North Carolina transfer LB Eugene Asante commits to Auburn!!

[Sizzle 3,909]

Much needed LB depth

Edited January 19, 2022 by Sizzle

[toddc 13,194]

UNC transfer LB Eugene Asante commits to Auburn

ByJASON CALDWELL 5 minutes ago

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With the losses of ZaKoby McClain and Chandler Wooten, who combined for 189 tackles during the 2021 season, Auburn is looking for immediate help and experience at the linebacker position alongside returner Owen Pappoe. They’ll get that in North Carolina transfer and former 4-star prospect Eugene Asante.

Listed at 6-0 ½, 220, Asante is built more like a running back, but it’s that speed that is the key to his game. Playing in 37 games with the Tar Heels dating back to his true freshman year, the Chantilly, Virginia native has 62 career tackles in three seasons with the TarHeels. This past season he played in 12 games, finishing with 23 tackles and two quarterback hurries. 

Pappoe is expected to be the leader of the linebacker group for the Tigers following his return from a foot injury that limited him to just five games last fall. He totaled 23 tackles in his limited action and enters his senior season with 165 total tackles, six sacks and 12 tackles for a loss.

Behind Pappoe, Auburn returns third-year players Wesley Steiner and Cam Riley. Last season Steiner finished with 21 total tackles in 13 games while Riley had 14 stops in 11 games played. Both received their most extensive playing time of the season in the bowl loss to Houston. 

With McClain opting out of the bowl game to begin preparations for the NFL Draft, Steiner finished with six tackles against the Cougars while Riley had five. 

Auburn also returns third-year linebackers Desmond Tisdol and Kameron Brown, sophomore juco transfer Joko Willis, and adds early signee Powell Gordon for spring practice.

[SRBautigerfan 1,040]

That’s a dub!  WDE!

[toddc 13,194]

H.S. Scouting Report

EVALUATED 11/09/2018

Brian DohnNATIONAL RECRUITING ANALYST

PROJECTION

4-7 RoundDAY 3

COMPARISON

Kwon AlexanderSAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

 

Good, long frame that can easily hold 220 pounds. Inside linebacker mentality with outside linebacker ability. Best suited for 4-3 defense. Plus acceleration and possesses closing speed. Tackles through the player. Disruptive and physical playing downhill. Good body control. Moves well laterally and has good change of direction. Physical. Can get to edge against the run. Plays with urgency, passion. Reacts quickly against run. Must get more consistent in pass coverage drop depth. Work on covering running back or tight end is needed. Increasing upper body strength is important. Multi-year starter at Top-20 program. Projects as a fourth- to sixth-round NFL draft pick.

[Paladin 3,305]

North Carolina LB Eugene Asante transferring to Auburn

Jeffrey Lee•7 minutes

Auburn has added another defender from the transfer portal.

Former North Carolina linebacker Eugene Asante, a four-star recruit in the 2019 class, will transfer to Auburn, he announced on Tuesday.

“I’m excited,” Asante said. “I love Auburn. It’s a great fit for me. It’s a blend of being able to play at the highest level with family-oriented players and coaches. And not only play, but excel.”

Asante, who entered the transfer portal in December, chose Auburn over Maryland. He visited both schools before making his decision, including an official visit to Auburn back in December.

“I really gelled with the team,” Asante said. “I got to meet the linebacker room. I got to meet ‘OP’ (Owen Pappoe). He was my host and he showed me around. We talked ball and talked about the system and the fit. A lot of the guys are family-oriented guys. It’s a tight-knit group at Auburn.”

That includes the coaches, specifically linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding.

“I have a good relationship with Coach Schmedding,” Asante said. “Coach Schmedding is a really good dude. I got to talk ball with him and meet his family. The way he has a great relationship with the players. He’s a family guy and that is important to me.”

Asante hopes to replace McClain

Asante said he will be competing for the starting spot opposite of Pappoe, a spot formerly held by Zakoby McClain.

Asante is the third transfer for Auburn on defense and fifth total, joining defensive back D.J. James, defensive lineman Jayson Jones and quarterbacks Robby Ashford and Zach Calzada.

Asante, originally from Chantilly, Va., was the No. 236 overall recruit in the 2019 class, No. 26 linebacker and No. 7 overall in Virginia, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally-weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Asante recorded 23 tackles in seven games during the 2021 season. He has two years of eligibility remaining and plans to enroll immediately at Auburn.

[JDUBB4AU 5,111]

Where’s Mikey ?? 

[LPTiger 5,153]

2 minutes ago, JDUBB4AU said:

Where’s Mikey ?? 

Mikey won't eat it, he hates everything.

[Sizzle 3,909]

 

[maryland tiger 616]

Committed: feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated.

Commitment: an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action.

I'm starting to have a problem with these words but I'll take the linebacker. He seems like a good one. 

[AuCivilEng1 10,998]

Great pickup. I feel good about the defense. Should be a solid squad!

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

This is a huge pick up for depth. My hope is that he lights a fire under Steiner and Tisdol so they take that next step as well. If we can hold on to Ham Wiley we will be ok at LB IMO. With the DL we have and secondary, we should have a D that can keep us in every game.

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

Derek Mason working in the portal

l

 

 

Coach Friend in the portal

Edited January 19, 2022 by Tigerpro2a

[JMassie11 1,610]

Way he plays reminds me of Zakoby. Good pick up

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

I can’t believe we’re wasting a scholarship on an LB!!!

 

WE NEED MOAR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN. 

[BigBlueWDE 1,136]

LB is set

Secondary is set (although I hate we lost Tennison)

TE is set

QB is set (spring competition!)

RB is set (Citizen would be a big bonus)

DL was set but recent portal movement has me worried about depth

OL and WR need some work....still

[Rednilla 5,383]

2 hours ago, toddc said:

Best suited for 4-3 defense.

@bigbird (Or anyone else with a background in defensive philosophy) Could you explain what makes a player more suited to be a 4-3 LB than a 3-4 LB, especially as multiple as most defenses these days seem to be?

[Sizzle 3,909]

1 hour ago, ClaytonAU said:

I can’t believe we’re wasting a scholarship on an LB!!!

 

WE NEED MOAR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN. 

That’s not a wasted scholarship. Did you see our LB play without Zakoby? It was hard to watch 

[roe4christ 940]

Would really like to see us add two WR's tomorrow.  Would feel better about the spring.  As far as OL (our biggest need), I feel we will address this on a larger scale after the spring game heading into the summer.

[DAG 33,969]

The defense recruiting is running circles around the offense right now . Welcome to the plains 

[Taco 617]

3 minutes ago, DAG said:

The defense recruiting is running circles around the offense right now . Welcome to the plains 

Yeah… I really like Derek Mason right now.

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

52 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

That’s not a wasted scholarship. Did you see our LB play without Zakoby? It was hard to watch 

Guess I should’ve put /s

[Mikey 16,575]

4 hours ago, JDUBB4AU said:

Where’s Mikey ?? 

Right here. Glad we picked a LB up. There was talk of Cam Riley leaving. If that's true, we may be simply treading water with getting this guy. We need to keep what LB's we had and still add someone like this into the room. Anybody have an update on Riley's situation?

[W.E.D 11,070]

Seems to have have had a really good bowl game the year before (replacing an LB who sat out) and lots of ppl were expecting a lot out of him this year.  Then he got benched and replaced by a Tr Freshman.  Not sure if it was scheme change or what happened.  Hopefully he can find whatever he was doing in the bowl game last year

[AuburnNTexas 7,138]

10 hours ago, DAG said:

The defense recruiting is running circles around the offense right now . Welcome to the plains 

With the exception of O-Line that is not the case.

1 HS QB

2 Portal QB 

1 HS RB plus still have a good shot at Citizen

1 HS TE

3 HS WR

1 HS O-line

No doubt the O-line recruiting to this point sucks. There is no way to sugar coat it even with all the returning O-Line for 1 year a band-aid at best

WR is a maybe as to whether any of the HS can help this year they all have some skills and there is talk about moving King to WR.  I am in the camp of needing a very good Portal WR but others make good points it may not be needed.

I don't want to throw the whole Offense recruiting under the bus because it is only one area O-Line that we have failed so far. To change that we will need a couple more HS O-line in late signing class that can develop and a couple of Portal O-Line this year and probably 3-4 Portal O-line next year after all the 6 year and 7 year players are gone. Plus a kick ass 2023 O-Line class. Sadly I doubt we get more than 1 more HS O-Line this year and I don't feel good about Portal O-Line this year. 

[augolf1716 21,102]

11 hours ago, Rednilla said:

@bigbird (Or anyone else with a background in defensive philosophy) Could you explain what makes a player more suited to be a 4-3 LB than a 3-4 LB, especially as multiple as most defenses these days seem to be?

bigbird ain't around no more....his gone gone gone.

happy days are here again