are losing one running back from this current group. Adding three running backs to replace one is poor roster management (Tank/Hunter/Ingram/Alston/2022 RB makes 5 scholarship backs already). OL we'll probably take as many as five if we are able and they're not redundant players. Wide receiver I expect us to take two more high school kids and a portal player or two. Defensive line we're looking at 2-3 more. LB we're looking at 2-3 more since Powell is viewed as an edge. DBs we seem to be trying to get as many as possible. With McCreary, Smoke, Tennison, Miller and others being gone that makes a lot of sense.

 

4. What is a realistic expectation for this class? I have maintained for a long time that a top 20 class is acceptable but a top 15 class should be the goal. Both feel attainable but a top 10 class would take a ridiculous amount of luck. We would essentially have to finish with every single one of our highest rated targets to come close to that. JUCO and transfer players don't contribute to the class ranking and that is something that should be kept in mind.

 

February Signees

• 4* RB TreVonte' Citizen - another December 15th signee who is pretty quiet like Rhym. He is still committed to LSU and hasn't been too clear on what his plans are with the new staff. This would be a hard pull but Auburn has been kicking this tire continuously for a while now. We never stopped recruiting him even after he committed to the bayou and that has put us in the race to the end. Update: likely signing in February based on information he gave LSU reporters
• 4* DL/IOL Antavious Woody - dude seemed ready to commit to Auburn at one point but some weird sentimental conversation he had with FSU made him seem like he was no longer going to flip. Auburn hasn't given up and now we are recruiting him on both sides of the ball (previously we were looking at him on defense only) and that seems to have helped. This one feels 55/45 in favor of the noles. Update: now signing in February due to some issues with grades

Edited December 14, 2021 by Zeek

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

Great write up Zeek! You've really stepped up in Ellitor's stead.

I think a top-20 finish is nothing to be ashamed of given that this staff had to start from the ground up in recruiting this year. A top-15 finish would be an absolute win and anything above that is gravy.

[Zeek 16,649]

There is some clamoring about Tyre West. Conflicting reports on whether or not he made his official visit today. Then he post a picture of him in Auburn's uniform? Kinda weird. 

[Jgarrett7 957]

@Zeek

greatly appreciate the value you bring to this forum. You’ve really brought it today. Good work brother. 

[Gowebb11 9,314]

Thanks @Zeek Excellent job keeping it factual and real. Thanks for all the hard work you put into these updates. 

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

Frazier would be a HUGE (pun intended) get 

 

 

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

Thank you Zeek. I like the analyses when you think we lead you give the reason for your optimism but you are also honest where other teams are working the recruits and where in some cases two teams both think they lead. If we could get all the ones you think we lead for then pull in a few of the ones where ae are 50/50 at best we will do well. Then we get to see what we can get from the Portal.

If we get a couple of the Juco guys you mentioned it may not help our ranking but it could help our team which is even more important.

 

[WFE12 9,191]

 

[Hank2020 3,199]

7 hours ago, Zeek said:

War Eagle and thank you for all the time you take to contribute to this forum and reading/interacting with my posts. The 2022 class has been a weird one as our staff has been comfortable with playing the long game. This approach will either succeed come December 15th or it will leave us in the rain without an umbrella. While it is worth noting that these recruiting classes take a long time of getting to know players for years, there are still high expectations for Auburn to consistently recruit in the top 20 on off years, top 15 on slightly down years, and to sniff the top 10 consistently otherwise.

Here is a general list of players to watch as we approach the Early National Signing Day (ENSD) a week from now on December 15th. While it's called ENSD, the vast majority of players sign on this day instead of the original signing day which isn't until February 2nd, 2022. Without any further front-loading, here is who we need to keep an eye on heading into the home stretch:

 

December 13th, 2021:

• 4* CB Austin Ausberry - while he is an LSU legacy and his father works for LSU, he has consistently made it clear that he would not factor that into his decision. Auburn took him at his word and has recruited him harder than anyone other than the presumed favorite. This has paid off and it seems like Auburn might truly lead for Ausberry heading into his commitment. Anything can happen but I expect this to be the first domino to fall for the rest of our recruits.

December 14th, 2021:

• 3* NT Enyce Sledge - his ranking is admittedly low (somewhere in the 1000s according to 247) but his frame and tape have won the staff over. Nick Eason values Sledge as high, if not higher, than many of the DL still left on our board. This looks like an Auburn vs Oklahoma State battle here at the end. If I had to choose I would lean towards Sledge wearing the orange and blue.

December 15th, 2021:

• 4* DL Khurtiss Perry - pay attention to whether or not he gets the in-home visit scheduled this week. If he does then I would have to think Auburn gets the nod on the fifteenth. Alabama has really slow played the kid and reportedly weren't happy that he didn't add more weight over his senior season. In the scenario where Perry doesn't schedule an in-home visit with Harsin this week expect him to commit to Bama; which would feel like a classic tide troll job. Auburn's staff views him as a Marlon Davidson type that can play inside or outside which adds to his usage.
• 4* CB JaDarian Rhym - committed to LSU but he has felt like an Auburn lean for a while. Brian Kelly keeping the secondary coach has made this a battle again. Still, the relationship he and his family have with Zac Etheridge has put the plainsmen in a strong position heading into signing day. Would be another big win by the staff that has never stopped recruiting Rhym.
• 4* WR Darrius Clemons - this is a weird feeling for sure. We have always recruited DC as our #1 receiver target and he kind of left us hanging when Oregon had some commitments either get processed or flipped. Now that Cristobal has left for Miami things are looking good for the Tigers again. Miami and Michigan are making strong pushes right now but it could be too little too late. If he signs on December 15th I expect it to be to Auburn... if he delays his signing than expect Auburn to move on from him at that point.
• 4* RB TreVonte' Citizen - another December 15th signee who is pretty quiet like Rhym. He is still committed to LSU and hasn't been too clear on what his plans are with the new staff. This would be a hard pull but Auburn has been kicking this tire continuously for a while now. We never stopped recruiting him even after he committed to the bayou and that has put us in the race to the end.
• 3* WR Camden Brown - despite his ranking this kid is a hot commodity late in the process. South Carolina is pushing hard, UGA has a last second OV with him after not recruiting him hard, Auburn is doing an in-home visit Thursday. This has been a crazy recruitment and I have no idea which way it will go... usually the team to get the last OV should be favored so it might be a question of how bad UGA really wants him at this time. To preemptively answer some questions, yes the staff would absolutely take both Clemons and Brown.
• #1 JUCO S Marquise Gilbert - FSU seems confident they're going to land literally every single person they are recruiting against us for at the moment. They have to be wrong somewhere. Our staff feels we should land him at this point. So no one really knows. He does visit FSU on the 10th so that might be the tie breaker with them having the last visit. We will see December 15th.
• #2 JUCO CB Keionte Scott - not sure who we are really competing with here. It has seemed like Auburn is the favorite for a hot second now. Would be surprised if he ends up going somewhere else to be quite honest.
• 4* LB Robert Woodyard - has felt like an Auburn lock for a long time now. He is committed to Alabama though so there is some potential for shenanigans but it seems like an Auburn win here for a highly rated LB. He did have an injury that hampered a lot of his senior season and I'm not sure how long he has left on his recovery. That is worth noting and it wouldn't be the first time Bama left an injured player hung out to dry.
• 4* Justin Williams  - Auburn is in a weird spot here with both Citizen and Williams committing on the same day. Truthfully, Williams is probably Citizen's backup plan but it is hard to pull that off when you aren't sure what Citizen is leaning towards doing. Tennessee has been on Williams hard for longer. Some feel that if we miss Citizen we get Williams but if Williams goes with Tennessee then we are probably in a good spot with Citizen. I'm not so sure. Auburn could realistically miss on both and be hunting for a 3* gem among those who didn't sign in December.
• 4* DL/IOL Antavious Woody - dude seemed ready to commit to Auburn at one point but some weird sentimental conversation he had with FSU made him seem like he was no longer going to flip. Auburn hasn't given up and now we are recruiting him on both sides of the ball (previously we were looking at him on defense only) and that seems to have helped. This one feels 55/45 in favor of the noles.
• 4* OT Julian Armella - a late push by the Tigers have made things interesting. FSU is still the team to beat but we will see. Auburn will visit Armella again this Thursday while visitng Camden Brown. This is one to watch but I wouldn't get your hopes up... yet.
• 3* OL Anez Cooper - he has lost 50ish lbs but the staff is still split on what to do with him. If other options fall through he might be the plan b.
• #1 JUCO DL Jeffrey M'ba - not 100% sure he commits on the 15th but he is supposed to make a decision before going home to France for the holidays. He is a monster of a human being and a slew of teams are pursuing him hard. Auburn and Tennessee seem like the favorites. We know RG is a good closer and Tennessee has a lot of confidence in landing M'ba at this point.
• 3* CB Myles Pollard - Auburn won't give up but I think he is solid to his Michigan commitment.
• 4* LB DeMario Tolan - LSU seems like the favorite to keep him committed and in their class. Auburn has put in the work to be in the picture. Another quiet kid that is difficult to read. My guess is LSU right now but there are still some things to develop so we will see.
• 4* DL Tyre West - currently committed to Georgia but it seems like he is being processed out of the class. FSU is the favorite (God they are in our way on a bunch of these kids) but he is currently on a two day OV to Auburn. That could be the game changer if it goes well. Stay tuned.
• 3* WR Marquarius White - just not a fan of 155 lbs. players in the SEC personally. You hope they will fill out but as many know that can be easier said than done. His speed is desirable but he is also a Tennessee commit and seems pretty solid to them. Still, the staff has him taking an OV this weekend which could change things. It might be a race between Camden Brown and White to see who bites first for that 4th WR spot.

Those are the key players I think are worth watching over the next seven days. Other than that I expect Bobo to "flip" or decommit soon. There are some guys we are still pursuing hard that are either long shots or aren't signing until February. We will discuss those guys after signing day. There is also a lot of plans on utilizing the transfer portal again and the staff has already been in communication with some players through back channels that aren't in the portal yet.

 

Some FAQs:
1. How many spots do we have? Sadly I have no clue and no one else seems to know.

2. What's going on with the OL? I believe we lose Bobo but pick up at least two more high school OL before going to the portal. It seems like Auburn is in a great position with the FIU (I think) OT transfer that is being heavily recruited by every major program. It isn't ideal but it is a work in progress. The 2023 class is where we should finally start to see some success in OL recruiting.

3. Would we take this guy + this guy? If the staff feels like a QB will leave (Bo or TJ) then we could see them take a "screw it" shot and let Tanner Bailey in the class. At running back the answer is an emphatic no; we are taking Alston + 1 other not 2 others. We are losing one running back from this current group. Adding three running backs to replace one is poor roster management (Tank/Hunter/Ingram/Alston/2022 RB makes 5 scholarship backs already). OL we'll probably take as many as five if we are able and they're not redundant players. Wide receiver I expect us to take two more high school kids and a portal player or two. Defensive line we're looking at 2-3 more. LB we're looking at 2-3 more since Powell is viewed as an edge. DBs we seem to be trying to get as many as possible. With McCreary, Smoke, Tennison, Miller and others being gone that makes a lot of sense.

 

4. What is a realistic expectation for this class? I have maintained for a long time that a top 20 class is acceptable but a top 15 class should be the goal. Both feel attainable but a top 10 class would take a ridiculous amount of luck. We would essentially have to finish with every single one of our highest rated targets to come close to that. JUCO and transfer players don't contribute to the class ranking and that is something that should be kept in mind.

 

 

•  

Great work, Zeek. Appreciate your efforts.

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,297]

23 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

 

Well. That's a development.

[Zeek 16,649]

Assuming a silent commit. LSU losing their secondary coach is big but him going to UF makes things still interesting. 

[augolf1716 21,109]

11 hours ago, Zeek said:

Assuming a silent commit. LSU losing their secondary coach is big but him going to UF makes things still interesting. 

Damn Corey going to UF better there then staying at LSU for Auburn. I always wanted Corey for AU

[bigbird 60,512]

26 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Damn Corey going to UF better there then staying at LSU for Auburn. I always wanted Corey for AU

I was shocked they didn't retain him.  He really is one of the best in the game.

[Zeek 16,649]

6 minutes ago, bigbird said:

I was shocked they didn't retain him.  He really is one of the best in the game.

Definitely a big win for UF

[AUnMS 120]

@Zeek great write up and analysis.  It's very professionally done.  Thanks for your work and insight.

[augolf1716 21,109]

30 minutes ago, bigbird said:

I was shocked they didn't retain him.  He really is one of the best in the game.

Maybe he was offended by Kelly's fake accent

[fredst 9,064]

14 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Maybe he was offended by Kelly's fake accent

I certainly was. Worst fake Southern accent since the horror of Olympia Dukakis in "Steel Magnolias"

[augolf1716 21,109]

6 minutes ago, fredst said:

I certainly was. Worst fake Southern accent since the horror of Olympia Dukakis in "Steel Magnolias"

I don't know there has been so many bad ones but Keanu Reeves-Devil's Advocate was really really bad

 

 

 

[Zeek 16,649]

I was going to list some updates but this close to decision day it's all up in the air to be honest. Let's just say this, I haven't been this excited for the Early National Signing Day in quite some time. Not necessarily because I feel confident, but instead because there are so many big time guys that we just don't know what they are going to do. Under the previous staff almost everything regarding recruits leaked and signing day often felt like a formality.

Ausberry/Rhym/Clemons/Citizen/Perry/Tolan/White/Brown/Gilbert/Scott/Williams could all end up signing at 2-3 programs that would not surprise me. There has been so many coaching changes (both head coaches and position coaches) I think some of these kids are spinning on what to do.

Clemons is a prime example. Likes Auburn a lot and then all of a sudden two guys flip from Oregon and they start recruiting him harder. Penn State he liked but the James Franklin rumors coupled with other commits made that an unknown path too. So he looks like he is all Oregon and then Cristobal bails for Miami. Well now Michigan is going to miss on a Georgia guy so they're making a last second push and getting an OV from Clemons. Miami is also trying to sell him on following Cristobal. Meanwhile, Auburn had an OC removed, WR coach change, and now we're trying to land him without an OC named... the kid has to feel a little lost.

[woodford 3,655]

Remind every single one of the FSU commits that they lost to Jacksonville State this year 

[Pat Fossum 158]

2 minutes ago, woodford said:

Remind every single one of the FSU commits that they lost to Jacksonville State this year 

Hell, that may be the selling point....maybe if we wouldn't have won that Georgia State game...JUST kidding. Those kinds of losses leave a scar and they aren't the kind that come with a cool story.

[Zeek 16,649]

18 minutes ago, woodford said:

Remind every single one of the FSU commits that they lost to Jacksonville State this year 

I would if I could. Would also express how Tallahassee is hands down one of the worst towns in Florida. Would rather live in Enterprise again than go to that trash town.

FSU and Tennessee are annoyingly in our way for a few of these kids. 

[IronMan70 3,277]

Great job @Zeek. Your efforts really add a lot to this website and we appreciate all you do. My only other comment is about one of the players you mentioned. I hope Anez Cooper gets in the class. Not only because he lost the weight they asked him to lose but he really wants to be an Auburn football player and I pull for guys like that. They can really surprise you.

Edited December 9, 2021 by IronMan70

[woodford 3,655]

3 minutes ago, Zeek said:

I would if I could. Would also express how Tallahassee is hands down one of the worst towns in Florida. Would rather live in Enterprise again than go to that trash town.

FSU and Tennessee are annoyingly in our way for a few of these kids. 

They really are. Hope we whoop em!

I don’t mind Tallahassee :: ducks :: 

 

 

[Randman5000 4,226]

14 hours ago, Zeek said:

Assuming a silent commit. LSU losing their secondary coach is big but him going to UF makes things still interesting. 

Who is that?  Good work BTW. Much appreciated by the board

Edited December 9, 2021 by Randman5000