In-State Recruiting or As the Gus Bus Rolls...

[Dixie1860 27]

I had a question asked of me today regarding why Sabear is allowing Roberts to visit without pulling his scholarship and the following was my reponse:

I have shared this with some already...

As per Roberts, My thinking there is this; Sabear can not afford to look like the bad guy with Gus here and things going so well. With Tre and Roc and some others choosung AU I think he is afraid he has found himself the ugly girl on the double blind date. Check their commits as well, they have Clark, Roberts and SDH from AL. All three could flip with Roberts most likely, then SDH and we all remember Clark saying he very well could though he SEEMS solid. They have Scarborough but he moved to FL and is looking around. What if he ended up with NO bama kids? That is my thinking. I mean he is still Saban, don't get me wrong, but Gus, Craig, Garner, EJ, Rhett, Smith and Cheese are a saavy bunch. Much more so than what we had. Trooper could only drag in trouble the last few years and Saban made the others his you know whats on the regular. JMO TIFWIW

I realize this is full of but what part isn't possible? This is JMHO, everyone can agree or not, just throwing it out there.

This is all speculation on my part. It is based on as much real information as I have been able to assertain. Please EVERYONE, let me know what you think. Gus has changed the entire dynamic as far as recruiting in the state of AL. But how much? That reamins to be seen, but, so far so good IMO.

[Mikey 16,751]

My thinking is that if the time gets close and UAT's home-state numbers are below what they deem desirable they'll put the full court press into flipping some of our top guys. We'll have to anticipate that and be prepared to counter it.

We all know from past experience that UAT and their followers will threaten a prospect's family's jobs, forclose their loans, report things to the police or do whatever in order to force a prospect they want to head to Tuskaloser. I don't have a plan to counter all of that, but we have good people working on it so I hope we prevail in stopping these sorts of things being done by bammers.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

I don't see any way they go 0 for Alabama, but we're going to sign more of the top in-state players than they do.

My guess, they come away with Marlon Humphrey, Ronnie Clark, and SDH.

Auburn flips Roberts and signs Tre, Roc, Evans, Thornton, Casher, and Roberts. Doss ends up at Ole Miss (or elsewhere out of state).

The guy I'm primarily worried about losing is Roc. I believe a guy until the moment he goes elsewhere so I believe Roc is coming to Auburn, but there is going to be a LOT of pressure on him if/when that Fournette kid picks LSU. Roc is going to have a rough end of January with people breathing down his neck.

[Dixie1860 27]

No doubt Mikey, they will put up a fight. How much of one with this class is my question. They have a Top 3 Class no matter what. If they get Hootie Jones, Marlon Humphrey(?) and/or Fournette who are they gonna take? I think Gus has sat these kids down and feels solid with them IMO. Roc probably worries me the most but I think Sabear may have mis-played Mr. Thomas. I think he sees that Gus can distribute the ball enough that the best back will show out, but he keeps them healthy by evening out the load. We have the big bruiser backs, Barber and Pettway, so Roc will be used in a way that gets him the ball in space. He can certainly run tough and break tackles, I'm not saying he is a "Speed" only back at all. But if I were an Elite offensive talent in AL, hmmphf, I'm going to AU. Yes I'm biased, but if I look at it honestly, there is no question in my mind. I have been able to admit in the past that if I were a certain player, I might sign at bammer as well, all things considered.

Jump to the 2015 class...and I think things are going to get VERY heated in-state. Gus brought THE GUYS he needed to compete with Sabear on the trail. They know it up there (over there) as well, they will respond. Going to be FUN!!

[Dixie1860 27]

I don't see any way they go 0 for Alabama, but we're going to sign more of the top in-state players than they do.

My guess, they come away with Marlon Humphrey, Ronnie Clark, and SDH.

Auburn flips Roberts and signs Tre, Roc, Evans, Thornton, Casher, and Roberts. Doss ends up at Ole Miss (or elsewhere out of state).

The guy I'm primarily worried about losing is Roc. I believe a guy until the moment he goes elsewhere so I believe Roc is coming to Auburn, but there is going to be a LOT of pressure on him if/when that Fournette kid picks LSU. Roc is going to have a rough end of January with people breathing down his neck.

Exactly my thinking as well mcgufcm. (Curious about your "name" by the way, just FYI ) Roc is going to be pressured, no doubt. I have sorta hoped LF does go to Bama. Would love the IB to become the SEC-West Championship each year!! Plus, I don't want LSU getting any better than they already are. We will fare better IMO if the West is a 2 headed monster for the most part instead of 3-4 bullies all on the same block killing each other off every year. Again, it's just my current opinion, I could change it this afternoon!

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

I don't see any way they go 0 for Alabama, but we're going to sign more of the top in-state players than they do.

My guess, they come away with Marlon Humphrey, Ronnie Clark, and SDH.

Auburn flips Roberts and signs Tre, Roc, Evans, Thornton, Casher, and Roberts. Doss ends up at Ole Miss (or elsewhere out of state).

The guy I'm primarily worried about losing is Roc. I believe a guy until the moment he goes elsewhere so I believe Roc is coming to Auburn, but there is going to be a LOT of pressure on him if/when that Fournette kid picks LSU. Roc is going to have a rough end of January with people breathing down his neck.

Roc is the only one to be concerned about. And AU has out recruited uat for him. He knows he fits in better at AU and has the makings of being a superstar RB at AU. We shall see.

One thing about uat that is going to end up killing them in state. They have slow played most of the recruits in Alabama and AU has used this to their advantage. uat assumes that if the miss out on one of their top target they can just offer one of the in state kids, Not going to happen this year or in the near future with DC.

[JFDTiger80 790]

I don't see any way they go 0 for Alabama, but we're going to sign more of the top in-state players than they do.

My guess, they come away with Marlon Humphrey, Ronnie Clark, and SDH.

Auburn flips Roberts and signs Tre, Roc, Evans, Thornton, Casher, and Roberts. Doss ends up at Ole Miss (or elsewhere out of state).

The guy I'm primarily worried about losing is Roc. I believe a guy until the moment he goes elsewhere so I believe Roc is coming to Auburn, but there is going to be a LOT of pressure on him if/when that Fournette kid picks LSU. Roc is going to have a rough end of January with people breathing down his neck.

Roc is the only one to be concerned about. And AU has out recruited uat for him. He knows he fits in better at AU and has the makings of being a superstar RB at AU. We shall see.

One thing about uat that is going to end up killing them in state. They have slow played most of the recruits in Alabama and AU has used this to their advantage. uat assumes that if the miss out on one of their top target they can just offer one of the in state kids, Not going to happen this year or in the near future with DC.

We all agree that Roc is our main concern. I hope that consistantly showing Roc the AU Family, and what is means may win out over bammer. Bammer likes to flaunt the NFL contracts their players get and this entices a lot of HS kids. It is hard to compete against this considering their recent success.

It has been a great year for us on the field though, and our running game is 5th in the country. We can show Roc and other backs that they will have sucess in our program. We also play more backs than most schools.

[Rednilla 5,397]

Well, first off, I want to make it a point to say that the one thing you couldn't knock the previous staff on was recruiting. Trooper and Luper were consistently in the top 25 recruiters in the country, after all, and all three full classes they pulled in were considered top 10 efforts across the board.

However, I do believe the current staff is better than its predecessor, and that all starts with the head man. Gus Malzahn clearly has Auburn going places, and the harmony with which he orchestrates that staff is a thing of beauty. The proof is in the pudding, too: barring a pretty big upset, the Tigers will win 9 games minimum, and even that provides a chance at a double digit victory total.

That rapid success has opened eyes around the country, and don't think recruits haven't noticed. Pretty good chance that they are paying attention to how frequently backups and younger players get into games, too, giving credence to a coach's claim that if you're good enough to play, you'll play.

As far as Roc is concerned, I can't imagine him thinking Alabama is a better fit. Corey Grant is showing what the OMac role looks like when the runner has some power, and Thomas could realistically play either that role or the premier back role that Mason fills now. Bama can flaunt NFL contracts all they want, but the one place they will never be able to outshine us there is at running back. In the 05 draft, two of the top five picks were Auburn backs, and the guy who transferred to a I-AA school because he would have been backing those two up was drafted in the fifth round. (I could go on, but most everyone here is well aware of Auburn's status as RBU, bammer claims notwithstanding.) When you add that kind of clout to a system that has proven to provide multiple backs with meaningful carries on a consistent basis...well, let's just say that Bama pushing the NFL prestige might not be the best route for them to take with running backs.

[IronMan70 3,277]

There is a lot of good and accurate information in here so far. Nice job guys.

[icanthearyou 4,463]

Are any of you seriously concerned about Roc? I haven't been but, several bammers are telling me that Alvin Kamara will transfer after this season. Is that even significant?

[Dixie1860 27]

Are any of you seriously concerned about Roc? I haven't been but, several bammers are telling me that Alvin Kamara will transfer after this season. Is that even significant?

It is for Kamara. Joke. But in reality, yes, maybe. Roc is solid IMO but let's not for get who we are dealing with. But we have the staff to combat such a threat much more so than the previous staff IMO.

Red, Troop and Lupe got some big names here but then what? Robinson at LT is of course as advertised but even he looked sloppy last year and looks like an NFL draft pick next year this season. Also, how many secondary violations did they get slapped for? Look at Winston, Lache and Jovon Robinson, why did we have to stop recruiting all three (or send home). They are good recruters I know, but they can't hold a candle to Craig and Garner and the rest. Not trying to disagree but they couldn't coach them or even keep them out of trouble. All the non-qualifiers as well. I know there will still be some. I am just freaking giddy sitting in the stands this season compared to the past. 2010 was great, IMO this is SO much better!

[ellitor 33,114]

Are any of you seriously concerned about Roc? I haven't been but, several bammers are telling me that Alvin Kamara will transfer after this season. Is that even significant?

I always have been no matter how good info came out for Auburn.

As for the overall theme of the thread I think Auburn is taking advantage of a huge mistake by Saban. He has not made in state recruiting a priority for this class. We are taking advantage of that and I think it will bite him in the arse.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

Like I said, I believe him until he gives me reason not to believe him. I expect him to sign with Auburn. My comment is really just a recognition of how much pressure Bama and Saban can put on a kid. It's impossible to deny their success, and they've clearly been solid at the RB spot recently (not historically but that doesn't matter as much).

I don't think they land Fournette, and when/if he spurns them, I expect their attention to turn to Roc. When/if that happens, he's going to be under a lot of pressure. I trust he'll sign with us. I'm just saying I recognize how difficult that decision is going to be when the weight of the mullet nation falls on him.

[CameronCrazy 1,085]

Here's how I see this playing out.... Alabama loses at least one game this season and they fail to capture their coveted 3-peat. Saban bolts for Texas to become the only coach to win a National Championship at 3 different schools. Saban's strategy to focus his recruiting nationally backfires on Alabama after Saban leaves. The out of state top prospects decommit after Saban leaves and Alabama's new coach is too far behind Auburn for the top in-state commits. Auburn loads up and Alabama drops out of the 10 recruiting classes. Sound about right?!

[au75 75]

^ Hope you are correct.

[Dixie1860 27]

Bama stays in the top ten callses IMO for 2014 unless they hire Derek Dooley to replace Saban.

[War to the Eagle 364]

I don't see Nick going to Texas...too much that doesn't add up. Plus, he's said he thinks he's too old to start over again.

[johnjacob 44]

My thinking is that if the time gets close and UAT's home-state numbers are below what they deem desirable they'll put the full court press into flipping some of our top guys. We'll have to anticipate that and be prepared to counter it.

We all know from past experience that UAT and their followers will threaten a prospect's family's jobs, forclose their loans, report things to the police or do whatever in order to force a prospect they want to head to Tuskaloser. I don't have a plan to counter all of that, but we have good people working on it so I hope we prevail in stopping these sorts of things being done by bammers.

Tell me who these people are that threaten and they won't anymore. Start listing them on here. If they can't be civil then...

[Rednilla 5,397]

I don't see Nick going to Texas...too much that doesn't add up. Plus, he's said he thinks he's too old to start over again.

Maybe he sees that as his final challenge?

[aupops2 9]

Are any of you seriously concerned about Roc? I haven't been but, several bammers are telling me that Alvin Kamara will transfer after this season. Is that even significant?

It is for Kamara. Joke. But in reality, yes, maybe. Roc is solid IMO but let's not for get who we are dealing with. But we have the staff to combat such a threat much more so than the previous staff IMO.

Red, Troop and Lupe got some big names here but then what? Robinson at LT is of course as advertised but even he looked sloppy last year and looks like an NFL draft pick next year this season. Also, how many secondary violations did they get slapped for? Look at Winston, Lache and Jovon Robinson, why did we have to stop recruiting all three (or send home). They are good recruters I know, but they can't hold a candle to Craig and Garner and the rest. Not trying to disagree but they couldn't coach them or even keep them out of trouble. All the non-qualifiers as well. I know there will still be some. I am just freaking giddy sitting in the stands this season compared to the past. 2010 was great, IMO this is SO much better!

Even if Kamara leaves, they still have Tenpenny and the Georgia kid ( can't remember his name), plus Derrick Henry from last year's class. There's plenty of talented RBs over there.

[aubearcat 2,138]

I don't see Nick going to Texas...too much that doesn't add up. Plus, he's said he thinks he's too old to start over again.

Isn't Spurrier older? Plus, being the ego-maniac that he and most head coaches are, I doubt he feels too old to take over another top 5 program. Maybe too old to go back to the NFL, but not Austin.

[cammycam2 173]

Nick isnt going anywhere. Lets beat em while he is here

[TexasTiger 13,045]

I don't see Nick going to Texas...too much that doesn't add up. Plus, he's said he thinks he's too old to start over again.

He also said he wasn't going to be the coach at Alabama.

[Rednilla 5,397]

I don't see Nick going to Texas...too much that doesn't add up. Plus, he's said he thinks he's too old to start over again.

He also said he wasn't going to be the coach at Alabama.

And the Dolphins.

[Dixie1860 27]

Or LSU...honestly I have no idea. I just wanted to play so bad.