OL Recruiting Concerns And Transfer Debate

[DAG 33,995]

44 minutes ago, cbo said:

I'm all for working the portal and JUCO to fill needs. I'm not for relying on it to fill the majority of a starting position group. I doubt Freeze is either

This is what people don’t seem to get. We understand we may need to fill out the roster with transfer o linemen but this is something freeze has said previously that he prefers not to do. Portal should mostly be for depth and maybe plug in guys. At most , a stud skill position player you may be able to get but they are often gone early or already have deals. 

[JerryAU 1,676]

On 8/23/2023 at 11:34 PM, Mikey said:

We don't have two scholarship long snappers coming in.  What we have, today, is a commitment from one (1) offensive lineman.    Right now most of the top recruits are already committed. This recruiting cycle is at the time when, with a few exceptions, it's either try to flip someone or else start looking for diamonds in the rough.

According to certain insiders six or seven were the number that was wanted. Will we do what earlier coaches were criticized for and sign lower rated fallback guys, or just hope some few former 2* guys who signed with non-P-5 teams have blossomed at small schools and we can buy them for Auburn at portal time?

Today, this O-line class is Harsinesque.

I just viewed 247's top 10 ranked classes as of today, most everyone has at least 4 commits so far.  I'm hoping we can flip some of those UGA-UF-Tenn linemen even though some may not be in our recruiting territory.  UGA pulled from NJ/IL/NY, Florida pulled from VA/MD/Germany and Tenn pulled from OH/CO.  

[cbo 7,854]

4 hours ago, JerryAU said:

I just viewed 247's top 10 ranked classes as of today, most everyone has at least 4 commits so far.  I'm hoping we can flip some of those UGA-UF-Tenn linemen even though some may not be in our recruiting territory.  UGA pulled from NJ/IL/NY, Florida pulled from VA/MD/Germany and Tenn pulled from OH/CO.  

Wait, you mean SEC schools can pull outside the region when the local class is down?

[ellitor 33,104]

9 minutes ago, cbo said:

Wait, you mean SEC schools can pull outside the region when the local class is down?

@cbo Yes but it usually requires already having a relationship with the recruits, especially outside the region. Our OL coach wouldn't be looking at or talking to the same types of recruits at AU he was for Liberty.

[cbo 7,854]

Just now, ellitor said:

@cbo Yes but it usually requires already having a relationship with the recruits, especially outside the region. Our OL coach wouldn't be looking at or talking to the same types of recruits at AU he was for Liberty.

Fair enough. You and I don't exactly agree on the level of importance of the relationships thing, but I get your point. 

[ellitor 33,104]

47 minutes ago, cbo said:

Fair enough. You and I don't exactly agree on the level of importance of the relationships thing, but I get your point. 

NIL has dampened the importance some but they are still important. Relationships have lost us a number of recruits in this class.

[TexasTiger 12,948]

35 minutes ago, ellitor said:

NIL has dampened the importance some but they are still important. Relationships have lost us a number of recruits in this class.

You mean pre-existing ones from longer established staffs?

[ellitor 33,104]

7 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

You mean pre-existing ones from longer established staffs?

Obviously.

[bigbird 60,564]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

Obviously.

[gr82be 14,433]

8 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Well, that was a stern reply. 

[bigbird 60,564]

14 minutes ago, gr82be said:

Well, that was a stern reply. 

[TexasTiger 12,948]

2 hours ago, ellitor said:

Obviously.

Not so obvious. Poor relationships can cost you.

[mcgufcm 4,104]

12 hours ago, cbo said:

Wait, you mean SEC schools can pull outside the region when the local class is down?

I mean, you say this like we're not doing it already. DeAndre Carter plays for Mater Dei in California.

[ellitor 33,104]

1 hour ago, TexasTiger said:

Not so obvious. Poor relationships can cost you.

I see what you are saying. Yes we lost some battles because of relationships recruits already had with other staffs. Not as in relationships from our staff cost us anything. That being said, if it was something from our end I would have put in in the OP.

[ellitor 33,104]

19 minutes ago, mcgufcm said:

I mean, you say this like we're not doing it already. DeAndre Carter plays for Mater Dei in California.

@mcgufcm but has family in B'Ham, hence the connection.

[mcgufcm 4,104]

8 minutes ago, ellitor said:

@mcgufcm but has family in B'Ham, hence the connection.

I know, but he's definitely still "out of area" for Auburn. Plenty of guys in other parts of the country have people in Alabama or Mississippi or wherever, but Auburn has signed 3ish guys (?) from California in the last 25 years.

[bigbird 60,564]

29 minutes ago, mcgufcm said:

I know, but he's definitely still "out of area" for Auburn. Plenty of guys in other parts of the country have people in Alabama or Mississippi or wherever, but Auburn has signed 3ish guys (?) from California in the last 25 years.

And has opened the door, ever so slightly, to Mater Dei 

[einatlanta 502]

Harsin did quite a bit of damage from what I hear through the grapevine. HF is playing catch-up to reestablish those relationships. BK at looser state had a much easier time since his predecessor did not destroy the pipelines. This is the biggest reason those guys are less involved in the portal than his first year. We are going to need an extra minute.....those relationships behind the scenes are actually the most important aspect of recruiting out of high school. Don't worry too much though because our NIL budget is well funded at the current time.

[JerryAU 1,676]

5 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Not so obvious. Poor relationships can cost you.

Strong relationships can get you recruits + big NIL $$ packages and it can ALL fizzle out in an instant when the transfer portal comes a callin'.   

Relationships are important of course, but IMHO they aren't more important than $$ and thank goodness Auburn (OTV) has realized they have to pony up the $$ to buy the best. 

I'm not sure why new facilities, a new coaching staff, top level NIL $$, the need to stock the roster which almost guarantees early PT coupled with SEC exposure and the Family atmosphere doesn't strongly appeal to oline talent right now? 

4-5* talent can literally step foot on campus and immediately be the man, not have to sit the bench or compete for a starting position.  With the huge NIL we're dishing out, AU is so clearly an easy choice compared to uga/osu where they'd have to work to earn a starting role. Florida's got 4 HS olinemen committed so far, that program is no more appealing than Auburn right now. Just my opinion. 

Edited August 31, 2023 by JerryAU

[JuscAUse! 1,416]

21 hours ago, DAG said:

This is what people don’t seem to get. We understand we may need to fill out the roster with transfer o linemen but this is something freeze has said previously that he prefers not to do. Portal should mostly be for depth and maybe plug in guys. At most , a stud skill position player you may be able to get but they are often gone early or already have deals. 

I agree with you to a point, and when the NIL/portal mess gets straightened out I'll be in total agreement. But until then, the smartest thing HF is doing along with building new relationships in the High Schools is continuing to recruit the players we lose and stay as close as possible to them. Because if they are unhappy after their signing with others, they can then leave, and just might remember that relationship they had with Freeze and AU. I do believe we'll get better at OL recruiting simply because we're actually trying to recruit them and devoting resources to do so. I just hope it pays off sooner rather than later.

[ellitor 33,104]

3 hours ago, JerryAU said:

4-5* talent can literally step foot on campus and immediately be the man, not have to sit the bench or compete for a starting position. 

@JerryAUICYMI there is only 1 5* in this class and a handfull of 4*, not many from our recruiting areas.

 

3 hours ago, JerryAU said:

Florida's got 4 HS olinemen committed so far, that program is no more appealing than Auburn right now. Just my opinion. 

Florida has also been recruiting those guys at least a year longer so they have a sizeable relationship advantage.

[gman87 398]

14 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Not so obvious. Poor relationships can cost you.

Just ask my ex.

[AUINSY 2,228]

6 hours ago, ellitor said:

Florida has also been recruiting those guys at least a year longer so they have a sizeable relationship advantage.

They’ve also got the disadvantage of Napier as their head coach…so we have that going for us 

[ellitor 33,104]

9 hours ago, AUINSY said:

They’ve also got the disadvantage of Napier as their head coach…so we have that going for us 

@AUINSY Not sure recruits see him as a disadvantage yet. He's a good recruiter.

[AUINSY 2,228]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

@AUINSY Not sure recruits see him as a disadvantage yet. He's a good recruiter.

We’ll just give it a few more weeks of play like last night and the winds will change…already seeing the UF faithful, LSU, UGA, and other fans circling like sharks in the water. Hearing the same things we heard after Harsin, like “who would want to coach here?” It’s Florida, just about anyone who’s not currently at a top 10 program would want to coach there.