Why are we still having trouble getting offensive linemen?  In 2019, while at utk, Will Friend signed two top ten, five star, offensive tackles. The rest of the top ten players that landed at SEC schools went to uat (3), A&M, and Miss St (really). For good measure Friend also signed three more OL that year. 

I’ve read that Friend maintained strong relationships with players yet to commit in this recruiting cycle (i.e. Jacob Hood). However, to date, we can’t get any OL to commit to AU.  Did top-10, five star linemen commit to Tennessee based on the football program’s potential, championship history, or was Friend the beneficiary of Pruitt et al getting the players to sign with help from McDonalds?  (Disclaimer: Friend is one of my favorite additions to the AU coaching staff. I’m not accusing him of anything to do with utk’s improprieties) 

CBH can land as many players that fit his mold as possible, but we will not succeed on the field without a commitment to establishing a talented and deep offensive line. 

On 3/31/2021 at 4:57 PM, toddc said:

Names to know in the Top247 for 2023

5 hours ago

The updated Top247 for the football class of 2023 was released Wednesday and while there no doubt will be many changes to this list between now and the time these players sign their Letters of Intent it's certainly an excellent early look at this outstanding group. You can find the complete Top247 HERE.

Here are some names for Auburn fans to know (ranking first) ...

-No. 1: Lebbeus Overton, DE, Milton (Ga.): The Tigers offered the country's top 2023 recruit March 23. Being that he plays a priority position and resides near Atlanta, one can reasonably assume he's a top Auburn target. There is only one Crystal Ball pick for Overton at this time, and it's for Oklahoma. Most think it's too soon to make a strong projection although Alabama certainly is a program to watch.

-No. 2: Peter Woods, DT, Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson: Woods checks in as the highest-ranked member of what appears to be a fairly strong 2023 in-state class.

-No. 3: James Smith, DT, Montgomery (Ala.) Carver: His impressive offer list includes the likes of Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State.

-No. 9: Dante Moore, QB, Detroit (Mich.) King: Auburn offered Moore on March 10. Michigan and Notre Dame are two early teams to watch.

No. 14: Tony Mitchell, CB, Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson: Alabama is a heavy Crystal Ball favorite. The Tigers offered Jan. 25, not long after coach Bryan Harsin's staff was hired.

-No. 22: Richard Young, RB, Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Lehigh: Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma are all in the hunt, but Young also seems to be fairly high on Auburn, the school former teammate Tar'varish Dawson, a receiver/athlete, signed with in February. Young visited the Tigers with Dawson earlier this year and told Auburn Undercover he had a great trip.

-No. 28: Vic Burley, DE, Warner Robins (Ga.): A star at the recent Under Armour camp north of Atlanta, Burley told us that day he hadn't spoken to the new Auburn staff. But given his ranking, and Auburn's recruiting success in Burley's area, we think he's one to track.

-No. 34: AJ Harris, CB, Phenix City (Ala.) Glenwood School: One of the biggest risers in the 2023 class, Harris picked up a Tigers offer in February. Most see Georgia as the early favorite.

-No. 62: Dylan Lonergan, QB, Snellville (Ga.) Brookwood: The previous Auburn staff offered the standout Georgia quarterback, but it's not yet known where he sits on the new staff's board. That said, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo -- along with some other key people at Auburn -- follow Lonergan on Twitter. His father played quarterback at Penn State.

-No. 71: Kelby Collins, DE, Gardendale (Ala.): Auburn is very much a factor with this top-100 recruit as the new staff recently re-offered him. Once the NCAA's recruiting dead period ends, look for Collins to visit the Tigers.

-No. 103: Cayden Lee, WR, Powder Springs (Ga.) Hillgrove: One of the top recruits in Georgia, Lee is a standout for Cam Newton's 7-on-7 team.

-No. 115: Tomarrion Parker, SDE, Phenix City (Ala.) Central: Auburn offered in January and absolutely is a program to watch.

11COMMENTS

-No. 123: Tackett Curtis, LB, Many (La.) Just about every Power 5 in the country has offered Curtis in March, including Auburn. 

-No. 151: Karmello English, WR, Phenix City (Ala.) Central: The Tigers recently offered this emerging standout and have to be considered among the early favorites.

Sure would be good to see a top-100 OL, or two, on that list!

50 minutes ago, PoetTiger said:

Probably because it was an interview process. Those take time. Apparently he has a process and just does not knee jerk hire. 

I hear what you’re saying, but it’s hard to believe that it would take this long for CBH to talk C Williams into moving from the Sunbelt to the SEC, regardless of how long he’d been at his alma mater (if he was one of CBH’s top 3-4 picks for the coaching slot).

2 hours ago, AuburnTiger4Life said:

Not to be Zeek but I’m a little disappointed in this one. We’ll see though

Of all the candidates mentioned, Williams seems like a huge swing and a miss. Why did it take CBH this long to go with Williams as his WR coach?  I know very little about the man, other than he’s not D Craig, T Martin, or one of the other major coaches supposedly in play, but like most here, gotta give him a chance. Hopefully he’s who CBH wanted vs. who he could get. 

14 minutes ago, auburndkel said:

This may be old news to some of y’all. It’s from a (public) utk site posted 11/20.  With at least 75% of their fan base calling for Pruitt’s head, I’ll be extremely disappointed if we’re not able to flip several of these guys. 
Tennessee has out-dueled Auburn on the trail in 2021, so far. The Vols landed the commitment of Dylan Brooks over the Tigers and numerous others, while also grabbing verbal pledges from quarterback Kaidon Salter, running back Cody Brown, and receivers Roc Taylor and Julian Nixon. Auburn won an early battle by grabbing the commitment of in-state offensive tackle J'Marion Gooch, but Tennessee stayed in the race and flipped his commitment. The Vols are unblemished against the Tigers to this point, but the work is far from over. Auburn continues to reach out to Dylan Brooks and Cody Brown, but both have remained firm in their pledges 

Sorry to keep beating the the dead horse that is Tennessee football, but as a follow up to the recruiting post, this is on si.com:

This may be old news to some of y’all. It’s from a (public) utk site posted 11/20.  With at least 75% of their fan base calling for Pruitt’s head, I’ll be extremely disappointed if we’re not able to flip several of these guys. 
 

For years now, Tennessee and Auburn have battled on the recruiting trail, with both teams winning key battles recently. We take an opportunity to look at the battles they have going in 2021 and beyond. 

Recent History

Tennessee and Auburn have had some heated battles in recent years, but none more interesting than Jay Hardy's recruitment last season. Hardy was all locked in with the Vols until a trip to the Plains the weekend before his commitment led to a commitment to Tennessee. Hardy gave multiple recruiting reporters, including myself, a commitment interview for Tennessee before his announcement, but then shocked the world and chose Auburn. The drama did not end there, however, as Hardy maintained that he would sign with a school during the late signing period, but he actually signed with Auburn during the early signing period, continuing to lead the Vols on. Hardy was a tough loss for the Vols, and he would have likely been on the field already in Knoxville. The Vols had a glaring need at tackle when Jeremy Pruitt took over, and they prioritized Wanya Morris, but so did Auburn. Tennessee won out as Morris chose to be a cornerstone for the Vols class, but Auburn continued to battle for him over the duration. On the same day Morris committed, his teammate, Owen Pappoe, chose the Tigers. Tennessee made a late push for his services but fell short. The Vols also beat out Auburn for Ramel Keyton in the 2019 class. 

The Present

Tennessee has out-dueled Auburn on the trail in 2021, so far. The Vols landed the commitment of Dylan Brooks over the Tigers and numerous others, while also grabbing verbal pledges from quarterback Kaidon Salter, running back Cody Brown, and receivers Roc Taylor and Julian Nixon. Auburn won an early battle by grabbing the commitment of in-state offensive tackle J'Marion Gooch, but Tennessee stayed in the race and flipped his commitment. The Vols are unblemished against the Tigers to this point, but the work is far from over. Auburn continues to reach out to Dylan Brooks and Cody Brown, but both have remained firm in their pledges to Tennessee. Big-framed wide receiver Roc Taylor remains a priority for Auburn, but the Vols appear to have a hold on his commitment. The Vols still have work to do as Auburn is not going to go away. 

There are still plenty of battles playing out between the two schools. Nyland Green is considered one of the top defensive backs in the country, and at different points in his recruitment, each school has maintained momentum.   On Wednesday, elite linebacker Smael Mondon committed to Georgia. Both Tennessee and Auburn had prioritized Mondon, so it was a significant blow to their recruiting efforts. However, they have both turned focus to Boston College commitment, Trevin Wallace. Wallace has exploded onto the scene with numerous schools across the Southeast reaching out, and Tennessee will try to lean on extensive ties to South Georgia to land him. Auburn has firmly positioned itself in the race, and they could be the team the Vols are chasing.  Staying on the theme of Georgia prospects, junior college edge rusher Byron Young has been a top priority for both schools. He is focusing on three schools heading into the early signing period, with Florida State also in the mix. Tennessee has a glaring need on the edge, so they have a lot to sell Young, but the Tigers' on-field production will weigh-in here as well. He will be one to watch over the next month. 

The Future

The main battle between the two teams in 2022 appears to be for Volunteer state QB Ty Simpson. Simpson is one of the top duel-threat Quarterbacks in America, and both schools love his skillset. It is eerily similar to that of Bo Nix's, and Auburn is making that a selling point. The two have a lot in common as well. Clemson and Alabama are also heavily involved for the young gun slinger. Other potential targets the teams could cross paths on are, offensive tackle Addison Nichols (Ga.), Khurtiss Perry (Ala.), and Jalon Walker (N.C.). 

22 hours ago, Zeek said:

Notre Dame is pushing hard per Keith and it sounds like we just might lose him...

The “crystal ball” predictions now have him 92% to ND and 8% to AU.
What is going on?  Everything hinges on our strength in the trenches. Why can’t Gus and crew recruit a high school OT, and hang on to him??

What?  You can’t run laterally in this mess. Terrible call!  That afraid of Nix?

How much more does Gus let Bo regress?  Nix’s confidence is shot.  As pointed out here, he just continues to look worse, to the point he’s now a detriment.  Yeah, I get that it’s raining, but man....
 

The way Gus handled Gatewood really hurts more and more. Have we reached the point that we try out grad t-fer Loy?

How much more does Gus let Bo regress?  Nix’s confidence is shot.  As pointed out here, he just continues to look worse, to the point he’s now a detriment. 
 

The way Gus handled Gatewood really hurts more and more. Have we reached the point that we try out grad t-fer Loy?

18 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

MAAAAAAAAAAAAN UT had the kind of OT class that we desperately needed to have....... 

 

UT, a program that has been mired in mediocrity (at best) signed two plug and play 5* Tackles, while Grimes/Gus landed no difference makers (with all due respect and love for the guys that did choose to become AU Tigers)  over the last two recruiting cycles.  It just blows my mind.  Pappoe wanted to play with his buddy, 5* Wayna Morris, an obvious position of great need, but Gus/Grimes could barely get Morris to look at AU.  When was the last time UTK was relevant in the SEC?  When was the last time AU played in the SECC/NC?  Games are won or lost in the trenches.  One my greatest fears is that we will become the 'new' UT.

While every other top tier program consistently recruits OL, Malzahn, Hand, and especially Grimes, aimlessly scramble in futility.  Put Grimes on the same bus out of town with Horton...today.  Announce Simmons as our new OL coach, or send the jet to Provo and bring back Ryan Pugh.  Something has to be done.     

31 minutes ago, Newbomb said:

Grimes must go if we only sign a total of 2 OL's

IMO, Grimes should've already been canned.  If we don't land Henry and Bell today, I don't see any way that Gus can justify/rationalize his staying.  Cut Grimes tomorrow and announce that Simmons has moved from off the field to the new OL coach.  Simmons starts blanketing OL recruits across the country, vs. nail biting for 3*'s after Gus/Grimes whiffed on 20+ OL offers.