re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition

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My bad, Bama. No idea if that's legit or not

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AuburnUndercover presents Auburn’s 10 most wanted prospects for the class of 2018. To compile this, we’ve considered where each player sits on the Auburn board, Auburn's need at the position, the Tigers' chances of landing the prospect as well as the player’s skill set. This list is extremely fluid. In recruiting, things can change on both sides in an instant. At this time, Auburn’s recruiting board continues to shift (so look for this list to change dramatically in the future). New offers have gone out weekly. Auburn has six commitments at the moment. At this time, we expect the Tigers to sign slightly fewer than the max (without back-counting) of 25 but the exact target won’t be known for several months. Recent transfers should get Auburn closer to 25 in the class.

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2. Justin Fields, QB: Even though Auburn already has a quarterback on the commit list (Joey Gatewood), the recent transfers of backups Woody Barrett and Tyler Queen have made it important to land another. Fields is the top target. He's committed to Penn State, but the Tigers are recruiting him hard, as are schools such as Florida, Georgia and LSU. He'll have a final decision sometime this summer.

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4. Coynis Miller, DT: Auburn and Alabama are the favorites for Miller, who probably is the No. 1 defensive tackle on the Tigers' board. He has visited Auburn more than any other program and that helps. So does the fact former teammate Tadarian Moultry will play for the Tigers. That said, Alabama also has made Miller a priority and he is a longtime Tide fan. Look for Miller to attend Big Cat Weekend on June 3 at Auburn.

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6. Richard Jibunor, Buck: Auburn looks like the team to beat for the 4-star pass rusher at this time largely because of the strong relationships the Tigers have built with him. That said, Jibunor wants to visit more schools so he could have a busy summer. Having two Nigerian natives on the roster at Auburn could help with Jibunor, who moved to Georgia from Nigeria three years ago. Auburn needs pass rushers and that's what the Tigers think Jibunor can be. He's a priority recruit for sure.

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7. Richard Gouraige, OT: With two inside linemen committed, Auburn's priority now is on landing an elite tackle or two -- and Gouraige is one of the tops on the list. He's a top-100 recruit who visited the Tigers for three days earlier this spring. Auburn offensive line coach Herb Hand watched him play Friday night. Florida leads, with LSU next, followed by Auburn and Clemson. He hasn't yet visited LSU but hopes to do so in June. A return trip to Auburn probably is in the works, too. Auburn is very much in the hunt, but Florida might be in the strongest

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9. Matthew Hill, WR: Auburn is the clear favorite here, with South Carolina probably next. Hill is a top-100 national recruit in the 247Sports rankings -- and we believe he potentially could join the class in the next month or so. Hill will be out of town and can't attend Big Cat Weekend at Auburn on June 3.

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t10. Master Teague, RB: The 4-star back from Tennessee has a final three of Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee with the Bulldogs trending with the 247Sports Crystal Ball. He could have a decision in the next few weeks. Auburn is extremely high on Teague and has recruited him quite hard. The Tigers hope to land either Teague or Asa Martin, to go along with all-purpose back Shaun Shivers, who already is committed.

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ST. JOHNS, Fla., — After splitting time at quarterback during each of his three previous seasons, is this the year Auburn commit Joey Gatewood of Bartram Trail High finally gets all the reps to himself on Friday nights?

Probably not.

In fact, Gatewood once again is expected to split time with another player. But according to Bears coach Darrell Sutherland, that isn’t anything that should concern people. The reason: The quarterback who will share reps with Gatewood, Riley Smith, holds 26 offers himself.

“I’m a high school coach and we’re a high school program and we’ve got two young men who are going to play Division I football,” Sutherland said. “Philosophically, fundamentally, I don’t think it’s right to say, ‘Alright, you’re going to do this’ and then say to the other one, ‘Sorry.’ My job as a high school coach is to develop young men and to give them the opportunity to be successful. Not just one young man, but all the young men in our program.”

Gatewood, a 4-star recruit and Under Amour All-American, is the better known of the two. He started landing offers as a freshman and committed to Auburn about a month after finishing his sophomore season.

In three seasons, he has thrown for 1,791 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions on 151-of-263 passing (57 percent). His completion percentage has risen dramatically each season.

Additionally, Gatewood has rushed for 2,283 yards and 23 touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 336 yards. (When Gatewood isn't playing quarterback, he's usually still on the field).

Last year, Gatewood and Smith not only split time with each other, but a third quarterback, Jordan Smith, who signed with FBS Gardner-Webb. While Gatewood was 59 of 87 for 716 yards, Riley Smith competed 87 of 132 passes for 1,122 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

As Gatewood noted, Smith, a 3-star recruit, is “really good. He’s got a big arm, great accuracy, good feet.”

At last check, Smith was waiting for his first offer from a Power 5 school. Asked if Smith had the ability to play at that level, Gatewood responded, “I can see it.”

According to Gatewood, splitting time with other quarterbacks took getting used to for him.

“I don’t see where it cannot bother you because I want to play (QB) the whole game,” Gatewood said. “But it’s what I’ve been doing since when I first got to high school. With me and Riley, we’re both talented. It has nothing to do with skill set.”

That competition hasn’t hindered him, but helped him, Gatewood insisted. Smith and Sutherland shared the sentiment.

“Oh yeah,” Smith said. “Just our competitive level throughout every practice. We’re always competing with each other. We’re always congratulating each other. I think it will make us better in the long run when we get to college and will have to compete again for a spot.”

For Sutherland, having two quality quarterbacks isn’t a problem, it’s a blessing. And, he doesn’t think the fact they split reps hurts either.

“To me, it’s about the drive to get better,” Sutherland said.

According to Smith, the two quarterbacks pull for each other and bonded long ago.

“It happened right away,” Smith said. “We both have competitive natures but we’ve been friends since middle school.”

With Gatewood having to split reps, at times the thought of transferring admittedly crossed his mind in the past. That neither he nor Smith left Bartram Trail speaks to the dedication both players have to the program, according to Sutherland.

“To me, that should be something colleges should be lauding these guys for,” Sutherland said. “In an era when if it’s not perfect, go, go somewhere else, these men have committed to being here because they are loyal to the program and loyal to their teammates, they’re loyal to the process. That should make a college excited. … If I’m Auburn personally I’m excited about the fact Joey’s still here. You’ve got a guy that has had every opportunity to leave and has had everybody try to encourage him to leave and instead he stayed here and did what he thinks is right.”

At Bartram Trail, Gatewood and Smith are not Sutherland’s first quality quarterback recruits. He previously coached Kyle Parker, who started at Clemson, and Nathan Peterman, a fifth-round pick by Buffalo this spring.

Last fall, Peterman took the Bartram Trail quarterbacks to breakfast to have a talk.

“Part of the conversation he had with them, value what you have here because this is what it’s going to be like when you get to college,” Sutherland said. “He told them you’re going to have a QB room full of guys that are great, that are competitors and it’s going to be your job to compete with them, not against them.”

This spring, one major college after the other stopped by Bartram Trail to scout both quarterbacks. Florida, North Carolina and Pittsburgh are among the schools who potentially could be close to offering the 6-feet-4, 200-pound Smith.

“He’s really good,” Sutherland said. “No doubt he can play at a major program.”

In Gatewood, Sutherland said he has seen great improvement both on and off the field. Gatewood meets with his coach every morning to go over the offense. He has become more of a vocal leader. And technically, things are coming along nicely.

“From a maturity standpoint, I see a lot of leadership there,” Sutherland said. “He’s matured a lot and that’s what high school is about. And he’s gifted. His arm is strong. I’ve never seen anybody with the arm talent he has.”

As much as anyone, Gatewood has impressed his competitor and teammate, Smith.

“He’s the most athletic guy on any field you step on,” Smith said. “He can make plays and extend plays and make plays if they blow up. He’s the best at getting outside the pocket and finding a receiver downfield.”

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