Early National Signing Day News

[Zeek 16,615]

4* OT Julian Armella is out

3* WR Tennessee commit Marquarius White is out as well

Anez Cooper has pushed his signing back to February

[Beaker 2,457]

These guys had some bumps along the way....and all turned out fine. 

 

[aucanucktiger 1,789]

On 12/9/2021 at 10:58 AM, 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. 

Ha, I lived in Florence (4yrs), Auburn (4), Birmingham(3) and Tallahassee(21). Pot, meet kettle. What you're missing is the F$U boo$ter "magic" that works with some kids.

[Zeek 16,615]

Jeffrey M'ba is down to us and Mizzou... Tennessee must have sensed something because they didn't bother to do an in-home visit with him this week and that made a difference.

 

[Didba 5,256]

On 12/8/2021 at 11:23 AM, JBiGGiE said:

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.

Been a while since I have been on the recruiting side of this site... What happened to Ellitor?

[Zeek 16,615]

2 minutes ago, Didba said:

Been a while since I have been on the recruiting side of this site... What happened to Ellitor?

He's around just doesn't have time for all this.

[Didba 5,256]

5 minutes ago, Zeek said:

He's around just doesn't have time for all this.

Fair, happens to all of us.  I just remembered reading his stuff way back when on AuburnEagle.  Glad its just him being busy and not anything serious.

[AU-24 3,063]

On 12/10/2021 at 2:21 AM, AuburnTiger4Life said:

 

Yes, of course not the turds. They do everything on the up and up.
 

What color do you want your Dodge Charger?

[PUB78 1,354]

22 hours ago, Zeek said:

4* OT Julian Armella is out

3* WR Tennessee commit Marquarius White is out as well

Anez Cooper has pushed his signing back to February

Why has Cooper moved his signing back? Besides Harris and Farmer, any other OL that Auburn leads for at the high school level?

[tigerman1186 537]

Cooper is smart waiting up February...his 'stock' will go up because schools will be looking for available OL and he'll be in higher demand...just my thought on his situation...

[Old fan 47 765]

On 12/8/2021 at 11:56 AM, 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 post but I think Perry is going to Bama. We could really use him early, whereas Bama is signing like 4 other 5 stars. Is Mason on the road recruiting or not? 

[Gowebb11 9,308]

30 minutes ago, Old fan 47 said:

Great post but I think Perry is going to Bama. We could really use him early, whereas Bama is signing like 4 other 5 stars. Is Mason on the road recruiting or not? 

Mason was one of 5 coaches getting on the AU jet to recruit a few days ago. I would assume he is still at it. 

[Zeek 16,615]

Apparently not much information got out yesterday. 4* IOL/DL Tae Woody is spending a long weekend in Auburn.

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

47 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Apparently not much information got out yesterday. 4* IOL/DL Tae Woody is spending a long weekend in Auburn.

Made it after the AL/MISS game, encouraging. 

[Mikey 16,550]

Don't we go into a dead period after today through the signing period? It's been that way in the past. A commitment or two would have been nice....

[Zeek 16,615]

1 hour ago, ClaytonAU said:

Made it after the AL/MISS game, encouraging. 

I think FSU had the momentum but getting that last visit is just so crucial when it's this close.

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

Just now, Zeek said:

I think FSU had the momentum but getting that last visit is just so crucial when it's this close.

I think they still might have up until he got on Auburn’s campus? But it’s interesting seeing how up in the air so many prospects we’re in on are. This staff is so quiet it’s almost excruciating after what we had in the last staff. But, I think we end up anywhere from 17 to 12. I also think Tae’s a part of this class.

[metafour 4,958]

Two FSU writers just put in crystal ball picks of Marquise Gilbert to Auburn on 247. One of which was an 8 (high confidence) pick from Josh Newberg. He was just on an official visit there and I believe he may have left early. Pretty big development because this would imply we landed the #1 JUCO CB and S (Scott anD Gilbert), and potentially the #1 JUCO overall in M'ba.

 

[Zeek 16,615]

2 hours ago, Mikey said:

Don't we go into a dead period after today through the signing period? It's been that way in the past. A commitment or two would have been nice....

Nobody is committing right now tbh 

Ausberry and Gilbert commit tomorrow if I recall correctly and I like our odds

M'ba is leaning our way

Perry is 50/50

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by Zeek

[dilligas 581]

I heard Miller is planning to return, believe it or not.

[AUwent 3,747]

5 minutes ago, dilligas said:

I heard Miller is planning to return, believe it or not.

Jog my memory, who is this?

Edited December 12, 2021 by AUwent

[Zeek 16,615]

Ausberry, Rhym, Gilbert, and Scott should help round out the secondary in this class. I feel really confident about three of those... Ausberry just depends on how his OV to LSU went

RB situation is the most murky. We either get a massive surprise in Citizen essentially lying to LSU about waiting until February or we get Williams who is all but locked into Tennessee. We could just keep trying on Citizen until February if his issue is wanting to know the OC.

QB, TE, and K are the only positions we're done at currently. At least through high school.

There's like 6+ options at LB and I expect us to take two. Not a lot of clarity there except Woodyard has felt like a lock for months. 

DL might LOOK disappointing if it's 3* Sledge and JUCO M'ba but don't forget about 4* Story who has been our longest commitment and a great pass rusher this season. The staff also views Sledge just as highly as Perry and others. Personally, I think M'ba is one of the best players in the class... we'll see; physically speaking he's a specimen.

WR is weird. Clemons is kinda 50/50 right now I'm not sure why we just can't lock him down. Camden Brown is interesting but I like our odds more than others so I could be wrong. Regardless, we're actively pursuing at least one portal WR.

OL is weird. I think we get Farmer but that's I'm February. I think we get Woody but he could really play DL or IOL. We had momentum with the FIU transfer but LSU has somehow gotten that dude smitten in the matter of minutes. Not sure what the plan is here with the staff passing on Agbo. We seem to have options for the interior bit Offensive tackles still allude us.

 

[dilligas 581]

5 minutes ago, AUwent said:

Jog my memory, who is this?

CB transferred in from WVU last spring.  Wasn’t on the two deep at Auburn but was honorable mention all Big 12 in 2020.

[AUwent 3,747]

34 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Ausberry, Rhym, Gilbert, and Scott should help round out the secondary in this class. I feel really confident about three of those... Ausberry just depends on how his OV to LSU went

RB situation is the most murky. We either get a massive surprise in Citizen essentially lying to LSU about waiting until February or we get Williams who is all but locked into Tennessee. We could just keep trying on Citizen until February if his issue is wanting to know the OC.

QB, TE, and K are the only positions we're done at currently. At least through high school.

There's like 6+ options at LB and I expect us to take two. Not a lot of clarity there except Woodyard has felt like a lock for months. 

DL might LOOK disappointing if it's 3* Sledge and JUCO M'ba but don't forget about 4* Story who has been our longest commitment and a great pass rusher this season. The staff also views Sledge just as highly as Perry and others. Personally, I think M'ba is one of the best players in the class... we'll see; physically speaking he's a specimen.

WR is weird. Clemons is kinda 50/50 right now I'm not sure why we just can't lock him down. Camden Brown is interesting but I like our odds more than others so I could be wrong. Regardless, we're actively pursuing at least one portal WR.

OL is weird. I think we get Farmer but that's I'm February. I think we get Woody but he could really play DL or IOL. We had momentum with the FIU transfer but LSU has somehow gotten that dude smitten in the matter of minutes. Not sure what the plan is here with the staff passing on Agbo. We seem to have options for the interior bit Offensive tackles still allude us.

 

Is Michigan the competition for DC?

[gman87 398]

On 12/9/2021 at 10:58 AM, 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. 

I'm not sure about your experience in Tallahassee, but having lived all over the south I can assure you it's not a trash town. South of campus is sketchy but north of there is as nice a place as you would want to live. Of course FSU straddles both sides so you get a little of everything there.