2023 Early Offers & Talk

[Paladin 3,305]

Big 2023 prospect ready to make an impact on both sides of the ball

by Jason Caldwell

4 hours ago

AUBURN, Alabama—A talented 2023 offensive line prospect who already has close to three dozen scholarship offers, 6-1, 330 Bradyn Joiner made the move from Oxford to Auburn High prior to his junior year and has hit the ground running at his new school. With class of 2022 football prospects Drew Bobo and Eston Harris Jr. also transferring in to Auburn High to join forces with an already talented offensive line featuring 2023 Avery Ferris and 2022 Joe Frazier, Jr. among others, Joiner is getting a look on the other side of the ball as the Tigers prepare to open the season against Park Crossing on Friday, August 20th.

“I feel like we have the best OL in the state,” Joiner said of his reasoning for moving to defensive tackle. “Coach (Keith) Etheridge and I felt like I would make a bigger impact on defense more than I would on offense since we got a lot of great OL on our team. I can finally show people how much of an athlete I am on both sides of the ball, but I will still be playing both sides this year.”

Athletic and powerful, Joiner could open up the door for even more offers if he shows the ability to make plays on defense this season. Several college programs mentioned they would like to watch him get a shot on defense and now they will have that opportunity. For Joiner, in the end it doesn’t matter where he winds up playing as long as he gets a shot.

“Whoever I choose I want them to know they can put me at any position on the offensive line or defensive line,” Joiner said. “I will perform at any position on both sides.”

On the Auburn University campus last month for Big Cat Weekend and camping with the Tigers in June, Joiner said he continues to build a stronger bond with the new staff as he prepares for the season. Because of the questions about his future position, he said he’s spent time talking to both Mike Bobo and Derek Mason in the last few months.

“I would say I really haven’t been talking to any college coaches over the phone,” he said. “I have been so busy with school and practice, but I have talked to Coach Bobo the most and Coach Mason because, once again, I don’t know what position I will be playing on the next level until I get there.”

Now part of a defense that features Auburn commitment Powell Gordon on the outside along with Jimmy Vickerstaff plus linebacker Brad Harper in the middle and defensive backs Nasir Pogue and Carson Yancy patrolling the secondary, not to mention the talent up front on the offensive line, Joiner said he’s pumped up about the upcoming season.

“It’s been great because I have never had as much competition at Oxford as I do now at Auburn,” Joiner said. “I go against the best every day and I feel like our team is the best in the state. I feel like we are going to shock the world.”

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Is the IOL designation new? I like that. Especially since people will ask "Center or guard?" a million times in every IOL's thread. I promise to account for no more than 100,000 of that 1,000,000. 

[Aubie the Tiger 50]

18 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Is the IOL designation new? I like that. Especially since people will ask "Center or guard?" a million times in every IOL's thread. I promise to account for no more than 100,000 of that 1,000,000. 

247 made some adjustments a few months back to reduce the number of positions.  Off the top of my head, they changed the following

• DT and Pro-style merged into one QB category
• Assorted RB types all merged into one RB category
• OG and OC merged into IOL
• Shifted defensive front-7 positions from DT, SDE, WDE, OLB, ILB to DL, Edge, LB

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, Aubie the Tiger said:

247 made some adjustments a few months back to reduce the number of positions.  Off the top of my head, they changed the following

• DT and Pro-style merged into one QB category
• Assorted RB types all merged into one RB category
• OG and OC merged into IOL
• Shifted defensive front-7 positions from DT, SDE, WDE, OLB, ILB to DL, Edge, LB

I think that's smart in terms of the reality of the sport once they get to college. It's made sense for both our offensive and defensive lines, at least, for several years now. And even more so now with the shift from a 4-3 to a 3-4. The buckets aren't nearly as specialized as those previous classifications suggested. 

Thanks for the info!

[Zeek 16,650]

I don't really have the time or energy to track the 2023 class as close as I do the 2022 one but here's what I can summarize from what I remember and going through the offer list.

Quarterback

No real traction yet. There are some kids interested in Auburn but I haven't seen any indications of a heavy Auburn pursuit yet. The staff really does their homework before making a big push. We have 9 offers currently listed on 247 and only one is in Georgia with none being in Alabama. Likely will take 1 minimum.

Running Back

Again, no real traction yet and with only 7 offers currently out it's clear we're not pushing yet. Likely trying to get a feel for how the 2022 class closes at the position first. With Tank likely leaving at the end of next year, Shivers gone at the end of this year, we are really looking at only having Hunter, Ingram, and Alston at the position. I expect 2023 for us to add two more players at this position again.

Wide Receiver

4* Karmello English from Phenix City is one to watch here. We have sent out 14 offers at the position and I think we're looking to take at least 3 in this class. CWill probably has a little more footing in recruiting our usual pipelines with his time in the state.

Tight End

No names to track yet but it is almost a guarantee we'll take 1 each year with how much the position will be used. I think that we keep looking for incredibly versatile players here with great size. They will be expected to be meaningful blockers while also serving as a threat in the passing game.

Offensive Line

4* OT Bo Hughley from Georgia is a name to track. This might be the most important position group in this recruiting class. We are losing so many seniors this year alone and rely on transfers and JuCo players is not a consistent formula for success on the line.

Defensive Line

5* Peter Woods is one to watch despite missing a trip to Auburn I still like the connection here. 4* Kelby Collins is another one to watch. NR Denzel Moore and NR Jaquavious Russaw are ones to watch too. They're well built kids that'll be ranked sooner or later and Eason has done a good job getting in on them early.

Linebacker

5* Drayk Bowen is one to watch. NR Eric Muse is a sleeper I think getting in early on will help with as well. Ethan Crisp is an interesting offer and could be the type of kid that jumps in the class early to save his spot; good frame and smart player.

Cornerback

5* Tony Mitchell has more interest than people are giving Auburn credit for honestly. 5* AJ Harris is another one we're doing well with this early. There's some other names but no traction yet worth mentioning.

Safety

4* Sylvester Smith is worth watching too. NR Avery Stuart is a sleeper. 

 

Not a lot of news really but we're in early on some great kids. I think the 2023 class will be really solid. Would love to get an early commit to get the ball rolling.

 

[Jgarrett7 957]

1 hour ago, Zeek said:

I don't really have the time or energy to track the 2023 class as close as I do the 2022 one but here's what I can summarize from what I remember and going through the offer list.

Quarterback

No real traction yet. There are some kids interested in Auburn but I haven't seen any indications of a heavy Auburn pursuit yet. The staff really does their homework before making a big push. We have 9 offers currently listed on 247 and only one is in Georgia with none being in Alabama. Likely will take 1 minimum.

Running Back

Again, no real traction yet and with only 7 offers currently out it's clear we're not pushing yet. Likely trying to get a feel for how the 2022 class closes at the position first. With Tank likely leaving at the end of next year, Shivers gone at the end of this year, we are really looking at only having Hunter, Ingram, and Alston at the position. I expect 2023 for us to add two more players at this position again.

Wide Receiver

4* Karmello English from Phenix City is one to watch here. We have sent out 14 offers at the position and I think we're looking to take at least 3 in this class. CWill probably has a little more footing in recruiting our usual pipelines with his time in the state.

Tight End

No names to track yet but it is almost a guarantee we'll take 1 each year with how much the position will be used. I think that we keep looking for incredibly versatile players here with great size. They will be expected to be meaningful blockers while also serving as a threat in the passing game.

Offensive Line

4* OT Bo Hughley from Georgia is a name to track. This might be the most important position group in this recruiting class. We are losing so many seniors this year alone and rely on transfers and JuCo players is not a consistent formula for success on the line.

Defensive Line

5* Peter Woods is one to watch despite missing a trip to Auburn I still like the connection here. 4* Kelby Collins is another one to watch. NR Denzel Moore and NR Jaquavious Russaw are ones to watch too. They're well built kids that'll be ranked sooner or later and Eason has done a good job getting in on them early.

Linebacker

5* Drayk Bowen is one to watch. NR Eric Muse is a sleeper I think getting in early on will help with as well. Ethan Crisp is an interesting offer and could be the type of kid that jumps in the class early to save his spot; good frame and smart player.

Cornerback

5* Tony Mitchell has more interest than people are giving Auburn credit for honestly. 5* AJ Harris is another one we're doing well with this early. There's some other names but no traction yet worth mentioning.

Safety

4* Sylvester Smith is worth watching too. NR Avery Stuart is a sleeper. 

 

Not a lot of news really but we're in early on some great kids. I think the 2023 class will be really solid. Would love to get an early commit to get the ball rolling.

 

Thanks @Zeek. I’ve been looking forward to this info. 

[Zeek 16,650]

5 minutes ago, Jgarrett7 said:

Thanks @Zeek. I’ve been looking forward to this info. 

No problem. It's hard looking a class ahead until after Early National Signing Day (which I now argue is the real signing day and the other one is just Late NSD). Kids in the 2023 class might look like men but they're mostly just 16-18 year-olds in the first week of their Junior year of high school lol. 

[Jgarrett7 957]

2 hours ago, Zeek said:

No problem. It's hard looking a class ahead until after Early National Signing Day (which I now argue is the real signing day and the other one is just Late NSD). Kids in the 2023 class might look like men but they're mostly just 16-18 year-olds in the first week of their Junior year of high school lol. 

I agree with all of this. However in today’s recruiting many teams are already heavy into the next class and even many already committed. I do understand what you mean though. 

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[AUwent 3,749]

Need a top 20 class in '22, need a top 15 class in '23, and top 10 beyond! Do we have confidence that we'll be able to land worthwhile O-linemen? Wish we could somehow convince Jeff Grimes to come back.

[W.E.D 11,070]

13 hours ago, AUwent said:

Need a top 20 class in '22, need a top 15 class in '23, and top 10 beyond! Do we have confidence that we'll be able to land worthwhile O-linemen? Wish we could somehow convince Jeff Grimes to come back.

We really need to be approaching a top 10 class in '23.  We should be caught up, it's his "3rd-ish" class, will have a full season of results, and an entire offseason before the '23 class.

[AuburnNTexas 7,148]

1 minute ago, W.E.D said:

We really need to be approaching a top 10 class in '23.  We should be caught up, it's his "3rd-ish" class, will have a full season of results, and an entire offseason before the '23 class.

He came in at the tail end of the 2020 Class so that really doesn't count as a full recruiting year.  2022 is his first real year recruiting and 2023 will be his second. Also I expect that Transfer Portal will affect class rankings for years not just 1st 1 or 2 years so unless there is an adjustment in how transfer players affect class ranking, class ranking except for the real big boys won't mean as much. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

3 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

He came in at the tail end of the 2020 Class so that really doesn't count as a full recruiting year.  2022 is his first real year recruiting and 2023 will be his second. Also I expect that Transfer Portal will affect class rankings for years not just 1st 1 or 2 years so unless there is an adjustment in how transfer players affect class ranking, class ranking except for the real big boys won't mean as much. 

That's why I said "3rd-ish".  I agree with you.

There's still some talk that Brodrick Jones will be burried on UGA's depth chart and could be a tackle we can target for a transfer.  That might be this offseason and not 23

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, AuburnNTexas said:

He came in at the tail end of the 2020 Class so that really doesn't count as a full recruiting year.  2022 is his first real year recruiting and 2023 will be his second. Also I expect that Transfer Portal will affect class rankings for years not just 1st 1 or 2 years so unless there is an adjustment in how transfer players affect class ranking, class ranking except for the real big boys won't mean as much. 

This day and age, 2nd full cycle should be where the rubber meets the road IMO. If transfers ding the ranking significantly, then it should only be because he has found a strategic advantage to taking them over high school kids and not out of necessity. I'm not talking about any transfers at all but only if they represent a meaningful percentage of the class.

Auburn is a program that should recruit in the top 10 even with lower high school recruit numbers, a la Clemson. It's not what we have been historically but it's what we've shown in post-Tubs years that we can and should be going forward. In my mind, Harsin has no legitimate excuse for that to take longer than the '23 cycle, at least in terms of recruit quality. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,148]

12 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

This day and age, 2nd full cycle should be where the rubber meets the road IMO. If transfers ding the ranking significantly, then it should only be because he has found a strategic advantage to taking them over high school kids and not out of necessity. I'm not talking about any transfers at all but only if they represent a meaningful percentage of the class.

Auburn is a program that should recruit in the top 10 even with lower high school recruit numbers, a la Clemson. It's not what we have been historically but it's what we've shown in post-Tubs years that we can and should be going forward. In my mind, Harsin has no legitimate excuse for that to take longer than the '23 cycle, at least in terms of recruit quality. 

I agree with recruit quality.  This year our recruit quality once you discount the kicker is solid not elite but could easily be .90+ before all is said and done and the 23 class should be better than that.  If by 23 we still need a 3 or 4 transfers because they are needed right away or because they are better than equivalent HS and our per player ranking .is around .91+ I will be real happy.

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by AuburnNTexas

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

I agree with recruit quality.  This year is recruit quality once you discount the kicker is solid not elite but could easily be .90+ before all is said and done and the 23 class should be better than that.  If by 23 we still need a 3 or 4 transfers because they are needed right away or because they are better than equivalent HS and our per player ranking .is around .91+ I will be real happy.

 

You and me both!

[Paladin 3,305]

Could not find Sophomore highlights 

[Paladin 3,305]

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by Paladin

[AUwent 3,749]

6 hours ago, W.E.D said:

We really need to be approaching a top 10 class in '23.  We should be caught up, it's his "3rd-ish" class, will have a full season of results, and an entire offseason before the '23 class.

Yeah really we should be shooting for the tweens in '23.

[W.E.D 11,070]

6 minutes ago, AUwent said:

Yeah really we should be shooting for the tweens in '23.

I'm pretty confident we'll be top 20 this year. No reason we can't jump to top 10. There is enough talent in the SE and we are still a huge name. 

We've consistently been in the top 10 across 3 coaches going back 10+ years. No reason to believe Harsin can't do that 

[Zeek 16,650]

things change but it sounds like this is our main 2023 QB target

 

[toddc 13,194]

31 minutes ago, Zeek said:

things change but it sounds like this is our main 2023 QB target

 

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12707816/5f7364dd8cd542115c4947de

[Paladin 3,305]

 

 

[toddc 13,194]

1 hour ago, Paladin said:

 

 

Now we’re talking tackles 

[Paladin 3,305]