Zeek

April 2nd 4* S Jontae Gilbert - Douglass HS (Atlanta, GA) April 5th 4* ED Isaiah Gibson - Warner Robins HS (Warner Robins, GA) - USC Commit April 6th NR WR Branden Hoch NR CB Dante Core 4* IOL Dontrell Glover 4* ED CJ May 4* OT Tavaris Dice 4* WR CJ Wiley - Official Visit 4* ED Jakaleb Faulk - he considers himself a true LB for what it's worth 4* DB Eric Winters 4* QB Husan Longstreet - committed to Texas A&M 4* DL Nate Marshell 4* ED Isaiah Gibson

I am a big believer in Jeremiah Wright when healthy at the guard position. Miller at Right Tackle I am a little concerned about. The early reviews at left tackle have been positive.

I believe he will announce on the day of the spring game. It's expected that Auburn is the choice.

I think Holden Geriner, is probably a wide receiver (maybe a Koy Moore), and other than that maybe a Battie? Auburn has had pretty good luck not losing players we don't want to lose post-spring.

Right, there is a reason position groups are typically judged holistically. All ships rise.

Based on the roster I wanted to do a quick look at each position and what we will need in this upcoming class. This will be brief but please discuss your thoughts below! Quarterback (1): Every year you want to take a quarterback ideally. They don't always have to be All-SEC potential but that is the goal. Some targets Auburn has worked on this class: 5* Julian Lewis - USC Commit 4* Deuce Knight - Notre Dame Commit 4* Husan Longstreet - TAMU lean 4* KJ Lacey - Texas Commit Running Back (2): We actually have a little bit of a need here with Jarquez and Battie both running out of eligibility. That is also assuming that Cobb and Alston both stay put. Here are some names to track: 4* Alvin Henderson (Auburn lean) NR Malakhi Lewis NR Greg Peacock Wide Receiver (3-4): The staff did a great job bringing in a big 2024 class. They need to follow that effort up to build depth and prepare for the inevitable transfers. Here are some guys worth tracking: 5* Caleb Cunningham (Miss State lean) 4* Travis Smith (Georgia lean) 3* Daylyn Upshaw (Auburn lean) 3* Tristan Norman (Vandy lean) NR Branden Hoch 4* ATH CJ Nickson Tight End (2): Finally some of our seniors have exhausted their eligibility here. We need a few quality options that could play early. 3* AJ Ia (Auburn lean) 3* Hollis Davidson (Auburn Commit) 3* Ryan Ghea (Auburn Commit) Offensive Line (5-6): Big fan of getting one player at each position on the OL when possible. It is a position that ideally develops for a few years before taking the field. Here are some targets: 4* Broderick Shull (Auburn lean) 4* Juan Gaston (Georgia lean) 4* Tavaris Dice (Auburn Commit) 4* Carde Smith (Auburn lean) 3* Mal Waldrep (Clemson lean) 3* Tai Buster (Auburun Commit) 3* Spencer Dowland (Auburn Commit) 4* Kalen Edwards (Georgia lean) 3* Jacobe Ward (Auburn lean) Defensive Line & Edge (3-5): We need to continue to restock the cupboard here. The interior needs more bodies and the edge position was solid last year but could use more true DEs. 4* Zion Grady (Alabama lean) 4* Jakaleb Faulk (Auburn commit) 4* C.J. May (Auburn lean) 3* Grayshaun Swain (Auburn lean) NR Anthony Kruah (Auburn lean) 4* Andrew Maddox (Ole Miss lean) 4* Antonio Coleman (Alabama Commit) 4* Kevin Wynn (Georgia lean) 4* Jourdin Crawford (Auburn Commit) 4* Malik Autry (Auburn Commit) NR Ryshawn Perry (Auburn lean) Linebacker (2): I actually think we could get away with just two here. We did a good job last year which should allow us now to start just filling the need of 2 a year. 4* Jarcoby Hopson (Ole Miss lean) 4* Tyler Lockhart (Miss State lean) 3* Coleman Lewis (Auburn lean) Defensive Backs (4): I could see another big class here. We have some guys graduating and a need for even more depth. 4* Devin Williams (Auburn Commit) 4* Mark Manfred 3* Shamar Arnoux (Tenn lead) NR Dante Core NR Zacharey Smith NR Thomas Young NR Antorie Hughley 4* Anquon Fegans (USC lean) 4* Kendarius Riddick (UCF Commit) 4* Eric Winters (Auburn lean) 4* Jaedon Harmon (Alabama lean) 3* Jaylen Mosley (Ole Miss lean) NR Jotavion Pierce

Hi all! Been a while, and work has decided to add a bunch of responsibilities to my plate. Needing a break I decided to do a quick look at our current roster and my thoughts heading into the spring game. The freshmen who aren't on campus yet will be left out because... well I don't feel like guestimating how they will fair on the depth chart. Here is a guess on how I think the depth will shake out and what we still might need in the portal after the spring games conclude: Quarterback Payton Thorne (SR) Hank Brown (RS FR) Walker White (FR) Holden Geriner (SO) Running Back Jarquez Hunter (SR) Damari Alston (JR) Jeremiah Cobb (SO) Brian Battie (SR) Sean Jackson (JR) Wide Receiver Cam Coleman (FR) Robert Lewis (SR) Camden Brown (JR) Jay Fair (JR) Sam Jackson V (SR) Koy Moore (SR) Bryce Cain (FR) Caleb Burton III (SO) Tight End Rivaldo Fairweather (SR) Luke Deal (SR) Brandon Frazier (SR) Micah Riley (SO) Rico Walker (SO) Offensive Line Two Deep: Left Tackle: Percy Lewis (SR) / Seth Wilfred (SO) Left Guard: Dillon Wade (SR) / E.J. Harris (SO) Center: Connor Lew (SO) / Tate Johnson (JR) Right Guard: Jeremiah Wright (JR) / Jaden Muskrat (JR) Right Tackle: Izavion Miller (SR) / Tyler Johnson (RS FR) Defensive Line & Buck Defensive End: Keldric Faulk (SO) / Zykeivous Walker (RS SR) or Amaris Williams (FR) Nose Tackle: Jayson Jones (RS SR) / Darron Reed Jr. (RS FR) Defensive Tackle: Gage Keys (RS JR) / Trill Carter (RS SR) Buck: Jalen McLeod (SR) / Jamonta Waller (FR) Linebacker MLB: Austin Keys (RS SR) / Dorian Mausi Jr. (SR) WLB: Eugene Asante (RS SR) / DJ Barber (FR) or Demarcus Riddick (FR) Cornerback Keionte Scott (SR), Champ Anthony (JR), and Kayin Lee (SO) are likely the first three off the bench. After that you're looking at Antonio Kite working his way into the rotation. Sylvester Smith has received praise for a minute. True freshman Jay Crawford has snagged more than one interception already and is turning heads. Safety Laquan Robinson (JR) and Jerrin Thompson (SR) are the favorites Terrance Love (SO) and Caleb Wooden (JR) are the next ones off the bench with a healthy number of snaps to their name. I feel we are better now than we were at this time last year. However, I think the interior of the DL is a huge concern; last year we couldn't stop the inside run to save our lives. That can't happen again if we want to hit our target number of wins. Offensively, we missed on a few transfer quarterbacks. That is just a fact. We didn't find the perfect fit and somewhat begrudgingly are running it back with Thorne. We will see if improved OL play, better-receiving targets, and hopefully better playcalling can make the difference. We don't need him to be Cam Newton, just a Jake Fromm-type game manager who would go far with the team around him. We have one of the deepest running back rooms we have seen in a while and tremendous experience at Tight End. Our receivers are young but there is a good mix of experienced talent as well; observers of practice and scrimmages have been floored with the difference at that position already.

will be running it back!

I think/hope announcing the co-DC means the head DC should be named soon.

It’s really hard to manage coaches off the field issues. They’re adults at the end of the day.

Changes were made that frankly were inevitable. We can bicker about the "why" all we want but it really does no good. What matters from here is where we go next. I believe the following is right around the corner: Derrick Nix gets hired as our next Offensive Coordinator and RB coach. His job will be recruiting more than anything but he brings legitimate experience. His hometown is Attalla, AL. Nix has coached running backs at Southern Miss, was a quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons, then running backs for Ole Miss from 2008-19, receivers at Ole Miss 2020-21, and is currently an Assistant HC and receivers coach at Ole Miss. Kiffin values him highly. Chris Kiffin gets hired as our next Defensive Coordinator after the Texans finish their playoff run. He was an assistant at Idaho from 2005-06, grad assistant at Ole Miss in 2007, offensive quality control assistant at Nebraska 2008-09, defensive administrative assistant at USC in 2010, DL coach at Arkansas State in 2011, DL coach and recruiting coordinator at Ole Miss 2012-16, FAU DC and LB coach at FAU in 2017, pass rush specialist at the 49ers 2018-19, Cleveland Browns DL coach 2020-22, and Texans LB coach 2023-present. He is considered a great recruiter and has a lot of experience in various spots on the defensive side. He and Kelly will be a great recruiting duo. Second Wave of the Portal - usually the second wave of the portal is a small one. I think we see a lot more names than usual with such huge and numerous coaching changes still occurring. Alabama players are going to be very interesting to watch if they hire DeBoer I expect they might. Second Exodus of the Portal - it gives and it takes. We are going to have some new faces on the staff and that always leads to departures. We still have some fat to trim on the roster in my opinion. Position-wise here are some of my brief thoughts... take them or leave them Quarterback - we are not confident in Thorne moving forward. There is some cautious optimism that Hank Brown and Walker White could take the reigns. If a portal quarterback becomes available in the next wave we could be very aggressive in making it happen. Running Back - Likely taking two high school kids next cycle. We look good right now. Battie staying is nice. Wide Receiver - I see us still taking one more portal receiver. Tight End - we are set here but man we are top-heavy with older guys. I could see us taking at least one high school guy and one transfer next year. Offensive Line - Percy Lewis (Mississippi State) and two tough high school kids help. We still probably need another portal guy. Defensive Line - Trill Carter is a subtle but nice pickup. Gage Keys is someone I'm interested in seeing more from. Might have another addition or two. The interior of the DL is my biggest concern; last year we allowed inside runs for big gains consistently. Edge - I think we're relying on the young guys here. Linebackers - we have a lot of guys back but also have a lot of young dudes on board and key transfer addition. I'm curious if the highly-rated young guys can usurp the veterans. I won't name names but there are some guys I would love to not see on the field again lol. Defensive Backs - man did they look bad in the Iron Bowl and the bowl game. Kelly might be a big help here and Crime Dog getting back some autonomy could be a help. We generated more interceptions than we have in a while but there were a number of issues that allowed teams like NMSU to march all over us. I may make another long thread just tracking additions/subtractions.

Correct but a few of them are in bowl practices right now

We've seen it before with the edge from Tennessee

Favour Edwin was a nice surprise to wake up to this morning. Word is Coen sent in his NLI but won’t announce until Friday. It’s my understanding from talking with friends we didn’t receive his NLI. Auburn simply didn’t view Coen as highly as he views himself apparently. Ryan Williams and Dimitry Nicolas are both February signings. For me this means I’m going to turn my attention towards the 2024 Portal Thread. Thanks for everyone joining this thread and celebrating our newest Tigers. We got some good ones and only really missed out on a handful that we wanted. Some money was saved that will be shifted to portal spending. I expect to see the following: 1 QB to replace Robby 1 RB SHOULD Jarquez decide to enter the NFL Draft 1 more WR (outside target) 2-3 OL 1 TE 1-2 interior DL 1-3 DBs depending on who is available

possible TE target from Maryland

Georgia IOL transfer

LJ and Favour trending towards UF... lol can't say I think that's wise objectively

For me it’s that we actually went at the big guys and won. Where it seemed like Gus took some 4/5* type guys that weren’t too hotly contested. More tweeners and guys coming off injuries.

Yeah I think so. Not really urgent. PWO anyways.

Updated. Waiting on just two more. Both LJ and Favour don't really have a set timeline though...

Hugh kind of let it slip during his press conference lol

So we're still waiting to see what LJ does. When Favour might announce. Then we have Coen but likely no answers today.

As expected. Not sweating this one.