2019 Recruiting Thread

[ellitor 33,114]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

@ellitor, thank you for patiently getting us out of the Booth thread and into a more appropriate space. Sorry for my contribution to the extra work!

No worries.

[ellitor 33,114]

1 hour ago, War to the Eagle said:

Guessing Pappoe also said we'd land Booth.

At 1 point yes. Booth is the only miss of his picks at this point.

[ellitor 33,114]

38 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

I don't recall Pappoe ever mentioning Booth when he did interviews.  Only other person he has been trying to flip is Morris.  I do know Pappoe has also said after this weekend we have a lot of silent commitments as well.  I have a feeling they are waiting until after the season opener to make it official or not.  Just a guess however so take that with a grain of salt.

Never said we would flip Wanya FWIW.

[toddc 13,194]

Rehttps://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2018/7/30/17629532/2019-auburn-recruiting-defensive-backs-zion-puckett-nehemiah-pritchett-jalen-perry

Auburn’s 2019 DB Board

The Tigers missed out on their top CB target but they still have some strong options left on the board.

AUNerdJul 30, 2018, 11:29am CDT

Auburn DB commits Jashawn Sheffield and Jaylin Simpson

Jashawn Sheffield’s Twitter:

 

Well this stinks. Auburn’s top DB target, 5* CB Andrew Booth, announced today that he will be taking his talents to Clemson, SC and not the Plains. Booth was long considered a lean to Dabo Swinney’s squad but things got interesting after Owen Pappoe committed to Auburn. In fact, there seems to be a consensus that Auburn became the team to beat for the nation’s #3 ranked cornerback after his Big Cat Weekend visit.

But Auburn never got Booth back on campus again. Instead, he visited Clemson for their big recruiting event this past Friday bringing along most of his family. When he didn’t show up at Auburn on Saturday or Sunday the writing was on the wall. Booth made it official on Twitter today.

There’s no hand waving away that this hurts. Booth has the talent to step on the field and start next season for the Tigers. His commitment would have also helped solidify Pappoe’s pledge as well. There’s also the momentum of having another 5* jump on board which would be really helpful right now considering what’s going on in Athens. So ya, this is a tough blow....

But unlike seasons past, Auburn is actually in a strong spot in terms of it’s DB recruiting. The Tigers hold commitments from two talented prospects in Jaylin Simpson and Jashawn Sheffield. There’s also a good chance 1-2 more prospects could jump on board in the near future. So let’s take a look at the current state of the Auburn DB board and what names Tiger fans should pay attention to moving forward. I am operating under the assumption Auburn will take 3 more DBs with two being cornerbacks and one being a safety/nickel prospect. That could obviously change at some point.

Auburn Leans

I would be surprised if two of the prospects listed below are not on Auburn’s commit list come kickoff in September.

4* S/N Zion Puckett - Andrew Booth was undoubtedly Auburn’s 1A target in the 2019 DB class. I don’t think there’s any doubt Zion Puckett is 1B. The Griffin, GA native is an elite athlete who could literally play anywhere in the secondary or on the offensive side of the ball. He’s expected to have a decision in the coming weeks and continues to list Auburn as his leader. With Booth off the board, Puckett is an absolute must sign.

4* CB Adonis Otey - Shockingly, Auburn might not have room for a 4* cornerback. Otey camped at Auburn in June and came away very impressed with the Tigers. He was back on campus this past weekend and plans to announce his commitment Wednesday. If given the choice, I’m pretty sure Otey would pick the Tigers. However, I am not sure he’s a take for Auburn right now. More than likely Arkansas or Louisville will be landing a very talented defensive back this week. Booth’s Clemson commitment could change his standing with AU but I have not seen that reported.

3* CB Nehemiah Pritchett - I’ll be honest, I’m shocked Pritchett left this weekend not on Auburn’s commit list. However, the speedy instate defensive back told reporters that he is “very close” to announcing his commitment. My guess is he wants to film some sort of commitment video and that he will be an Auburn commit by the end of August. The Auburn coaching staff is reportedly extremely high on this kid.

New Names to Watch

Another sign Auburn wasn’t feeling great about their chances with Booth was the sheer number of new CB targets that showed up on campus this past weekend. All three of these prospects are fresh off their first visits to Auburn so it’s too early to really tell how much of a factor Auburn will be moving forward. However, the fact that all three made it down this weekend shows they are at least giving the Tigers serious thought.

4* CB Jalen Perry (UGA) - Another weekend, another UGA commit on campus. Auburn is trying hard to flip 5* WR Jadon Haselwood and have hosted 4* LB Trezman Marshall on campus a couple of times. Now you can add Jalen Perry to the list of flip targets. Perry seems to be preparing for the possibility he might get pushed out of the Dawgs class. Auburn would probably take him in a heartbeat if he wanted to flip. The young man was on campus for the first time and seemed impressed by the Tigers. More than likely, he will take an official visit during the fall. Definitely a name to monitor moving forward.

4* CB Cam’Ron Kelly - Kelly’s recruitment has been all over the place. He was once thought to be trending Clemson, followed by Penn State before committing to Virginia Tech and then decommitting shortly after. So it honestly wouldn’t shock me if he ends up in Auburn’s class or we never hear his name again. From all accounts, Smith came away impressed with the Tigers and is considering using his last official visit on Auburn during the fall. If he does in fact make that trip then I think Auburn has more than a puncher’s chance to land the Virginia native. This recruitment has a bit of a Christian Tutt feel to me honestly.

4* CB Dreshun Miller (LSU) - Earlier this summer, LSU flipped Auburn commit Cordale Flott. Could Auburn return the favor? The nation’s #3 ranked JUCO CB was one of the surprise visitors this past weekend. Not much has come out on his visit though there’s a very good chance he will return for an official visit. Flipping DBs from LSU ain’t easy but any time you can get kids on campus multiple times, you got a shot.

Darkhorses

No one saw Christian Tutt coming last year and Roger McCreary didn’t pop up on the board until late in the cycle. There’s always some guys that emerge late in a recruiting cycle that could end up in the class. Here are some names to file away long term that might become major targets by December.

4* CB Christian Williams (Alabama) - Williams has long been one of Auburn’s top CB targets. The Tigers lost out to the Tide earlier this spring and for now the Daphne native seems firm in his pledge. But Williams has visited Auburn this summer since his commitment and told 247 that he plans to take an official visit to the Plains this fall. We will see if Alabama let’s that visit happen.

4* S/N Jammie Robinson - Robinson was expected to visit this past weekend but it doesn’t appear he ever made it to the Plains. Georgia and South Carolina are thought to be his top teams at the moment with Auburn and Tennessee both trying to stay involved. Robinson seems like an ideal fit at Auburn’s nickel spot but the Tigers have work to do in this recruitment.

3* S/N Kenny Logan - I’m not really sure where things stand with Logan and the Tigers. The Florida native visited Auburn for the 2nd time this past weekend. He was recently offered by Florida State and his teammate 3* ATH Tye Edwards seems to be trending to the Seminoles. I suspect Auburn has some guys ahead of Logan but that could change in the coming months.

3* S Jamal Hill - Hill’s recruitment is on the upswing. Despite being ranked #869 in the country by 247 Composite, the 6’2” 190 safety prospect has recently landed offers from Alabama, NC State, Michigan and Arkansas. He was on campus for Auburn’s BBQ event and seems like a name to track over the coming months.

Edited July 30, 2018 by toddc

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

I would take this kid (Tahj Gary) today and be happy.  Not sure how in the world he is a 3 star kid.  5-9 205 with speed and runs like a beast.  Not sure if I am allowed to post his video here or not but the kid is a serious baller.

Edited July 30, 2018 by ellitor
Added recruit name

[ellitor 33,114]

9 minutes ago, NorthGATiger said:

I would take this kid today and be happy.  Not sure how in the world he is a 3 star kid.  5-9 205 with speed and runs like a beast.  Not sure if I am allowed to post his video here or not but the kid is a serious baller.

Sorry @NorthGATiger. We'll create a thread on him if AU offers & makes him a top target. That's not the case right now & may not be for a couple months at the earliest. FWIW I like him too even though the competition is so bad it makes him look a lot better than he may be. Your video

Edited July 30, 2018 by ellitor

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

I do like what i saw with this guy, Tahj Gary. Could be the guy we need at RB.

[WFE12 9,191]

2 hours ago, ellitor said:

Never said we would flip Wanya FWIW.

He has definitely said it. He's done several interviews so I don't remember which one though.

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

19 minutes ago, AU80cruiser said:

I do like what i saw with this guy, Tahj Gary. Could be the guy we need at RB.

I agree with E.  Not top talent they are facing but they do have some like Marist and St. Pius in there.

[ellitor 33,114]

3 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

He has definitely said it. He's done several interviews so I don't remember which one though.

All I've seen him say is he's working hard on it.

[ellitor 33,114]

I'd like to see @corchjay's thoughts on Tahj.

[corchjay 5,311]

24 minutes ago, ellitor said:

I'd like to see @corchjay's thoughts on Tahj.

I haven’t watched anything on him yet but will.  I like the Anthony-Richards kid.  I think that’s his name but I’ll take a look at Tahj

[GwillMac6 20,742]

 Wanya and Booth ended up replicating the same script. We got the lead but we did NOT FINISH THE DRILL and close. Both schools got them on campus before they committed and they both never came back to campus like they were supposed to before they committed. BUT REMAIN CALM AU FANS!! ALL IS WELL!!! Thank goodness a guy who has not played QB in 6 years is riding in to save the day to help us get over the sting on losing out on a elite corner that we led as recently as big cat for......... 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, corchjay said:

I haven’t watched anything on him yet but will.  I like the Anthony-Richards kid.  I think that’s his name but I’ll take a look at Tahj

Me too. A lot. Not sure what kind of chance we have at him, but I would be very happy if he ended up being our guy for this class. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, GwillMac6 said:

 Wanya and Booth ended up replicating the same script. We got the lead but we did NOT FINISH THE DRILL and close. Both schools got them on campus before they committed and they both never came back to campus like they were supposed to before they committed. BUT REMAIN CALM AU FANS!! ALL IS WELL!!! Thank goodness a guy who has not played QB in 6 years is riding in to save the day to help us get over the sting on losing out on a elite corner that we led as recently as big cat for......... 

Wish I could put a dress on this pig for ya. 

[ellitor 33,114]

1 hour ago, corchjay said:

I haven’t watched anything on him yet but will.  I like the Anthony-Richards kid.  I think that’s his name but I’ll take a look at Tahj

posted his highlights a few posts up from your post when you have time to look.

[ellitor 33,114]

44 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

Both schools got them on campus before they committed and they both never came back to campus like they were supposed to before they committed

This is why I don't like having the last planned visit. I like getting on top target early & staying on them.

[ellitor 33,114]

45 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Not sure what kind of chance we have at him

not much.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, ellitor said:

not much.

[Southwest 186]

1 hour ago, GwillMac6 said:

 Wanya and Booth ended up replicating the same script. We got the lead but we did NOT FINISH THE DRILL and close. Both schools got them on campus before they committed and they both never came back to campus like they were supposed to before they committed. BUT REMAIN CALM AU FANS!! ALL IS WELL!!! Thank goodness a guy who has not played QB in 6 years is riding in to save the day to help us get over the sting on losing out on a elite corner that we led as recently as big cat for......... 

 

Agree and now it makes me wonder about holding on to Pickens also. 

[GwillMac6 20,742]

24 minutes ago, ellitor said:

This is why I don't like having the last planned visit. I like getting on top target early & staying on them.

CO SIGN! We seem to be really bad at these "strategically" placed visits. It has bit us in the rear on 2 elite prospects this class.

[abw0004 10,134]

1 hour ago, Southwest said:

Agree and now it makes me wonder about holding on to Pickens also. 

Luckily we are becoming stacked in quarterbacks that are talented enough to allow receivers to make plays and have a shot at realizing their NFL dreams.  It should become enticing enough to retain talent.  

[abw0004 10,134]

One point I would like to make to the group as a whole is look how far we have already come in our recruiting.  It wasn’t that long ago that we were saying that Auburn couldn’t recruit quarterbacks because “we never throw the ball.”  This year and next year we will have four talented quarterbacks.  Same thing for receivers, that we aren’t skilled enough to help receivers, so none of them want to come here.  Now we are building quality depth with a shot at stealing away a 5* receiver from UGA.  When is the last time we had a shot of Auburn stealing a 5* WR?  This time next year we could look back and have the same scenarios with other positions.  This isn’t doom and gloom ladies and gentlemen.

Most importantly, a successful season would sway more 2019 prospects our way and that recruiting pitch starts in 33 days...

[corchjay 5,311]

5 hours ago, ellitor said:

I'd like to see @corchjay's thoughts on Tahj.

Looks to be a fine running back at the high school level.  I would probably rate him an 86 on the 247 type scale.  About as good a 3 star back as you could wish for.  

From the high lights he is very good in the open field but lacks speed to pull away from SEC DBs.  He doesn’t press the line of scrimmage enough.  Seems to only press the line on toss sweeps and handoffs out of the pistol formation. He does have very good feet but still not elite.  He may be carrying about 10 pounds to much weight.  Oddly enough he reminds me of a short Todd Gurley/Carnell with the way he gives to the side of the tackler.

As for AU I would pass.  He could be a solid back for a program like GT, Vandy, Kentucky.

[bigbird 60,580]

1 hour ago, abw0004 said:

One point I would like to make to the group as a whole is look how far we have already come in our recruiting.  It wasn’t that long ago that we were saying that Auburn couldn’t recruit quarterbacks because “we never throw the ball.”  This year and next year we will have four talented quarterbacks.  Same thing for receivers, that we aren’t skilled enough to help receivers, so none of them want to come here.  Now we are building quality depth with a shot at stealing away a 5* receiver from UGA.  When is the last time we had a shot of Auburn stealing a 5* WR?  This time next year we could look back and have the same scenarios with other positions.  This isn’t doom and gloom ladies and gentlemen.

Most importantly, a successful season would sway more 2019 prospects our way and that recruiting pitch starts in 33 days...

Except we're a power run, play action pass team.