2015 5* DT Daron Payne (Alabama signee)

[Mikey 16,663]

Plan A has always been Thompson, he's the best prospect and I believe he's the one we are fighting the hardest to land. That deal isn't over yet.

[CameronCrazy 1,074]

I wish we would start pushing really hard for Albert Hudgins, Terry Beckner, Jr. Jonathan Ledbetter, and Shy Tuttle.

I don't think it's over yet for Thompson, Mack, or Payne. But it certainly looks at the moment that we are going to miss on all three.

[ellitor 33,111]

Plan A has always been Thompson, he's the best prospect and I believe he's the one we are fighting the hardest to land. That deal isn't over yet.

Not over but would be a very tough pull at this point. Coming off that great weekend he had visiting AU, TT was recruiting Ro Smith hard to UGA the next weekend when they both visited there.

[JFDTiger80 790]

Plan A has always been Thompson, he's the best prospect and I believe he's the one we are fighting the hardest to land. That deal isn't over yet.

Not over but would be a very tough pull at this point. Coming off that great weekend he had visiting AU, TT was recruiting Ro Smith hard to UGA the next weekend when they both visited there.

I heard this as well. That is not good for us at all.

[gravejd 3,270]

If it makes you feel better to think of this coaching staff as failures, maybe you should start cheering for bama. I prefer to look at the big picture of a #7 recruiting class as a success rather than focusing on the individual losses along the way.

Nowhere did I say the coaching staff would be a failure. I did say that if Auburn doesn't sign at least one of these two DT prospects, that would be a failure on the part of the coaching staff. I'll stand by that until you can show me how missing on both will be considered a success.

Mikey, you're getting awfully Clintonian in your parsing of words there. I think we're wasting a lot of effort on semantics. You insist on using the word "failure," which might be technically applicable, but I insist it is a very poor word choice to describe the overall situation. I would prefer to call it a disappointment. We know we're not going to sell every recruit that comes in here on AU (or else we wouldn't extend over 100 scholarship offers for 25 openings), just as a car salesman wouldn't expect to sell a car to every person that walked on his lot. But the fact that we have the traffic is in itself a good thing. There were many years when we couldn't get a 5* recruit anywhere near campus, and now many, if not most, of them are giving Auburn serious consideration. Our football recruiting is better than it has ever been. If you want to use the word "failure" to describe that, you really should be wearing crimson.

I now terminate my hijack of the Daron Payne thread.

This execpt for the bama reference....

Technically every recruit we offer that doesn't commit to us is a failure. Just like every throw Marshal doesn't complete is a failure. Just like every block missed by an OL is a failure. Its a harsh word to use and may not describe the overall outcome, but it is an accurate description of the events.

I mean say we miss on all 3 guys and sign Mr. no name 4 star (gasp a 4 star!!). Then 3 years from now our 4 star is going pro while the other 3 guys have washed out for whatever reason. Did we still fail by not signing them? Yes we did. Is anyone upset that we failed to sign them? No they are not.

[CameronCrazy 1,074]

I love Coach Rodney Garner! But the information that I'm getting is that he waited too long to start pursuing Daron. Coach Gardner believed that the best way to recruit last year was to coach his current players up and let that sell itself. Unfortunately it appears this has backfired with Mr. Payne. UAT's Cristonbal wakes Daron up every morning since last fall. Daron went from wearing all AU clothes to school to wearing all UAT. So the perception is that this was a huge miscalculation by Gardner... i.e...a failure.

[Mikey 16,663]

In all fairness, Payne and his 330 pounds likely fit the UAT noseguard scheme a lot better than he'll fit what we do. He'd probably take a year of hard work as a redshirt here before he could check in lighter, faster, and stronger. That's not the case with Thompson, however. That guy is ready to go for us right now.

That's not to say we shouldn't try to sign Payne because we should. He'd have to be willing to do the necessary work before he succeeds here where at bammer they can just keep stuffing groceries down his throat and have another 400 pound tub in the middle.

[ellitor 33,111]

I love Coach Rodney Garner! But the information that I'm getting is that he waited too long to start pursuing Daron. Coach Gardner believed that the best way to recruit last year was to coach his current players up and let that sell itself. Unfortunately it appears this has backfired with Mr. Payne. UAT's Cristonbal wakes Daron up every morning since last fall. Daron went from wearing all AU clothes to school to wearing all UAT. So the perception is that this was a huge miscalculation by Gardner... i.e...a failure.

While the events in this post are correct, the associated perception of those events are false. He focused almost solely on coaching instead of recruiting because the D Line completely needed it. They were awful in 2012 and had many bad habits that had to be broken. Take care of current problems before addressing future issues. It was not a miscalculation at all. It's what had to be done with the 2013 D Line and was not a failure because turning around the 2013 D Line was Job 1. I'll take last year's improvements over spending much more time trying to get Payne all day everyday.

[fredst 9,064]

I love Coach Rodney Garner! But the information that I'm getting is that he waited too long to start pursuing Daron. Coach Gardner believed that the best way to recruit last year was to coach his current players up and let that sell itself. Unfortunately it appears this has backfired with Mr. Payne. UAT's Cristonbal wakes Daron up every morning since last fall. Daron went from wearing all AU clothes to school to wearing all UAT. So the perception is that this was a huge miscalculation by Gardner... i.e...a failure.

Maybe so but the strategy helped get us to the natty last year and will continue to pay dividends as long as Garner's at AU. If it costs us one recruit, albeit a very good one, I'm okay with that.

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 things:

1. This is a great conversation you guys are having about how much more nuanced recruiting is that most fans are willing to consider. The most frustrating aspect of recruiting isn't the theatrics of the recruits or the success of rival programs or the times when our coaches miss on a guy; it's the way fans overreact and whine when a player doesn't sign with the good guys. Everything isn't a conspiracy or a lazy coach or a crappy kid. It's usually something much less sinister.

2. Some of y'all are waaaaaay too sensitive about the word failure. Mikey has applied the term neither to the coaching staff nor to this recruiting class. Relax.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

2 things:

1. This is a great conversation you guys are having about how much more nuanced recruiting is that most fans are willing to consider. The most frustrating aspect of recruiting isn't the theatrics of the recruits or the success of rival programs or the times when our coaches miss on a guy; it's the way fans overreact and whine when a player doesn't sign with the good guys. Everything isn't a conspiracy or a lazy coach or a crappy kid. It's usually something much less sinister.

2. Some of y'all are waaaaaay too sensitive about the word failure. Mikey has applied the term neither to the coaching staff nor to this recruiting class. Relax.

Bingo.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

I love Coach Rodney Garner! But the information that I'm getting is that he waited too long to start pursuing Daron. Coach Gardner believed that the best way to recruit last year was to coach his current players up and let that sell itself. Unfortunately it appears this has backfired with Mr. Payne. UAT's Cristonbal wakes Daron up every morning since last fall. Daron went from wearing all AU clothes to school to wearing all UAT. So the perception is that this was a huge miscalculation by Gardner... i.e...a failure.

Payne is quoted saying RG was recruiting him the hardest in February. Folks its only April.

[aufootball1 42]

Andrew Bone ‏@AndrewJBone 6m

Five-star DT Daron Payne (@RETROLIVIN_) tells me he will attend #Alabama's spring game on Saturday.

DANG GUM!

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

Well time to jump ship then right guys?

[Dixie1860 27]

I'm stopping on the way home for liquor and ammo! It's over, it's all Mikey's fault. Him and Coach G-a-r-n-e-r have ruined football forever!!

[Dixie1860 27]

If Payne signs with Bama, I am sure he will join their long list of DT's in the NFL. Same for Trent and UGA. If our DL shows out and 1-2 get drafted, we will get one of those two.

[war eagle6 0]

I hate to see these Auburn fans go to turdtown. The only thing that is going to put a stop to that is championships and consistently putting kids in the NFL ourselves. Bama has done an excellent job promoting saban's success of putting players in the NFL. Given his recruiting classes he SHOULD be putting large numbers of players in the NFL. The recruits just see the NUMBERS like all of these kids are getting developed. I hope the noise Auburn makes in this draft is just the beginning of a long consistent run.

War Eagle !

Real Auburn fans don't go to bama!!

[Budapesttiger 2]

If Payne signs with Bama, I am sure he will join their long list of DT's in the NFL. Same for Trent and UGA. If our DL shows out and 1-2 get drafted, we will get one of those two.

I agree withDixie here

[AU Ivory_dealer 2]

I love hearing about these kids that "grew up Auburn fans." But really look at who these kids had to pull for in the early 2000s. Auburn was the cool thing to kids in school because they were smacking your dad's team around if you were a young lad. I take the grew up Auburn fan statement lightly with the new generation lol

[AUpreacherman22 3,888]

I love Coach Rodney Garner! But the information that I'm getting is that he waited too long to start pursuing Daron. Coach Gardner believed that the best way to recruit last year was to coach his current players up and let that sell itself. Unfortunately it appears this has backfired with Mr. Payne. UAT's Cristonbal wakes Daron up every morning since last fall. Daron went from wearing all AU clothes to school to wearing all UAT. So the perception is that this was a huge miscalculation by Gardner... i.e...a failure.

While the events in this post are correct, the associated perception of those events are false. He focused almost solely on coaching instead of recruiting because the D Line completely needed it. They were awful in 2012 and had many bad habits that had to be broken. Take care of current problems before addressing future issues. It was not a miscalculation at all. It's what had to be done with the 2013 D Line and was not a failure because turning around the 2013 D Line was Job 1. I'll take last year's improvements over spending much more time trying to get Payne all day everyday.

I completely agree!! As a result of CRGs strategy, we are stacked at DT right now! We'll be fine.

[ellitor 33,111]

I love hearing about these kids that "grew up Auburn fans." But really look at who these kids had to pull for in the early 2000s. Auburn was the cool thing to kids in school because they were smacking your dad's team around if you were a young lad. I take the grew up Auburn fan statement lightly with the new generation lol

Childhood fandom is way overrated when trying to use it to figure where a recruit signs. There are examples of kids choosing their childhood teams but that's getting less and less prevalent each year. That's across the board too,not just an AU thing.

[WarEagle84 0]

I love hearing about these kids that "grew up Auburn fans." But really look at who these kids had to pull for in the early 2000s. Auburn was the cool thing to kids in school because they were smacking your dad's team around if you were a young lad. I take the grew up Auburn fan statement lightly with the new generation lol

Childhood fandom is way overrated when trying to use it to figure where a recruit signs. There are examples of kids choosing their childhood teams but that's getting less and less prevalent each year. That's across the board too,not just an AU thing.

I grew up a Bama fan, but chose Auburn when it mattered.

[Dixie1860 27]

Okay, I decided to forego the liquor and firearms. Maybe we will be able to field a team this year...

[augolf1716 21,248]

I love hearing about these kids that "grew up Auburn fans." But really look at who these kids had to pull for in the early 2000s. Auburn was the cool thing to kids in school because they were smacking your dad's team around if you were a young lad. I take the grew up Auburn fan statement lightly with the new generation lol

Childhood fandom is way overrated when trying to use it to figure where a recruit signs. There are examples of kids choosing their childhood teams but that's getting less and less prevalent each year. That's across the board too,not just an AU thing.

I grew up a Bama fan, but chose Auburn when it mattered.

That explains alot.................j/k 84

[ellitor 33,111]

I love hearing about these kids that "grew up Auburn fans." But really look at who these kids had to pull for in the early 2000s. Auburn was the cool thing to kids in school because they were smacking your dad's team around if you were a young lad. I take the grew up Auburn fan statement lightly with the new generation lol

Childhood fandom is way overrated when trying to use it to figure where a recruit signs. There are examples of kids choosing their childhood teams but that's getting less and less prevalent each year. That's across the board too,not just an AU thing.

I grew up a Bama fan, but chose Auburn when it mattered.

So did I.