Free Rivals weekend rewind

[WAR-MATT 2]

Rivals

January 15, 2008

Bryan Matthews

AuburnSports.com Publisher

A big recruiting weekend and an in-school visit from head coach Tommy Tuberville helped Auburn land three new commitments over a 24 hour period as the Tigers roll toward another big Signing Day haul.

It all got started when Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas standout Philip Pierre-Louis picked the Tigers on Sunday, saying AU's new spread offense was a big selling point.

Pierre-Louis, who ran a 10.72 100-meter dash at the Florida Class 3A state meet last May, returned four punts for touchdowns as a senior.

His teammate, safety Christian Thompson joined him on the commitment list a day later following an in-home visit from AU assistant Eddie Gran. Thompson said he's ready to make an impact at Auburn after picking the Tigers over Miami, Mississippi State and Syracuse.

Ft. Meade (Fla.) running back Onterrio McCalebb officially visited Auburn back in September but decided Monday to make the Plains his future home. The four-star committed to Auburn after an in-school visit from Tuberville and assistant Greg Knox saying AU's spread offense made the difference as he picked the Tigers over West Virginia, Rutgers and Clemson.

While McCalebb was excited about his decision, he'll likely begin his college career in JUCO or prep school.

Auburn's next commit may also come from a running back. Seffner (Fla.) Armwood standout Eric Smith, who said he loved everything about his AU visit, set a press conference to announce a decision between Auburn and Clemson on Saturday.

There were a total of 15 prospects officially visiting Auburn this weekend including four ranked as a four-star or higher by Rivals.com. Among the highly ranked targets included four-star defensive ends/outside linebackers William Green and Robert Quinn.

A Rivals100 standout from Spain Park, Green said Auburn has as good a chance as anybody but he still plans official visits to Florida, Clemson and possibly one more before making a decision.

One of the top prospects from the state of South Carolina, Quinn rated his AU visit a perfect 10 and has narrowed his list to Auburn, Alabama and North Carolina.

The highest rated prospect on campus was Mobile (Ala.) Vigor athlete Burton Scott. The five-star told Rivals.com that he had a great time at Auburn but remains firmly committed to Alabama.

Another four-star rated prospect, wide receiver Jarmon Fortson was one of six AU commitments on the Plains this weekend. Fortson said he was excited about meeting new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin and his new spread offense.

Fortson said he was firmly committed to Auburn but still planned to officially visit FSU next weekend.

None of Auburn's five other commitments have set up visits to other schools and quarterback Barrett Trotter, running back Reggie Hunt, tight end Vance Smith, defensive back Marcus Jemison and defensive back Drew Cole all gave rave reviews on their official visits to Auburn.

Auburn also received a lot of positive feedback from three key targets visiting this weekend in wide receiver Laron Byrd, defensive end Jomarcus Savage and defensive tackle Freddie Smooth.

The 6-foot-4 Byrd left AU with the Tigers in the lead but still has additional visits planned to Mississippi State and Miami. Savage already has his list narrowed to Auburn, Tennessee and South Carolina but said Auburn received a boost after his official visit.

Smooth, who has seen his recruitment pick up over the last couple of months, said Auburn and Oklahoma were his top two but the Tigers might have an edge. Smooth still plans visits to LSU, North Carolina and USC before announcing a decision.

Recruiting is far from over with National Signing Day more than three weeks away. The contact period got back underway Monday, with the AU coaches back on the road to visit all their top remaining targets. AU is also expected to bring approximately 10 more prospects in for official visits this upcoming weekend including one of the nation's top prospects in Gadsden City (Ala.) linebacker Jerrell Harris.

**********

If you enjoyed this article but want a little, or even a lot more, now is the perfect time to join AuburnSports.com by signing up for our 7-DAY FREE TRIAL.

This week, AuburnSports.com will continue its blowout recruiting coverage plus keep close tabs on the Tigers' search for a new defensive coordinator. Who will be the next commitment? Who's leaning to the Tigers? Can AU land a couple of more in-state studs and do they have a shot at flipping a couple of Tide commits that are scheduled to visit this weekend?

Those are just a few of the stories we'll be following this week. SIGN UP NOW and you can get all the scoop as part of the best Auburn community on the Web.