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re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:19 am to TigerPaw1
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:19 am to TigerPaw1
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5-star WR Justyn Ross, Central (Ala.): Ross has been to Clemson and Alabama and recent weeks, which put a few obstacles in Auburn’s way after the 5-star local wide receiver became a regular at Auburn throughout the months of February and March. Ross’ decision is still a long ways away, but getting him on campus for Big Cat Weekend will be pivotal for future recruiting successes.
Seems like everyone thinks they are landing this kid right now. The big new tho is his mom is now back which means his recruitment is really gonna take off now
1
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:20 am to TigerPaw1
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4-star RB Asa Martin, Austin (Ala.): Martin is quickly becoming the priority of the class. The Tigers hosted Martin over the weekend, and he says he’ll be back at the start of next month for the June 3 recruiting weekend. The top running back in the state of Alabama was one of the forefronts of the Tigers’ recruiting efforts on A-Day — along with Ross — so Big Cat Weekend will share a similar trend.
Will be important he makes this trip especially if Tide start pushing
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:20 am to TigerPaw1
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4-star CB Kyler McMichael, Greater Atlanta Christian (Ga.): Here’s another recent visitor who appears to be way more interested in Auburn than previously believed. McMichael hasn’t explicitly narrowed down his top options, but his decision to visit the Plains twice in as many months means the Tigers are deeply in play for this state of Georgia defensive back.
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:20 am to TigerPaw1
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4-star DT Coynis Miller, Jackson-Olin (Ala.): No surprise here, but Miller will be on campus for one of the Tigers’ big recruiting weekends. Miller has been a regular at Auburn — junior days, spring practices, his own spring break — so it’s pretty typical for the big defensive tackle from Birmingham to be on campus for a big weekend, and it’ll happen shortly after his high school teammate Tadarian Moultry enrolls at Auburn. A little editorializing: I think there are way more teams in play with Miller than people think. The Crimson Tide and the Tigers are certainly major factors, but don’t rule out out-of-state programs like Florida, LSU or even Oregon as serious contenders.
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:21 am to TigerPaw1
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4-star safety Quindarious Monday, Carver (Ga.): Monday has long called Auburn his favorite, and while he doesn’t seem committed to finalizing a decision on Big Cat Weekend, that event will go a long way to securing the safety target. His spring football season ends on Friday, and this is a recruitment that could certainly pick up steam and come to an end in the near future.
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:21 am to TigerPaw1
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3-star safety Joseph Foucha, McDonogh 35 (La.): After making his first visit at the beginning of May, Foucha is determined to return to a school that he considers a “special one.” Auburn is recruiting Foucha harder than any other program, he said, though Foucha claims his decision will run all the way to National Signing Day in February. Still, two visits in such a short span from a Louisiana prospect is a strong sign.
Would be ok with him and Monday at safety in this class. Really like this kid's film
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:22 am to TigerPaw1
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3-star WR Shedrick Jackson, Hoover (Ala.): Jackson has publicly downplayed his Auburn ties during the early stages of his recruitment, as he also gauges interest from other Power 5 programs. He was in town twice in two weeks — once for Bo Bikes Bama with his uncle Bo Jackson — and plans to be back for Big Cat Weekend. The Tigers are in good shape, but Jackson insists he’s not in a rush.
Had a long TD in spring game
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:22 am to TigerPaw1
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3-star OLB Richard Jibunor, Athens Christian (Ga.): Jibunor tried to make a few trips to Auburn throughout the spring, but it wasn’t very successful with his schedule. The versatile defender will make many recruiting visits throughout the summer, and Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend will be a focal point of that.
Posted on 5/19/17 at 6:23 am to TigerPaw1
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An interesting new 2018 offer
Auburn has its eyes on several top linebackers: J.J. Peterson, Quay Walker, Michael Harris, Channing Tindall, Zakoby McClain and others.
Add another primetime name to the list.
Dax Hollifield from Shelby (N.C.) is the No. 106 overall player in the nation, per the 247Sports composite. He received an Auburn offer on Monday, which became his 20th offer so far. The Army All-American received early interest from North Carolina, Virginia Tech and South Carolina, so that is where a bulk of his visits have gone so far.
He also is fresh off an unofficial visit to Stanford — and has gone to Florida State — so the No. 4 inside linebacker’s eyes are drifting to multiple parts of the country.
It’s been previously reported that a few linebacker targets have said Auburn expects to take two at the position in this class, which fits in line with what Travis Williams joked about during assistant coach media day about trying to convince Gus Malzahn and Kevin Steele to let him get as many as possible.
For the right three (or more?) in this loaded class, I don’t think Auburn would hesitate taking more than that pre-allotted two.
Posted on 5/19/17 at 8:59 am to TigerPaw1
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Will be important he makes this trip especially if Tide start pushing
Why would a kid his size want to play for Alabama at tailback? Saban gets some o these kids and they just don't get the carries. Last year harris was their lead guy but only because Scarborough couldn't stay on the field and Harris is still about 220.
They have Scarborough this year and Harris coming in, unless Harris is a turd and Scarborough stays hurt, those guys will get the bulk of the carries.
Posted on 5/19/17 at 9:18 am to Warfarer
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Why
herding instinct - pachyderms do that
Posted on 5/19/17 at 9:53 am to Warfarer
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Why would a kid his size want to play for Alabama at tailback?
Their new OC is from the Patriots who have utilized smaller RBs with great success, I'm sure that's the pitch is they want to compliment the big Blount type backs with a 3rd down/All purpose back
Asa Martin is listed at 5-11 195, that is pretty much ballpark most of their RBs they recruit
Posted on 5/19/17 at 1:43 pm to GenesChin
4* S Brendon Harris committed to Tennessee. Was a guy our staff really wanted but was always uphill battle
Posted on 5/19/17 at 5:49 pm to TigerPaw1
Auburn recruiting rewind with Jordyn Peters: ‘I begged to walk through Tiger Walk, and they would not let me’ (SECCountry)
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MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. — Jordyn Peters is an absolute delight to talk to.
This recruiting rewind series can sometimes lead to canned responses. That wasn’t the case with the Auburn safety signee.
Since the day he committed to Auburn in August, Peters has been an open book about all things recruiting. As Auburn went through secondary coach changes, he remained honest with how it might affect the way he dealt with the process. Peters shoots it straight.
The Tigers are getting a heck of a young man.
Take a look at one of the most insightful recruiting rewind Q&As you’ll read.
This post was edited on 5/19/17 at 5:51 pm
Posted on 5/19/17 at 5:49 pm to TigerPaw1
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Q&A with Jordyn Peters
Q: If you could give a junior one piece of advice about the recruiting process, what would it be?
A: “Talk to the players. As far as coaching-wise, they’re going to get you where you need to be. Coaches, they can tell you whatever, recruiting-wise. They’re not bad guys, they’re just trying to recruit you. That’s their job. They want to get you in there and tell you what you want to hear. But you need to talk to the players. The players are going to tell you how it is and how a coach is going to coach and what your chances are. You need to look at how many seniors or juniors they have for your playing time and all that. When you go on a visit, go talk to the players and ask them, ‘How is Coach? How do y’all do this in practice? Do you like it here?’ Things like that. And see if you like those guys. Because you don’t want to come into a team where you don’t feel comfortable with a team.”
Q: What school came in second? What could they have done better?
A: “I think it would’ve been between Ole Miss and Virginia Tech. Knowing how Ole Miss got that (bowl) sanction, I probably would’ve picked Virginia Tech, even though it was only a year. I still probably would’ve picked Virginia Tech second and Ole Miss third. …I went up to Tech, and it felt like an SEC school. Because I went up and visited Duke and Georgia Tech before I went up to Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech compared to those other schools. It was just a whole different feeling. It was like the SEC. They just have a beautiful campus up there. I bonded with those coaches, too — Coach Wiggins and Coach Scott and Coach Bud. I bonded with those guys that day I visited them. I had a really good feeling. … They were graduating their seniors, too, so I had a good feeling. Virginia Tech defense, they’ve got that reputation.”
Q: Anything they could’ve done better to get you?
A: “Not really. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. I probably would’ve picked Auburn anyway. But communication toward the end, it was a little flared up with them. I didn’t talk to them as much as I talked to Auburn. But I knew they were recruiting other people. It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like I didn’t talk to them. It just wasn’t as much as coaches from Auburn.”
Q: What was the most creative thing a school or coach did to get your attention?
A: “When I got my third or fourth offer from Louisville. I was up there on a junior day visit. Before we got to touring the campus, the coach came up to me and said, ‘I’ve got something for you later. I’ve got something to tell you.’ At that moment, I was like, ‘OK, I’ve probably got an offer.’ He still waited and once we got back, we were going to look at the stadium next. We were in the front and everybody else was behind us, so it was like I was leading the crew. We were walking down from their locker room to the middle of it, and right when we walked out, this music just started playing. It was like, well, not Beethoven, but like…[makes sharp violin noises] Real dramatic music. They started showing this highlight video, and it made me catch chills how it happened. And that’s when he grabbed me and said, ‘We’d like to offer you to come play at the University of Louisville.’ It was like, boom, all of that was for me. All that music, that’s how it felt. I mean, it was for everybody at the junior day, but for me to be out in front like that. It just felt real special.”
Q: What was the biggest rumor about your recruitment that wasn’t true?
A: “No. I can’t think of one. Nah.”
Q: What is the funniest thing any head coach said to you during the entire recruiting process?
A: “Coach Malzahn would say some funny things. He knew my sister and my cousin and my granddad were Alabama fans. So he would joke all the time, like, ‘We’re going to end up flipping them, or they can’t get any tickets.’ That’d be funny. That’s the funniest thing said. …The funniest conversation I had was with Coach Freeze. It wasn’t like a funny conversation. We were talking about other schools I’ve been to and stuff, and he was talking about Ole Miss. But the whole time we were sitting there, he was eating a popsicle. He’s just sitting there the whole time with it. He’d take a lick, then he’d smack his lips and ask a question. I’m just sitting there like trying to answer his questions, but I’m just looking at this popsicle. I was like, that looks good. I want one. But they didn’t get me one.”
Q: What was the biggest secret you kept during the recruiting process?
A: “I told a couple of coaches that I wasn’t going farther than like five hours. That knocked down a lot of schools. The only one I probably would’ve taken the chance on was Virginia Tech. So I told a couple of them, I’m not going farther than five hours. That’s my cap. Close enough to come home on the weekend if I need to, but far away where my mom’s not going to be up there every weekend or something like that.”
Q: What was your biggest regret of the recruiting process?
A: “I probably committed a little too early. I would’ve liked to take a couple more visits and stuff. I feel like after I committed, some of those schools fell back. They felt like I wasn’t going to flip, and I wasn’t. I felt like I could’ve committed too early. I could’ve gotten in a couple more visits. I was just worried, and my mom and my dad and my coach were telling me that I needed to commit. Just for insurance policy, in case I got hurt or something. I understood that. And I took plenty of visits. I would’ve liked to take a couple more visits to a couple more schools, but it was no big deal. I wanted to get up and visit Michigan. I would’ve taken another visit to Virginia Tech. I don’t know why, but I always wanted to visit Missouri, too.”
Posted on 5/19/17 at 5:50 pm to TigerPaw1
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Q: Was there any funny recruiting story that stands out to you?
A: “It definitely would’ve been with K.J. (Britt) and Malcolm (Askew). So much stuff happened when we went down to Auburn that was so funny. I think it was the Arkansas game, we were walking out of the dorms and walking down the stairs, and K.J. just fell. He slipped down the stairs. And me and Malcolm, we were in front of him, and we didn’t even know he fell. We were still walking, and he was just yelling at us. We turned around, and he was laying there. We started laughing at him. That’s the funniest thing I can think of. He was mad at us, because he thought we knew he fell down and just kept walking.”
Q: Which coach was it the hardest to tell no?
A: “That was probably Coach Barney for Ole Miss. He’s from around this area, and I talked to him. He’s a real funny guy. I’d go up there and mess with him all the time when I visited Ole Miss. He’s a real cool guy, and I wanted to go there and hang around him all the time. He was my friend as a coach. He’s a real cool guy. So when I had to tell him, it was hard for me. I thought he would’ve been mad at me. But, nah, he understood. He told me good luck and things like that. He wished the best for me. He said he would keep watch for me and stuff like that. It was a relief to know that he said that he was still rooting for me.”
Q: What school disappointed you the most during your recruitment?
A: “A couple of schools, they threw an offer out there, and I really didn’t talk to them after that. They’d send me like an edit or something here and there, but I never got to build a relationship with the coaches. Purdue, Tulane, Wake Forest. Minnesota was like that at first, but they started talking more toward the end. Michigan, they were on and off all the time. That was just some of them.”
Q: Which school would you have taken more seriously if they recruited you earlier in the process?
A: “Tennessee. That’s a school that I’ve always liked. If they weren’t playing Auburn, I’d root for them. That’s a team I’ve always liked. Them or Georgia.”
Q: How much negative recruiting was out there?
A: “They really didn’t bash the other schools. But they would sort of sneak diss or something like that. I heard one time, ‘Their coaching staff really isn’t solid. Their coach isn’t guaranteed to be in there much longer.’ But I wasn’t really paying attention to it. Chances were if I was going to that school, I wouldn’t be going for those reasons. I wouldn’t go for the coaching staff. You don’t go to a school for a coaching staff. The coaching staff, they aren’t guaranteed to be there. You go to a school because you feel good being at that school with those players. You have to go with a mentality that if you go down there and you get hurt on your first day and can’t play football anymore, you need to be comfortable at that college.”
Q: Which non-Auburn coach was the nicest to you? Anyone that was a little more hard-edged?
A: “Probably Coach Freeze. I talked to him a couple of times. I talked to him on the phone. He was real nice. He always asked me how I was doing and how my family was doing. He was real nice. We had a good relationship. … The coach from Duke. When I sat in his office, it was just… he was a cool guy, I liked him and everything. There wasn’t anything wrong with him. But he just sat there and carried himself, it was like, ‘Uh, I don’t want to mess with that guy.’ Which, that’s good for a coach, but there was just something about him. I didn’t have a good feeling. But it’s a good thing. I’m not bashing him. It’s just something about him. Not downing him or anything.”
Q: If you were in charge of the NCAA, what’s the one rule you would change with recruiting?
A: “Oh, I know this one. Gameday insinuation or something like that. Like if you go to Auburn, you can’t go through Tiger Walk. I’d change that. You need to give them the feeling of how they feel when they go to that school. Do some of the things that the team does on gameday and things like that. Because I begged to walk through Tiger Walk, and they would not let me. They were like, ‘You’re going to get in trouble with the NCAA.’ So I said, all right, I won’t. But to get the feeling of what it’s like to be on the team through the recruiting process, that’s one thing I would change.”
Posted on 5/19/17 at 5:51 pm to TigerPaw1
WATCH: Top-100 OL William Barnes dishes on trio of SEC programs (SECCountry)
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APOPKA, Fla. — Williams Barnes holds 18 scholarship offers and has several premier programs on his trail.
The 4-star offensive tackle from Apopka, hasn’t named a top group of favorites, but he does have interest in Alabama, Auburn and Florida.
In addition to those schools, Barnes is being heavily pursued by Florida State, Miami, North Carolina and Ohio State. He also holds SEC offers from Georgia, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The 6-foot-4, 312-pound lineman is ranked the nation’s No. 4 offensive tackle and No. 45 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite.
In the video interview below, Barnes discusses the following:
1.) His interest level in Alabama and why he’s considering the Crimson Tide.
2.) What he likes about the Auburn Tigers and their offensive line coach, Herb Hand.
3.) The appeal of the in-state Gators and his relationship with Brad Davis, his primary recruiter.
4.) Following in the footsteps of Martez Ivey, who became the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect at Apopka in 2015.
5.) What he’s looking for in a school and when he plans to make his college commitment.
Posted on 5/19/17 at 5:52 pm to TigerPaw1
Top Auburn defensive target Richard Jibunor talks ‘wild summer’ ahead (SECCountry)
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ATHENS, Ga. — Auburn target Richard Jibunor is relatively new to the game of football, so he readily admits he has a lot of uncertainties with his recruitment.
Auburn defensive target Richard Jibunor (Benjamin Wolk/SEC Country)
When Athens Christian (Ga.) exams wrap up next week, that will be where the 4-star outside linebacker’s focus will be for the rest of the summer. He has several visits planned throughout the offseason as he tries to work his way through a decision that includes Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, North Carolina and a few others.
Jibunor is set up for a busy couple of months as a top prospect.
MORE: Jibunor shares unique journey as foreign exchange student
“I really want to see most of the schools I haven’t visited yet. I’ve been talking to the coaches every day and never been there,” Jibunor said. “I love almost every school recruiting me. It’s going to be a wild summer for me. I’m just going to travel around. I don’t care how close or how far the school is.”
In the video above, you’ll get answers to the following questions and more:
- What position do most programs project you at?
- Which staff was at Jibunor’s practice Tuesday? Who else has visited?
- What visits does Jibunor have planned this summer?
- What have Auburn and Tennessee done to separate themselves?
- When does Jibunor hope to have a final decision by?
Posted on 5/19/17 at 5:53 pm to TigerPaw1
Top Auburn defensive back target Joseph Foucha explains why Auburn ‘means something’ to him (SECCountry)
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Top DB breaks down Auburn interest, recent visit
Greg Brown’s attention and prioritization is paying off for Auburn.
Auburn’s first-year defensive backs coach appears to have done some attentive scouting this spring with his defensive backs of choice. The Tigers are recruiting multiple cornerbacks and safeties from multiple different states, and nearly all of them have been guys Brown has keyed in on since taking over.
Joseph Foucha from New Orleans is a textbook example.
Brown watched the 3-star safety from McDonogh 35 (La.) practice earlier in the evaluation period. Foucha returned the favor with a visit to Auburn at the beginning of May.
The shared interest in one another has Foucha talking highly of the Tigers’ efforts.
“I’d say Auburn’s recruiting me the hardest right now” Foucha said. “We’ve been keeping in contact every day or every other day. … I’ve been talking to coach Brown. We’re just always sending text messages to keep the relationship built. The relationship is real strong, though, because coach Brown is a real a cool guy. He likes me as a player and how I practice. He sees me at a few positions besides just safety. He’s been recruiting me very hard.”
Arkansas-recruiting-Joe-Foucha
Auburn safety target Joseph Foucha (Sam Spiegelman/SEC Country)
Foucha’s first visit to Auburn passed expectations.
It gave him more personal time with Brown, as well as other members of the college coaching staff. Foucha mentioned aspects of the coaches, the campus and the atmosphere as major stand-out moments on the preliminary trip to the Plains.
“Talking to coach Brown, he showed me a lot. It was amazing getting to hang out with him. He actually came to watch me practice. It was good to talk to him, hang out with him, get the feel of the stuff like that,” Foucha said. “I felt how I wanted to feel. Everything I wanted to see, I saw it. Everything is close there. You wouldn’t have to travel as far. Everything is right there, what you eat, where you train at, where you sleep.”
Foucha could come out with a list of top 12 schools as early as today, and rest-assured, Auburn is high on that list.
Alabama, LSU, TCU, SMU, Baylor and Oregon are just a few of the programs you can expect to see alongside the Tigers. He has hopes to visits a few other schools he’s never been before, including Ole Miss and Arkansas and a decision won’t be made until National Signing Day in February, he said.
Auburn’s primary advantage may come through Foucha’s childhood, however. The Louisiana producct, once an aspiring quarterback, grew up in the Cam Newton era. He considers Newton one of his favorite players, and those defining college moments always made the Tigers one of his favorite teams to watch and envision himself play for.
“It’s just a school I looked at growing as a kid when Cam Newton was playing when I used to play quarterback. That’s a school I loved to watch,” Foucha said. “That’s just a school that means something to me.”
Foucha will return for a second trip to Auburn for Big Cat Weekend on June 3.
Posted on 5/19/17 at 5:54 pm to TigerPaw1
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Top-100 OL breaks down Alabama, Auburn, Florida
SEC Country Florida reporter Zach Abolverdi went to Apopka (Fla.) Tuesday to speak with top-100 offensive lineman William Barnes.
Barnes remains one of Auburn’s top wants in the 2018 recruiting class. The No. 45-ranked prospect in the nation is considered a strong Florida lean, but is considering at least Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State and North Carolina, as well.
The Auburn connection goes way back to a camp he particiapted in last summer and a strong relationship with offensive line coach Herb Hand.
“The campus was just gorgeous to me. I definitely enjoyed the players, too. They were cool to just talk to. I seen them practice a little bit before. That’s something I enjoyed, too. I also loved being coached by coach Hand too, going up there for a camp one time. That was definitely enjoyable,” Barnes said. “I love the way they treat their players. They take care of them. I love the schools and the coaches too. Coach Hand. He’s always on my Twitter, texting me. It’s always stuff that I appreciate.”
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