December Recruiting Update [12/5/2022]

[Zeek 16,579]

Quarterback (NEED 1)

Zach Calzada, Robby Ashford, and Holden Geriner are all expected to stay.

3* Keyone Jenkins appears to be locked in with Auburn so long as Freeze still wants him as a scholarship player.

I expect Auburn to take at least one quarterback in the portal. Some QBs currently in the portal that I like: Hudson Card (Texas), Christian Veilleux (Penn State), Jeff Sims (GT), Mikey Keene (UCF), Xavier Ward (Wazzu), Braylon Braxton (Tulsa), Luke Altmyer (Ole Miss), Paul Tyson (Arizona St), Hank Bachmeier (Boise St), and DJ Uigalelei (Clemson). The portal is deep with potential at the position.

Running Back (Need 2)

Tank Bigsby isn't 100% heading to the NFL but it is expected. If he were to stay then we would be okay with a backfield consisting of Bigsby, Hunter, Alston, and potentially 4* high school recruit Jeremiah Cobb.

If the rising senior doesn't return then I expect the staff to do their best to keep Cobb and add a running back from the portal as well. Kobe Pace (Clemson), James Jointer (Arky), Rocko Griffin (Vandy), Len'Neth Whitehead (Tenn), Justin Williams-Thomas (Tenn), Kavosiey Smoke (UK), Trey Sanders (Bama), Dawson Hill (GA-ST), Devon Lawrence (UNC), and Lyn-J Dixon (Tenn) are all possibilities.

Depending on numbers there is a possibility that Sean Jackson could revert back to walk-on status.

Wide Receiver (Need 3)

Returning we have Ja'Varrius Johnson, Malcolm Johnson Jr., Koy Moore, Dazalin Worsham, Ze'Vian Capers, Landen King, Jay Fair, Camden Brown, Omari Kelly, and 4* commitment Daquayvious Sorey. The new staff has already done a good job getting guys like Capers and King back on board with the team. That depth is needed and honestly that whole group has so much potential that has gone unrealized.

Redshirt FR Tar'Varish Dawson is still in the portal. We will see what happens there. Two recent decommitments have made this position a new focus after it was one of the few we were done with at the time. Ike was one of our better recruiters and the players liked him.

Rara Thomas from Mississippi State is a serious target in the portal for Auburn.

Other portal targets include: Warren Thompson (Arky), Jimmy Holiday (Tenn), Jimmy Calloway (Tenn), Dacari Collins (Clemson), Jacob Freeman (GA-ST), Damonte Crumes (UK), Theo Wease (Oklahoma), Decoldest Crawford (Nebraska), Jimmy Horn Jr. (USF), Chase Lane (TAMU), DeMarcus Harris (UK), Jacolby Hewitt (FIU), Malik Washington (NW), Nate McCollum (GT), Devin Boddie Jr. (Vandy), Chris Lewis (UK), Chauncey Magwood (UK), Trent Whittemore (UF), Kalani Norris (GT), Dannis Jackson (Ole Miss), and Mark Pope (JSU).

Tight End (Need 1-2)

I would like to see us add one transfer and one high school player here to prepare for a mass exodus after the 2023 season. We have a lot of guys running out of eligibility at this position soon. This is a part of the roster management that needs to be done.

4* Jelani Thurman is still a target but feels like a long shot.

FIU's Rivaldo Fairweather recently received an offer from Auburn and could very likely be our first "commitment" under coach Freeze. He is more of a true pass catcher than some of our previous TEs like Deal.

Other portal TEs: Miles Campbell (Tenn), Erin Outley (Arky), Diego LaMonica (Vandy), Keaton Upshaw (UK), Mike York (UAB), and Taylor Thompson (Charlotte).

Offensive Line (Need as many as possible)

We have just SEVEN returning scholarship linemen. Our two commitments (Bradyn Joiner and Clay Wedin) put us at nine. We don't have a two deep at a position where you would prefer to be three deep. New OL coach Jake Thornton has a lot of work to do in the portal and with JuCo prospects.

There are a handful of high school guys we will need to recruit and build quick connections with. Thankfully for Auburn there are a lot of OL hitting the portal right now and from major programs. Auburn's NIL collective knows the importance of playing their part in getting these big dudes here.

Here are some portal guys I'd like to see us target: Almarion Crim (Houston), Bram Walden (Oregon), Maleek McNeil (Penn State), Jake Renfro (Cinci), Ajani Cornelius (Rhode Island), Kevin Pyne (Boston College), Antawn Lewis (South AL), Griffin McDowell (UF), Jacob Golden (Boise State), Javion Cohen (Bama), and Jaylen Garth (Texas). Like I said there are many more.

Defensive Line & Edge (Need as many as possible)

The interior of the DL was weak and our exterior are all graduating or hitting the draft. Auburn will also need to scrap to keep 4* Wilky Denaud, 4* Ashley Williams, 3* Brenton Williams, and 4* Darron Reed. 

Marcus Harris, Jeffrey M'ba, Jayson Jones, Dylan Brooks, Tobechi Okoli, Marquis Robinson, and Enyce Sledge are returning but are very unproven. There is a lot of work to be done here.

The portal currently has: Trey Fite (SMU), Elijah Jeudy (TAMU),Travion Ford (Mizzou), Claud Larkins (NCST), Lakeem Rudolph (VT), Kevin Swint (Clemson), Akeem Smith (GA-ST), Elijah Roberts (Miami), Allan Haye (Miami), Elijah Robinson (ECU), Travis Geiger (Coastal), Blake Peterson (Iowa St), Brylan Inraham (Bama), and Shabazz Dotson (SMU).

Linebacker (Need 2-3)

There is something to prove if CRob is retained. The linebackers looked lost and the recruiting at the position was very weak. Maybe that is Harsin and Schmedding's fault but we will see. There are very few realistic prospects for Auburn in the high school ranks right now. 4* Terrance Love might end up shifting to LB from DB.

Cam Riley, Wesley Steiner, Eugene Asante, Desmond Tisdol, Robert Woodyard Jr., Joko Willis, Powell Gordon, and Jake Levant are not starting caliber linebackers. At least not from what we have seen. This position is a little alarming.

Some transfer portal targets to consider: Mason Cobb (Oky St), RaRa Dillworth (UNC), Sergio Allen (Clemson), Devin Richardson (Texas), Anthony Goodlow (Tulsa), Ernest Hausmann (Nebraska), Allen Walker (LT), Justin Wright (Tulsa), Antonio Grier (USF), Rush Lansdell (Memphis), Demetrius Knight (GT), Antarrius Moultrie (FAU), Phillip Webb (LSU), Daniel Martin (Vandy), Nicholas Days (WKU), and King Mwikuta (Arky St).

Cornerback (Need 2-3)

DJ James, Jaylin Simpson, Keionte Scott, JD Rhym, and Austin Ausberry are all capable of helping build a good secondary. Auburn has a commitment from a raw talent (3* Jacorious Hart) and is looking to add at least two more from high school. I also expect one transfer or JuCo product to help round it out.

Joshua Eaton (Oklahoma), Khari Johnson (Arky), Jayden Lawton (SMU), Kenneth Harris (Arky State), Fentrell Cypress (UVA), DJ Harvey (VT), Manny Stokes (Coastal), Brian George (TAMU), JQ Hardaway (Cinci), Khyree Jackson (Bama), Antonio Webb Jr. (JMU), and Tony Davis (Duke) are possible portal targets.

Safety (Need 2)

Zion Puckett, Marquise Gilbert, Craig McDonald, Donovan Kaufman, Cayden Bridges, and Caleb Wooden is a solid returning group. With four upperclassmen though it is important to add depth to the class. There are some high school guys we are still working with but no definite information just yet.

Jalen Harrell (Miami), Dontavius Nash (UNC), Devin Neal (Baylor), Chace Cromartie (SMU), Antavious Lane (GA-ST), Chase Lloyd (Vandy), RJ Roderick (SCar), Jarrett Paul (Kansas), and Damon Youngblood (ULL).

Again this is a position where we need to plan for the future more than we need an instant impact type person.

 

[Zeek 16,579]

Sorry I don't have a more narrow focus up to this point. Until the OC/DC are named we won't have a whole lot of clarity. It is also wrestling season now and I am pulled in a bunch of different directions. Thanks to those who have been posting and updating in my place.

[AEAugirl 9,622]

Not Trey Sanders.  Not worth it.  

I think that wreck he had messed him up pretty bad…plus he never really did anything at Bama to begin with, being as highly touted as he was. 

 

 

[Zeek 16,579]

46 minutes ago, AEAugirl said:

Not Trey Sanders.  Not worth it.  

I think that wreck he had messed him up pretty bad…plus he never really did anything at Bama to begin with, being as highly touted as he was. 

 

 

My brother actually worked that accident. Not really relevant but I like the kid and the area he comes from. Hope he finds somewhere he can succeed.

[Zeek 16,579]

Offensive Portal Targets:

• WR Rara Thomas (Mississippi State) - two years to play - no offer yet but visiting this weekend. From Eufaula originally.
• WR Christian Leary (Alabama) - three years to play - no offer yet
• TE Rivaldo Fairweather (FIU) - two years to play - has been offered and will visit soon. Likely going to be an Auburn commit.
• Kyle Morlock (Shorter) - two years to play - no offer
• OT Ajani Cornelius - two years to play - has an offer
• OT Javion Cohen (Alabama) - two years to play - no offer
• Gunner Britton (WKU) - one year to play - no offer
• DE Tunmise Adeleye (TAMU) - two years to play - no offer
• DE Andre Carter (W. Michigan) - two years to play - no offer 
• DE Ty French (Gardner Webb) - two years to play - no offer
• LB Sergio Allen (Clemson) - two years to play - no offer
• LB Dasan McCoullough (Indiana) - three years to play - no offer
• DB Gavin Holmes (Wake Forest) - two years to play - no offer
• DB JQ Hardaway (Cincinnati) - three years to play - no offer
• I think we take at least one RB, one QB, two to three IOL, and a number of other positions. Remember we have a lot of spots we can fill.

 

[AEAugirl 9,622]

Hey @Zeek RaRa Thomas tweeted a bit ago that Auburn has officially offered, and of course Calzada now is in the portal   Capers went into the portal too after saying a few days ago he was staying.  Imagine they both were told to explore options. 

Edited December 6, 2022 by AEAugirl

[AUTigerTime 186]

Another QB of interest: JT Daniels is going into the portal.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35196186/sources-wvu-qb-jt-daniels-looks-transfer-4th-school

[Win4AU 4,051]

More questions for the uninformed

1)  Is this going to work like the normal recruiting process where they come on a visit, get an offer, and accept said offer?

2) How soon are we expecting commits?  This weekend?

3) The portal is 45 days.  Does that mean they have to make a decision in 45 days or just declare they are in the portal?  Example Olinemen from Oklahoma enters portal.  Does he have to commit by January whatever or can they wait till June if they want?

[WarEagleHunter1221 1,690]

How soon do you expect offers to start rolling out? It feels like af OL and DL we could offer everyone…… 

Those are crucial to any success we may have in the near future. We can not wait on this. Freeze can’t pull a Harsin….

[Mikey 16,540]

1 hour ago, WarEagleHunter1221 said:

How soon do you expect offers to start rolling out? It feels like af OL and DL we could offer everyone…… 

Those are crucial to any success we may have in the near future. We can not wait on this. Freeze can’t pull a Harsin….

What have you seen that makes you think Freeze or any other coach would pull a Harsin. It's hard to be as bad as the worst ever.

[autigeremt 6,560]

3 hours ago, WarEagleHunter1221 said:

How soon do you expect offers to start rolling out? It feels like af OL and DL we could offer everyone…… 

Those are crucial to any success we may have in the near future. We can not wait on this. Freeze can’t pull a Harsin….

Get real! There’s over 700 players in the portal. They had 45 days to decide. Plus early signing coming up. 

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

16 hours ago, AUTigerTime said:

Another QB of interest: JT Daniels is going into the portal.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35196186/sources-wvu-qb-jt-daniels-looks-transfer-4th-school

He looked really good in all the games I watched of West Virginia. That totals about two but I liked what I saw from him. 

[BornAU76 392]

9 hours ago, autigeremt said:

Get real! There’s over 700 players in the portal. They had 45 days to decide. Plus early signing coming up. 

There are over 1000 now!  It's just insane how many kids are available...we should be fine in getting some of them in to provide depth.

Edited December 7, 2022 by BornAU76

[Hank2020 3,190]

1 hour ago, AU80cruiser said:

He looked really good in all the games I watched of West Virginia. That totals about two but I liked what I saw from him. 

Surely he is grad transfer by now.

[Gowebb11 9,298]

47 minutes ago, Hank2020 said:

Surely he is grad transfer by now.

Some of these players are playing long enough to go to med school. 😅This will be Daniel’s 4th school. 

[aubiefifty 16,658]

Auburn offers Wester Michigan transfer DE Andre Carter

JD McCarthy

~2 minutes

---

The transfer portal officially opened on Monday, Dec. 5 and there are already over 1,000 players looking for a new home.

Auburn and Hugh Freeze are expected to be heavily involved in the transfer market as he looks to revamp Auburn’s roster which needs an infusion of talent.

One of Auburn’s top needs is along the defensive line, where Auburn has a need along both the interior of the line and at the outside. One of the players who could play both of those positions is Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter and Auburn offered him a scholarship Tuesday morning.

While he has primarily been used as a pass rusher, he is capable and willing to play along the interior of the defensive line when needed. He has been productive in each of his five seasons, but he broke out this season racking up 70 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception.

He has made 135 tackles, 29.0 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks, and six forced fumbles in his career.

Aubrun will to have to replace edge rushers Derick Hall, Eku Leota, Joko Willis, Marcus Bragg, and defensive linemen Colby Wooden, Marquis Burks, Morris Joseph Jr., and Zykeivous Walker.

While some of these players are in the portal and could very well return to the Plains, the Tigers need to add multiple players along both the interior of the line and along the outside.

List

Players Hugh Freeze and Auburn should target in the transfer portal

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

[aubiefifty 16,658]

Auburn set to host former Mississippi State wide receiver Rara Thomas

Taylor Jones

Mon, December 5, 2022 at 12:00 PM

 

 

We are in the early stages of transfer portal season, and Auburn is already set to receive a visitor.

Rara Thomas, who spent two seasons catching passes from Will Rogers at Mississippi State, will visit the Plains this weekend according to Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover. Auburn will be his first visit, he also is expected to visit Alabama and Georgia as well.

Thomas, who signed with Mississippi State from Eufaula High School, caught 62 passes for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons at Mississippi State. He did most of his damage this season, catching 44 passes for 626 yards and seven touchdowns. He was the Bulldogs’ leading receiver in yards and was second on the team in touchdown receptions behind Caleb Ducking, who caught eight touchdowns this season.

Thomas did not receive much interest from Power Five programs as a high school recruit, as Mississippi State and South Carolina were the only major programs to offer. But his success at Mississippi State may aid him in draft stock. He was the No. 28 overall prospect from the state of Alabama for the 2021 cycle.

Auburn needs help in the receiving department, and Thomas would give the Tigers a boost. Auburn’s highest-graded receiver according to Pro Football Focus was Ja'Varrius Johnson, who graded at 70.3 and caught just 26 passes despite being targeted 45 times.

List

 

Players Hugh Freeze and Auburn should target in the transfer portal

 

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

[aubiefifty 16,658]

The transfer portal is officially open and Auburn is going to be heavily involved. One of the Tiger’s early targets is tight end Rivaldo Fairweather.

In fact, the Tigers were the first school to call and offer him a scholarship on Monday according to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover. While nothing has been scheduled yet he plans to visit the Plains.

The former FIU Panther had a breakout season this year, catching 28 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns as a junior. He will have two seasons of eligibility left at his next destination due to his covid year.

Auburn has a need for a pass-catching tight end now that John Samuel Shenker has run out of eligibility. New tight end coach Ben Aigamaua will have luke deal, tyler fromm, Brandon Frazier, and Micah Riley-Ducker to work with next season.

While Deal, Fromm, and Frazier are all experienced upperclassmen they have been primarily used as blockers and lack experience as receiving threats.

[AEAugirl 9,622]

@Zeek…..are you hearing anything about Tony Mitchell and possibility of flipping him from Bama?  Clemente said it was an “understatement” that Freeze and Zac’s visit with him went extremely well.   Sounds like Freeze is going hard after them. 

Charles Kelly was also his lead recruiter….same for Smith, Russaw and Downs.  could Kelly leaving Bama help us with those?  

Also sounds like we might be flipping Lee, the OSU commit???

Edited December 8, 2022 by AEAugirl

[AUINSY 2,228]

15 minutes ago, AEAugirl said:

@Zeek…..are you hearing anything about Tony Mitchell and possibility of flipping him from Bama?  Clemente said it was an “understatement” that Freeze and Zac’s visit with him went extremely well.   Sounds like Freeze is going hard after them. 

Charles Kelly was also his lead recruiter….same for Smith, Russaw and Downs.  could Kelly leaving Bama help us with those?  

Also sounds like we might be flipping Lee, the OSU commit???

Come on in fellas, the Auburn water is nice!

[AEAugirl 9,622]

Ashley Williams decommitted…..sounds like he might have been told to look at other options.  We were by far his best offer. 

[autigeremt 6,560]

14 minutes ago, AEAugirl said:

Ashley Williams decommitted…..sounds like he might have been told to look at other options.  We were by far his best offer. 

Pretty much. Coach Freeze is going to use the portal a lot in year one. 

[Sizzle 3,909]

There’s plenty of space, I don’t know if Freeze told Williams to go. Maybe he’s just looking at all his options 

[Zeek 16,579]

7 hours ago, AEAugirl said:

@Zeek…..are you hearing anything about Tony Mitchell and possibility of flipping him from Bama?  Clemente said it was an “understatement” that Freeze and Zac’s visit with him went extremely well.   Sounds like Freeze is going hard after them. 

Charles Kelly was also his lead recruiter….same for Smith, Russaw and Downs.  could Kelly leaving Bama help us with those?  

Also sounds like we might be flipping Lee, the OSU commit???

Only thing I’m hearing is my middle school wrestling team is going to Tallahassee, my girls team is going to Pensacola, and my boys varsity team is heading to Birmingham. I am absolutely swamped in logistics and such lol. 
 

Auburn is doing well on the trail right now. We are very aggressively recruiting and coach Freeze is playing the game with more blurred rules than some former coaches. There has been even more attention placed on recruiting family members. One coach had a dinner with just the recruits father before meeting the player the next day. That earned us a lot of brownie points. 

You will see more transfers leaving and commits too. It’ll get darker before the dawn. Everyone that has decommitted or left so far since the hiring has been encouraged to do so.

[CR 2,426]

4 hours ago, AEAugirl said:

Ashley Williams decommitted…..sounds like he might have been told to look at other options.  We were by far his best offer. 

A supposedly 4 star Edge from Louisiana whose other SEC offer was Missouri. Never added up.