Reshuffling the Board and Reasons for Optimism?

[Zeek 16,636]

Trying to pretend that there aren't any issues is ridiculous. We have straight up missed on a number of prospects. The guys we are now working on weren't our first choice but that doesn't mean they aren't worth celebrating or taking. Guys like Jarquez Hunter and Roger McCreary weren't our first choices either and drastically outperformed their high school evaluations. Auburn, more than most, seems to thrive with underrated gems. Additionally, our staff's ability to evaluate talent has really been validated by other programs picking up on players well after we do.

This staff truly and clearly isn't paying any attention to recruiting sites and their ratings. We have our own evaluations and firmly believe in them. Each time I have a complaint with this staff it seems like they pivot and react... even if delayed sometimes. Big Cat Weekend is still going to be a huge inflection point.

Here is my end of June update (I won't be able to do much the next two weeks as I prepare for a new job at my school in administration).

 

Quarterback (Need 1)

There are a number of names to follow here (all committed elsewhere minus Parsons who just decommitted from FSU) but the guy that all the attention really seems to be around is 3* Jaxon Smolik the 6'1" 205lbs signal-caller currently committed to Tulane. Smolik absolutely shocked everyone at the Elite 11 where he was a last second invite and finished in the top 8 overall. We are told the staff absolutely loves his play style and fit with the team. Pulling a player from Iowa would be rather interesting. It's likely his rating isn't higher because he missed the majority of his junior season with a collar bone injury.

Running Back (Need 2)

We have one running back already committed, 4* Jeremiah Cobb; he is a top 170 player nationally and a strong season might even put him in the top 100 overall. After that it is still unclear where Auburn goes for the second running back in the class. 4* Roderick Robinson from California who is currently committed to UCLA; I'm doubtful this actually materializes. As discussed before, flips are actually rather rare and a player from California coming to Auburn out of high school is almost unheard of in recent years. My guess is a local (Alabama or Georgia) running back has a monster senior season and we swoop in late to take a shot at landing another Hunter type back.

Coach Caddy is one of the players that I really believe in succeeding on the trail.

Wide Receiver (Need 3)

I don't know if the staff and I agree on the number of receivers needed. When you look at the roster I think there are a number of guys who could transfer out this year if they don't receive a lot of targets. Ja'Varrius Johnson, Malcolm Johnson Jr., Ze'Vian Capers, and J.J. Evans are all guys who have already spent three seasons at Auburn. Typically guys will transfer if they have spent 2-3 seasons at a school without seeing much action; everyone wants to play at one point. I would put a cool $50 on at least one of the four transferring. This coupled with Shedrick Jackson exhausting his eligibility means Auburn would be down to ten scholarship recruiters at most. 4* Karmello English saw the usual Auburn commit drop in ratings but is still the best pass catcher in the state. One target to track are 4* Malachi Riley who recently said we are very much in the running for his services; again I am hesitant to believe we land a California prospect. There has not yet been another name brought up that I feel we have a legitimate chance with at the moment.

Tight End (Need 1)

Losing 4* Jelani Thurman to Ohio State was frustrating. We simply got out spent on that one; connections, facilities, friends, and the package deal all amounted to nothing here. We have two Miami commits and one Cincinnati commit high on our board but I'm going to hold off on including names until we actually gain some momentum. As mentioned previously we have some wiggle room here with Luke Deal allegedly planning on using his bonus year.

Offensive Line (Need 5-6)

We need numbers here and a number of things are working against us. 3* Vysen Lang, 3* Gernorris Wilson, 4* TJ Shanahan, and 4* DJ Chester are all realistic targets for Auburn to land. With 4* Bradyn Joiner (stop referring to him as a 3*) already serving as anchor at the center of the line and recruiting class. 4* Stanton Ramil is still a target but things have gone really quiet around his recruitment. The same can be said for 4* Kelton Smith and 3* Connor Lew. Finally, 4* Clay Wedin (Michigan State Commit) is another prospect I think we will keep working on throughout the process.

Defensive Line & Edge (Need 4+)

The numbers here are really odd to me. We just don't know who will leave and who will return as well as those that could transfer out if they don't see playing time. Four has to be the absolute minimum in terms of players we sign out of high school. Transfers will be a part of the plan too, I'm sure. This position has a lot of information so I'll use a bullet point to get through it really quick.

• 5* James Smith - highly improbable but he keeps visiting and saying positive things about Auburn and we're still trying.
• 5* Qua Russaw - highly improbable but he keeps visiting and saying positive things about Auburn and we're still trying.
• 4* Daevin Hobbs - UNC lock. I thought about not including him but his name keeps popping up so I thought I'd clear it up.
• 4* Gabriel Harris - UGA commit but the idea of immediate playing time is very appealing to him. He wants to be three-and-done.
• 4* Keldric Faulk - I thought I understood this kid before his commitment to FSU. Then he said he won't be taking any visits. Now he is telling Auburn he wants them to keep recruiting him as if her weren't committed somewhere. We'll see what happens.
• 4* Rueben Bain - I still think Miami is the team to beat but the immediate playing time is playing in our favor.
• 4* Ashley Williams - some momentum is starting to pickup here. I think he was waiting for us to crank up the heat and some misses have led to just that.
• 4* Wilky Denaud - seems to go back and forth between us and FSU. The Seminoles landing prospects lately has made them less appealing to Denaud who also values playing time.
• Former 4* Derick Hunter - used to be at Texas A&M before heading to JuCo where he'll play this season. Auburn is believed to be a heavy favorite.

 

[Zeek 16,636]

I'm gathering more information on linebackers, corners, and safeties but I'll add it soon.

[AUinMS9528 1,086]

Thanks @Zeek

AU football recruiting is a depressing subject, but you manage to keep it as encouraging as possible.    We all really appreciate all the work that you do!

[AuburnNTexas 7,133]

2 minutes ago, AUinMS9528 said:

Thanks @Zeek

AU football recruiting is a depressing subject, but you manage to keep it as encouraging as possible.    We all really appreciate all the work that you do!

Wish I could do 20 likes on this comment.  While theoretically impossible he is 200% correct.

[au302 2,669]

Thanks as always @Zeek. But man you really threw me for a loop by dropping TJ Shanahan as a realistic target. That'd be huge. When did we get in on him? Have never heard his name once on On3

[AURex 1,990]

Zeek, thank you for re-focusing the recruiting emphasis on recruits we might still have a shot at.

 

[autigeremt 6,589]

Derick Hunter is someone I'd like to see us land. I "believe" he would be very good here. 

[Sizzle 3,909]

I just don’t understand our in state recruiting right now and I’m not even talking about the big time guys but do they not see any underrated in state talent to go after? Arkansas has the same number of recruits from Alabama as we do. 

[Gowebb11 9,313]

1 hour ago, Sizzle said:

I just don’t understand our in state recruiting right now and I’m not even talking about the big time guys but do they not see any underrated in state talent to go after? Arkansas has the same number of recruits from Alabama as we do. 

Similar for Kentucky more and more. Early in Saban’s tenure he established Bama as a national recruiting machine at the expense of a lot of in state talent. That was the time for AU to thrive in-state. Instead we tried to bang head to head with the power schools all over the south, losing more battles than we won. Schools like Arky, UK, and Mississippi State took advantage of the open door to our state and here we are. Frustrating.  

[au302 2,669]

On 7/22/2022 at 3:29 PM, Sizzle said:

I just don’t understand our in state recruiting right now and I’m not even talking about the big time guys but do they not see any underrated in state talent to go after? Arkansas has the same number of recruits from Alabama as we do. 

https://www.on3.com/db/jacorious-hart-152236/

Keep an eye on this guy. Think he was not even rated when we "found" him

[Mikey 16,565]

9 hours ago, au302 said:

https://www.on3.com/db/jacorious-hart-152236/

Keep an eye on this guy. Think he was not even rated when we "found" him

If we can get him to commit he'll be the fourth in-state player to commit to AU. Two from Lee County, one each from Phenix City and Montgomery. At the very least, we'll save money by not having to buy airplane tickets when they make their official visits.

[Win4AU 4,052]

Someone on ON3s podcast the other day is expecting 3-5 commits at Big Cat.  Possibly a 24 guy or 2.  If Auburn can wrack up a couple high rated 24 guys I gotta believe that will help with 23 as well. 

[oracle79 3,569]

9 hours ago, Mikey said:

If we can get him to commit he'll be the fourth in-state player to commit to AU. Two from Lee County, one each from Phenix City and Montgomery. At the very least, we'll save money by not having to buy airplane tickets when they make their official visits.

I am so disappointed in Covid and it's variants. 🤒

[NWALA Tiger 3,535]

On 7/21/2022 at 1:19 PM, Zeek said:

I'm gathering more information on linebackers, corners, and safeties but I'll add it soon.

Zeek, you got any info on why AU didn't offer Kobe Keenum, offensive line prospect from Florence area? No AU offer. He committed to Kentucky with over 50 other offers including Penn St, FSU, Ole Miss and ARKY I am quite certain he would have came to AU... but no offer came... Good offensive line prospect

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

17 hours ago, NWALA Tiger said:

Zeek, you got any info on why AU didn't offer Kobe Keenum, offensive line prospect from Florence area? No AU offer. He committed to Kentucky with over 50 other offers including Penn St, FSU, Ole Miss and ARKY I am quite certain he would have came to AU... but no offer came... Good offensive line prospect

Has Kobe Keenum camped or visited? That seems to be a big criteria for this staff divvying out offers. They like to see and meet prospects in person.

[NWALA Tiger 3,535]

17 minutes ago, JBiGGiE said:

Has Kobe Keenum camped or visited? That seems to be a big criteria for this staff divvying out offers. They like to see and meet prospects in person.

I know he has been on campus numerous times. Not sure if it was official or unofficial. Also know Harsin visited his school back in the spring. Their high school has another D1 prospect for 2024

[au302 2,669]

JLee and Keith put in predictions for Wilky Denaud to Auburn. Medium confidence though, but they think he announces relatively soon