May Update, Class of 23 Expectations, transfers, and needs to be filled

[Zeek 16,649]

While I just updated the 2023 recruiting thread, I figured I would create a separate post for my thoughts on where we're at currently and some general opinions on what is going on with the program.

Quarterback

We seem to be having a hard time gaining any traction with a quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class. Part of this is likely because of the youth of our quarterback room and the fact that we just brought two transfers into the program. The position likely appears turbulent to high school kids and the staff is really high on Geriner's future. Still, it would help tremendously with this class' momentum to have a quarterback on board to rally offensive targets around.

Weird we haven't seen anyone really materialize. 4* Christopher Vizzina seemed like he was the guy in the eyes of the staff but ended up with Clemson. Our coaches were some of the firs to get on the Eli Holstein train but Alabama now seems like the clear favorite for the Louisiana signal-caller. There is some momentum with 3* Brock Glenn but I'm not in love with his film and he seems like an upper-mid recruit in terms of potential. 

Again, with Holden likely to redshirt it isn't a major need in this class but I like getting a 4* quality QB each class. Auburn should be prestigious enough regardless of issues to accomplish that much. I am not sure what the hold up is right now but it is worth tracking to see how the quarterback class shakes out.

Running Back

I mentioned this in a different thread but it bears repeating, we have a nice setup at running back right now with Tank Bigsby/Jarquez Hunter/Damari Alston all being in different classes. That is the roster management that each position needs. All of that said, we still need to add another linebacker and likely a transfer to makeup for Tank's likely departure after this season. 

4* Jeremiah Cobb is looking to possibly be our feature back of the class. He isn't as thick and powerful as Tank or Jarquez but, similar to Damari, has the speed and quickness to make a big play. He is a player I am rather high on and currently has two crystal ball picks to Auburn. As stated above I still think we look at a transfer running back or even another high school back to accommodate for Tank's departure. There hasn't been too much noise on other potential running back targets.

3* Roderick Robinson II is another name with some smoke around it but I would be kind of surprised if a kid would come from California to essentially be a depth piece. He is 6'1" 230 lbs. though and could carve out a niche role in the rotation. This is a kid I'll be watching as we go forward since the staff does seem interested.

I'll add receivers and tight ends later in a reply...

[Zeek 16,649]

Surprisingly, to me at least, the staff is still hunting for more help along the DL. Just made the final 3 for the Nebraska transfer. 

 

[metafour 4,969]

7 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Surprisingly, to me at least, the staff is still hunting for more help along the DL. Just made the final 3 for the Nebraska transfer. 

 

We're a hat on the table. He is announcing soon and we tried to get him to visit, and he wouldn't. He has visited both USC and Oregon.

[Zeek 16,649]

1 minute ago, metafour said:

 

We're a hat on the table. He is announcing soon and we tried to get him to visit, and he wouldn't. He has visited both USC and Oregon.

We are a weirdly popular choice for being a hat-on-the-table. There's a lot of kids throwing us on their graphics with no real connection lol.

 

Thanks.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

2 minutes ago, Zeek said:

We are a weirdly popular choice for being a hat-on-the-table. There's a lot of kids throwing us on their graphics with no real connection lol.

 

Thanks.

That's honestly how i feel about our recruiting at this point. I've been quietly following online and the reports. I think it's good to see top players interested. AU is just an attractive school overall. The negative(at least in my opinion), is that i don't see us being able to close many top guys until we see how the upcoming season shakes out. My hope is that we're selling early playing time. Then when the season roles around we see progression week to week. 

I think with at least 8 wins we'll be in great position recruiting wise. I think we're going to need to be .500 or better facing teams out of this group (LSU, Arky, UGA, Texas AM, Penn State, Bama) to be in a great position. It's early and rosters are not set but Vegas has us in a lot of "toss up" games outside of A&M, UGA and Bama. We certainly have to get the toss up games this year.

[AUGoo 2,659]

After LSU's disaster season last year and a new coaching staff, why do you not think they are rebuilding?

[AUGoo 2,659]

Didn't Sean Jackson earn a schollie?  I have heard from some on here about how he is a buster.

Why isn't he talked about in the depth conversation at RB?

[AUGoo 2,659]

2 minutes ago, toddc said:

Had injury and missed spring. He is number two on running backs depth chart.

Surprised to hear that.  Would have thought Hunter #2.  Jackson is not mentioned in the RB depth discussions on here.

Is he really all that or someone who likely won't see the field?

[W.E.D 11,070]

9 hours ago, toddc said:

Had injury and missed spring. He is number two on running backs depth chart.

I think you're mixing Jackson up with Hunter

[W.E.D 11,070]

9 hours ago, AUGoo said:

Surprised to hear that.  Would have thought Hunter #2.  Jackson is not mentioned in the RB depth discussions on here.

Is he really all that or someone who likely won't see the field?

He's maybe 3rd, depending on how Alston does when he gets here this summer. Maybe he's the next Rudy Johnson at 6' 235, but that's probably unlikely. 

I'd guess he'll get 3-5 touches a game with Tank and Hunter getting the vast majority 

[toddc 13,194]

10 hours ago, AUGoo said:

Surprised to hear that.  Would have thought Hunter #2.  Jackson is not mentioned in the RB depth discussions on here.

Is he really all that or someone who likely won't see the field?

Sorry I mixed the two backs up. 😝 

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

I could see Jackson coming in for some short yardage situations as that is his forte hit hole quick with Power. In those situations he could be either Lead blocker into hole or the RB. I could see some short yardage situations where we have Jackson, Hunter, Tank and two TE's.  I don't see Jackson getting a lot of carries in normal offense except in cupcake games. I do expect to see him on Special Teams.

[McLoofus 35,182]

24 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

I could see Jackson coming in for some short yardage situations as that is his forte hit hole quick with Power. In those situations he could be either Lead blocker into hole or the RB. I could see some short yardage situations where we have Jackson, Hunter, Tank and two TE's.  I don't see Jackson getting a lot of carries in normal offense except in cupcake games. I do expect to see him on Special Teams.

Agreed. Great RB3 to have. A "possession back", if you will. 

He may turn into more of a feature guy at some point but I think it would take an injury or somebody leaving after this season. 

No clue about blocking or catching. Could be meaningful. 

[Sizzle 3,912]

I knew from the beginning we weren’t getting Vizzina. First because of Geriner and second because he plays in Birmingham. There’s something about Birmingham where we struggle to get the big time guys from there 

[W.E.D 11,070]

30 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

I knew from the beginning we weren’t getting Vizzina. First because of Geriner and second because he plays in Birmingham. There’s something about Birmingham where we struggle to get the big time guys from there 

On twitter, his dad is very clearly your typical bama fan.  Once Bama was locked in on Arch or the other 5* they have, it was clear he was "any where but Auburn".

His film looks really good and I think he's going to be a good QB, but he's going to Clemson to sit behind 2-3 5* elite QBs.  He didn't shy away from us b/c of Geriner

[au302 2,669]

8 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

I could see Jackson coming in for some short yardage situations as that is his forte hit hole quick with Power. In those situations he could be either Lead blocker into hole or the RB. I could see some short yardage situations where we have Jackson, Hunter, Tank and two TE's.  I don't see Jackson getting a lot of carries in normal offense except in cupcake games. I do expect to see him on Special Teams.

Convert him into a full back for short yardage situations. Imagine him and Tank on the goal line. Continue using a TE like Shenker as full back too so that you got versatility and a full back you can use in the passing game 

[Rednilla 5,390]

On 5/3/2022 at 1:44 PM, Zeek said:

Quarterback

We seem to be having a hard time gaining any traction with a quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class. Part of this is likely because of the youth of our quarterback room and the fact that we just brought two transfers into the program. The position likely appears turbulent to high school kids and the staff is really high on Geriner's future. Still, it would help tremendously with this class' momentum to have a quarterback on board to rally offensive targets around.

Weird we haven't seen anyone really materialize. 4* Christopher Vizzina seemed like he was the guy in the eyes of the staff but ended up with Clemson. Our coaches were some of the firs to get on the Eli Holstein train but Alabama now seems like the clear favorite for the Louisiana signal-caller. There is some momentum with 3* Brock Glenn but I'm not in love with his film and he seems like an upper-mid recruit in terms of potential. 

Again, with Holden likely to redshirt it isn't a major need in this class but I like getting a 4* quality QB each class. Auburn should be prestigious enough regardless of issues to accomplish that much. I am not sure what the hold up is right now but it is worth tracking to see how the quarterback class shakes out.

It's just really tough when you've already got one guy who will be a third year freshman this season as well as a true freshman who the coaches view as the future of the position for us. I feel you on the need for a 4 star signal caller in every recruiting class, and ideally yes, that is exactly how it would go, but it's easy to understand why this position grouping is maybe on the back burner a bit for the current recruiting cycle.

[metafour 4,969]

On 5/21/2022 at 3:35 AM, Rednilla said:

It's just really tough when you've already got one guy who will be a third year freshman this season as well as a true freshman who the coaches view as the future of the position for us. I feel you on the need for a 4 star signal caller in every recruiting class, and ideally yes, that is exactly how it would go, but it's easy to understand why this position grouping is maybe on the back burner a bit for the current recruiting cycle.

I think that this is a really lame excuse and doesn't really seem to translate over to other programs. Alabama just landed Top 100 QB Eli Holstein, and if you look at their depth-chart you see the current backup being Redshirt-Freshman Jalen Milroe (a former Top 100 recruit who looks like a freak athlete) with #3 on the depth chart being 5-star True-Freshman Ty Simpson. So after Bryce Young leaves for the NFL this year, they have two highly recruited and uber-talented guys already above Holstein - both of whom have LOTS of eligibility remaining.

When you look at other teams' recruiting, the idea that elite 2022 QB's are being spooked by Holden Geriner and Robby Ashford transferring in is a bit silly. 

I think that we need to reconsider what type of recruiting impact canning Bobo left. To me it looks very likely that he was the one carrying the relationships with the 2022 QB's who all of a sudden have minimal interest in us. The fact that we're down to our #1 guy being Brock Glenn seems to me to be a reflection of the fact that you have Kiesau/Harsin driving QB recruiting now, as opposed to "oh we're just too loaded at QB now".

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

1 hour ago, metafour said:

I think that this is a really lame excuse and doesn't really seem to translate over to other programs. Alabama just landed Top 100 QB Eli Holstein, and if you look at their depth-chart you see the current backup being Redshirt-Freshman Jalen Milroe (a former Top 100 recruit who looks like a freak athlete) with #3 on the depth chart being 5-star True-Freshman Ty Simpson. So after Bryce Young leaves for the NFL this year, they have two highly recruited and uber-talented guys already above Holstein - both of whom have LOTS of eligibility remaining.

When you look at other teams' recruiting, the idea that elite 2022 QB's are being spooked by Holden Geriner and Robby Ashford transferring in is a bit silly. 

I think that we need to reconsider what type of recruiting impact canning Bobo left. To me it looks very likely that he was the one carrying the relationships with the 2022 QB's who all of a sudden have minimal interest in us. The fact that we're down to our #1 guy being Brock Glenn seems to me to be a reflection of the fact that you have Kiesau/Harsin driving QB recruiting now, as opposed to "oh we're just too loaded at QB now".

Bobo most definitely had the relationships with the 2023 QB so losing him probably did affect our QB recruiting as so many have said relationships count and they take time to create. Add to that what occurred with Harsin with the investigation and the fact that we lost at end of season and recruiting has become difficult. We seem to have some very good defensive recruiters so are looking stronger there but so far the O-side has not caught up with exception of Caddy.   If we find a way to win next year I expect recruiting to pick up in the 2023 class in most areas but since QB's usually commit early I think it is to late for QB in 2023 class unless we find a hidden gem or use Portal. 2024 QB recruiting then becomes a must.

You are correct top QB recruits are not afraid of competition as they believe in themselves. What they are looking for is a program that seems to have had recent success at their position which bama has had and we have not had at QB.

[Sizzle 3,912]

4 hours ago, metafour said:

I think that this is a really lame excuse and doesn't really seem to translate over to other programs. Alabama just landed Top 100 QB Eli Holstein, and if you look at their depth-chart you see the current backup being Redshirt-Freshman Jalen Milroe (a former Top 100 recruit who looks like a freak athlete) with #3 on the depth chart being 5-star True-Freshman Ty Simpson. So after Bryce Young leaves for the NFL this year, they have two highly recruited and uber-talented guys already above Holstein - both of whom have LOTS of eligibility remaining.

When you look at other teams' recruiting, the idea that elite 2022 QB's are being spooked by Holden Geriner and Robby Ashford transferring in is a bit silly. 

I think that we need to reconsider what type of recruiting impact canning Bobo left. To me it looks very likely that he was the one carrying the relationships with the 2022 QB's who all of a sudden have minimal interest in us. The fact that we're down to our #1 guy being Brock Glenn seems to me to be a reflection of the fact that you have Kiesau/Harsin driving QB recruiting now, as opposed to "oh we're just too loaded at QB now".

Agreed. These recruits not scared of anybody on our roster. They could come in and get playing time at any position. It just falls on the coaches. As of right now most of them ain’t getting it done on the trail

[toddc 13,194]

5 hours ago, metafour said:

The fact that we're down to our #1 guy being Brock Glenn seems to me to be a reflection of the fact that you have Kiesau/Harsin driving QB recruiting now, as opposed to "oh we're just too loaded at QB now".

I wouldn’t sleep on Glenn! He had a great camp at a regional and got invited to the Elite 11 recently. I believe he’ll get a fourth star soon and you’re going to see other programs coming for him.

[Rednilla 5,390]

8 hours ago, metafour said:

I think that this is a really lame excuse and doesn't really seem to translate over to other programs. Alabama just landed Top 100 QB Eli Holstein, and if you look at their depth-chart you see the current backup being Redshirt-Freshman Jalen Milroe (a former Top 100 recruit who looks like a freak athlete) with #3 on the depth chart being 5-star True-Freshman Ty Simpson. So after Bryce Young leaves for the NFL this year, they have two highly recruited and uber-talented guys already above Holstein - both of whom have LOTS of eligibility remaining.

When you look at other teams' recruiting, the idea that elite 2022 QB's are being spooked by Holden Geriner and Robby Ashford transferring in is a bit silly. 

I think that we need to reconsider what type of recruiting impact canning Bobo left. To me it looks very likely that he was the one carrying the relationships with the 2022 QB's who all of a sudden have minimal interest in us. The fact that we're down to our #1 guy being Brock Glenn seems to me to be a reflection of the fact that you have Kiesau/Harsin driving QB recruiting now, as opposed to "oh we're just too loaded at QB now".

Uh, this isn't Alabama, and we shouldn't expect to be pulling in top notch QBs year after year after year, not until we get some positive momentum going. At least we're not putting all our eggs in one basket like we did with the previous administration. As I mentioned elsewhere, we have at least 3 QBs on the roster who are capable of being a successful SEC QB. That was not the case at any point (that I can remember) of Gus's time at Auburn.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

36 minutes ago, Rednilla said:

 That was not the case at any point (that I can remember) of Gus's time at Auburn.

Well the former regime did have a qb drafted into the NFL.

[au302 2,669]

8 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

Bobo most definitely had the relationships with the 2023 QB so losing him probably did affect our QB recruiting as so many have said relationships count and they take time to create. Add to that what occurred with Harsin with the investigation and the fact that we lost at end of season and recruiting has become difficult. We seem to have some very good defensive recruiters so are looking stronger there but so far the O-side has not caught up with exception of Caddy.   If we find a way to win next year I expect recruiting to pick up in the 2023 class in most areas but since QB's usually commit early I think it is to late for QB in 2023 class unless we find a hidden gem or use Portal. 2024 QB recruiting then becomes a must.

You are correct top QB recruits are not afraid of competition as they believe in themselves. What they are looking for is a program that seems to have had recent success at their position which bama has had and we have not had at QB.

Don't sleep on Bedell. Pulling Riley-Ducker out the midwest away from Iowa, TEU, was very impressive to me. Let's see if he can pull Thurman and possibly a second, in-line TE this class.

And I love Caddy, but he really, really needs to pull a big bell cow this class. Cobb will be a great RB, but a 6'0 200+ guy like the guy from Cali is also needed, and a type of back Harsin wants on the roster. And I gotta see if Tank and Jarquez develop more because some folks got me freaked out recently on if Caddy can develop talent, but that's for a different thread

[Rednilla 5,390]

3 hours ago, SumterAubie said:

Well the former regime did have a qb drafted into the NFL.

The former regime had more time in service at a P5 school...and had as many QBs drafted as defensive back as at quarterback. You're dealing with a different level of athlete in the SEC compared with the Mountain West.

But that wasn't the point. How many times did Malzahn even have two QBs capable of stepping up as SEC-level competitors on the roster at the same time?