ellitor 33,093 Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Will merge this thread with the BCW thread in a few days. Wanted to make sure this article gets max eyes on it. Quote 10 recruits Auburn moved up with at Big Cat By Keith Niebuhr 4 hours ago Lawrance Toafili. (Photo: Luke Stampini, 247Sports) Big Cat Weekend is in the books, and while the full impact of Auburn's annual bash won't be known for some time the Tigers likely already deem the event a success. And they should. After all, it brought more than two dozen prospects to town with 4-star ratings or higher. It provided the current commits an opportunity to bond with one another -- and help recruit others. It helped Auburn's biggest and baddest targets get to know the men who might someday be their coaches and see them in a different light through various competitions. It gave everyone in attendance -- recruits, coaches and family members -- a day to put aside the typical recruiting stuff and just, well, have fun. How different is Big Cat than other recruit-oriented events? One moment from Saturday probably best answers that. It came when Auburn offensive line coach J.B. Grimes did multiple splits during the Big Cat talent show much to the delight of the offensive line recruits and their respective families. At Auburn, people talk about being one big, close-knit family. Big Cat is one way to illustrate this. Today, we take a look at 10 prospects with whom Big Cat Weekend likely helped the Tigers ... Zykeivous Walker. (Photo: Keith Niebuhr , 247Sports) *** Defensive end Zykeivous Walker, Ellaville (Ga.) Schley County: Georgia has long been considered the favorite with Florida probably next in the pecking order, but the 4-star strong-side end made his third known visit of the year to Auburn on Saturday and said afterward, "I think this is the best visit I’ve been on in my whole recruiting career." He then added that Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner "is the best coach I’ve talked to so far to be honest with you.” Georgia remains the team to beat, but perhaps Auburn can make it interesting. We'll see. A strong Big Cat experience certainly won't hurt. James Williams attended Auburn's Big Cat Weekend. (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports) *** 2021 safety James Williams of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage: For Williams, the No. 1 safety and No. 11 overall recruit according to 247Sports for the 2021 class, this was trip No. 2 to Auburn. He previously visited the Tigers last summer. “Today was great — it was perfect,” Williams said. “I got a chance to build a relationship with the coaches. Got to see and explore the campus other than football. Got to see the business and all those things.” Williams recently visited Clemson and Georgia, but said this trip was different. A former Miami commit, he likes Auburn more than people realize according to those close to him. Don't be surprised if the Tigers are a real factor down the road in his recruitment. Elijah Canion. (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports) *** Wide receiver Elijah Canion, Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna: It's an Auburn-Florida battle for this talented receiver from talent-rich south Florida. Some thought the Tigers already led going into this visit and it appears as though Canion's Big Cat experience only boosted Auburn up even more. Canion could be close to having a decision and right now it certainly feels as though Auburn has emerged as the team to beat. Despite having a 3-star rating, he's a take all the way as the Tigers are said have him fairly high on their recruiting board. Tate Johnson, offensive line target. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports) *** Offensive guard Tate Johnson, Hogansville (Ga.) Callaway: Johnson likes a few schools -- Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Georgia Tech -- but the Tigers have been trending in the right direction for awhile. A great visit for A-Day gave Auburn some momentum and Big Cat Weekend seems to have taken things a step further. In the next month, Johnson is likely to make his commitment decision and right now the Tigers sit in the best spot. At Big Cat, Auburn's commits on hand let Johnson know they want him in the class. There's a good chance they will get their wish. Lawrance Toafili. (Photo: J. Garcia, Jr., 247Sports) *** Running back Lawrance Toafili, Pinellas Park (Fla.): The 4-star recruit visited Auburn earlier this year and loved it. But this time, he brought his family along and the word is they also think highly of the Tigers. More than anything, Big Cat Weekend gave Toafili a chance to get to know first-year Auburn running backs coach Cadillac Williams on a personal level. Williams not only was around Toafili and his family during the actual Big Cat Event, but after it as well. Auburn is very much in this. FSU probably is the other team to watch. E.J. Williams. (Photo: 247Sports) *** Wide receiver E.J. Williams, Phenix City (Ala.) Central: A year ago at this time, Williams felt like an Auburn lock. But then he exploded and others, notably Clemson, took notice. Recently, Auburn didn't seem to be a huge factor. But things might be turning. Williams calls Alabama his leader but the Tide has four receivers committed. Clemson seems to be eyeing multiple targets. Meantime, Auburn and Tennessee now look like strong contenders. Williams stayed in Auburn from Friday though Sunday and multiple sources tell us Auburn's stock improved greatly over the weekend. Ze'Vian Capers. (Photo: 247Sports) *** Wide receiver Ze'Vian Capers, Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark: The 4-star Arkansas commit is the highest-ranked member of the Razorbacks class. But after his visit to Auburn for Big Cat, the Tigers are surging. In fact, we expect Capers to visit them again soon -- possibly even this week. If Auburn pushes, the Tigers will have a real shot for the flip. Auburn has two receivers committed and coud now take up to three more we hear. Ethan Pouncey. (Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports) *** Cornerback Ethan Pouncey, Winter Park (Fla.): Auburn fans should be excited about how things have developed thus far in this recruitment. Pouncey hasn't named a leader but some of our sources think Auburn very well might be the favorite at this time. He likes Auburn's depth chart a lot. But also, he has really bonded with the Tigers staff. So far Auburn has seemingly pushed all the right buttons. Pouncey doesn't appear close to making a decision but for now the Tigers are in a nice spot. Kilian Zierer (Photo: College of the Canyons FB) *** Offensive tackle Kilian Zierer, College of the Canyons: Auburn has a major need for tackles and Zierer is the No. 1-ranked junior college tackle in the country. He officially visited over the weekend and said afterward Auburn not only checked all the boxes but had set the bar really high. A native of Germany, it's perhaps more important for Zierer to feel at home somewhere than your typical recruit because his family is so far away. Not only did he get the official visit experience, he took in Big Cat. Auburn's depth chart has been an eye-opener. The Tigers love this recruit and think they have a shot sources say. He still has four officials to take, but a late-summer decision is possible. Trenton Simpson. (Photo: 247Sports) *** Linebacker, Trenton Simpson, Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek: While we have yet to catch up with Simpson, various sources tell us the Tigers impressed the 4-star backer and his family and appear to have made a nice move. Having spent much of his childhood in nearby Columbus, Ga., Simpson has always felt at home in Auburn. But Big Cat gave him a great chance to build his bond with linebackers coach Travis Williams and the rest of the Auburn staff. Auburn, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee are the teams to watch. But the chatter is the Tar Heels like him on offense and he may prefer playing linebacker. Some think it could come down to the Tigers and Dawgs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUpreacherman22 3,885 Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Thanks @ellitor Is Zierer a “3 to play 2” guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellitor 33,093 Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 4 minutes ago, AUpreacherman22 said: Is Zierer a “3 to play 2” guy? He played last season at Juco so my guess is yes as of now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLoofus 35,182 Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Being a relatively short ride from Hartsfield-Jackson might be a nice bonus for the German kid. Hope Worm is doing work on the WR from Chaminade-Madonna. (Same school, right?) 45 minutes ago, ellitor said: "I think this is the best visit I’ve been on in my whole recruiting career." "Recruiting career." It still amazes me that most of these kids turn out fairly normal after going through this circus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexava 6,973 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Need the German bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddc 13,194 Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 On 6/4/2019 at 2:21 PM, McLoofus said: Being a relatively short ride from Hartsfield-Jackson might be a nice bonus for the German kid. Hope Worm is doing work on the WR from Chaminade-Madonna. (Same school, right?) "Recruiting career." It still amazes me that most of these kids turn out fairly normal after going through this circus. Saw a tweet by Worm on another thread that said “big news “, or something about tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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