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re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition
Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:43 am to TigerPaw1
Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:43 am to TigerPaw1
quote:
5. Seth Williams, 4-star wide receiver, Paul W. Bryant — uncommitted
Seth Williams is a big-bodied receiver from the Tuscaloosa area. While you may think Alabama is the favorite, it’s Auburn that has the best chance at landing his commitment. Williams is highly coveted by major schools because of his size and how electric he is with the ball in his hands.
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Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:44 am to TigerPaw1
quote:
4. Asa Martin, 4-star running back, Austin — committed to Auburn
Asa Martin has been an absolute stud since returning to the state of Alabama. Take last week, for instance. Martin only carried the ball eight times, but he was able to rush for 253 yards. Don’t be surprised if Alabama tries to make this a recruiting competition as signing day approaches because Martin has a skill set that every top program would want.
Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:44 am to TigerPaw1
quote:
3. Jalyn Armour-Davis, 4-star cornerback, St. Paul’s Episcopal — committed to Alabama
Jalyn Armour-Davis committed to Alabama over Auburn and seems locked in with his choice. Armour-Davis stands at 6-foot and weighs around 165 pounds. He’ll need to add muscle in college, but that shouldn’t be a problem in Scott Cochran’s program at Alabama. What’s special about Armour-Davis is his ability to play on and off coverage because of his elite speed and athleticism. He’s a state champion in the triple jump and 100-meter dash.
Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:44 am to TigerPaw1
quote:
2. Coynis Miller, 4-star defensive tackle, Jackson-Olin — uncommitted
Aside from the only person ranked ahead of him, Coynis Miller is the state’s most heavily recruited prospect by Auburn and Alabama. The big defensive tackle has the strength and ability to be one of the top prospects in the entire country. As his high school coach says, if his motor matches his skill set, there’s nothing stopping Miller from being one of the top-10 prospects in the class. There aren’t many offensive linemen in the nation who can stop Miller from doing what he wants.
Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:45 am to TigerPaw1
quote:
1. Justyn Ross, 4-star wide receiver, Central — uncommitted
Justyn Ross is the No. 1 or 2 wide receiver target for Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and Florida State. That tells you all you need to know about why he should be considered the state’s top prospect. There aren’t many receivers in the country with his size (6-foot-4), ability to jump and above-average speed. He’s very tough for any corner to lock down because of his physicality. He still needs to polish his route-running, but he has mightily improved from where he was a year ago.
Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:55 am to CaptainBrannigan
quote:Many people. It's AE that banned a lot. Different Mod structure at AUF and the guy that runs bannings there now is very lenient.
Who isn't?
Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:56 am to TTsTowel
quote:Pretty surethat's one of the few things he's learned from given the way he recruited the QB position in this and the last class.
We have a head coach that took a high school quarterback barely completely 50% of his passes, Woody Barrett. Don't underestimate Gus Malzahn when it comes to take a quarterback that can't pass.
Posted on 9/19/17 at 11:19 am to ellitor
The 5-stars of the Malzahn era (247)
Copy & paste are disabled but here is a quick summary
DT Montravius Adams - productive/elite
DE Carl Lawson - productive/elite
RB Roc Thomas - bust
LB Tre Williams - productive
DE Byron Cowart - bust
DT Derrick Brown - productive/becoming elite
OT Calvin Ashley - TBD
FWIW I gave my own labels based off summary KN had. It feels like every 5* busts but truth is we typically are getting good results. Adams/Lawson/Williams have all been great for AU with Williams coming on strong last year and this year. Derrick Brown is well on his way to becoming a star too. Will be interesting to see what happens with Ashley moving forward
Copy & paste are disabled but here is a quick summary
DT Montravius Adams - productive/elite
DE Carl Lawson - productive/elite
RB Roc Thomas - bust
LB Tre Williams - productive
DE Byron Cowart - bust
DT Derrick Brown - productive/becoming elite
OT Calvin Ashley - TBD
FWIW I gave my own labels based off summary KN had. It feels like every 5* busts but truth is we typically are getting good results. Adams/Lawson/Williams have all been great for AU with Williams coming on strong last year and this year. Derrick Brown is well on his way to becoming a star too. Will be interesting to see what happens with Ashley moving forward
Posted on 9/19/17 at 11:28 am to TigerPaw1
quote:
LB Tre Williams - productive
How can you not put elite beside one of the top LBs in the country?
Posted on 9/19/17 at 11:29 am to TigerPaw1
Interesting observation. Roc and Cowart seem to share similar personalities.
Posted on 9/19/17 at 11:31 am to jvilletiger25
quote:
How can you not put elite beside one of the top LBs in the country?
I am probably short changing him but wanted to wait to see him put a full season together before designating him elite. FWIW I think he has a shot at being an All-American this year and an early round draft pick if he can stay healthy
Posted on 9/19/17 at 11:57 am to TigerPaw1
He's playing really well. He seems so much faster than he did when he was a Freshman/Sophomore.
Posted on 9/19/17 at 12:36 pm to bawbarn
quote:
He's playing really well. He seems so much faster than he did when he was a Freshman/Sophomore.
He has had lingering ankle/foot problems. The kind you can/should play through, but definitely, limit you. One writer has been suggesting he still isn't 100%
Still, I am shocked by just how much faster he looks out there. He really has stepped up his game
Posted on 9/19/17 at 3:05 pm to GenesChin
quote:
Still, I am shocked by just how much faster he looks out there. He really has stepped up his game
I legitimately wouldn't trade our LB group for any other in America. DeShaun and Tre have been incredible. And when he is in there, Darrell is fantastic. Really like Atkinson too.
Moultry looked really big, fast and aggressive out there against Mercer too. Bright looking future at that position.
Posted on 9/19/17 at 8:44 pm to WareagleKK
KN CBd Michael Parker to AU and Zakoby McClain to WV
Posted on 9/19/17 at 11:39 pm to WareagleKK
quote:
DeShaun and Tre have been incredible.
I agree and if there was one play Deshaun could have back, it would probably be the TD scamper by K.Bryant where he didn't wrap him up.
Posted on 9/20/17 at 6:51 pm to TigerProwl24
Matthew Hill has been offered by Clemson
Posted on 9/21/17 at 7:26 am to TigerPaw1
Breaking down Auburn’s quarterback situation from a recruiting perspective (SECCountry)
Kinda wish we would go after James Foster from Montgomery currently committed to Missouri. There are some good dual threat options available in the southeast this year for that 2nd spot
quote:
Ranking the likelihood of Auburn’s QB recruiting options
With Sean White’s suspension Monday, a very harsh reality hit the Auburn quarterback room: There are only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.
On March 21, the day Tyler Queen decided to transfer, Auburn’s quarterback roster included Queen, Woody Barrett, Sean White, Jarrett Stidham and Malik Willis. You can even throw in John Franklin III, even though he was already a wide receiver at that point.
Fast forward to Monday, after White’s dismissal, and it was down to two — Stidham and Willis.
SEC Country team reporters Justin Ferguson and Lauren Shute aced the team-side coverage Monday when the news broke.
But there were a lot of questions from the recruiting perspective, as well. Does this help Auburn with Justin Fields? Will the Tigers take the JUCO route to find another quarterback? How much has Joey Gatewood’s progression affected the overall plan?
Based on talking with sources — and my own personal analysis of Auburn’s quarterback position and recruiting — the Tigers have a few directions to take. By my estimation, there are four directions Auburn can go.
Below are my rankings of the possible options, in terms of how likely I think they are.
4. Take a second quarterback, but from a junior college. With the successes of Cam Newton, Nick Marshall and Stidham, it’s natural for Auburn to look toward junior college for a talented quarterback. The only issue? There isn’t really anyone of that caliber in this class. In the 247Sports composite rankings, there aren’t any quarterbacks inside the top 50. The most likely option may be Mississippi Gulf Coast quarterback Torrance Gibson, formerly of Ohio State. He visited Auburn over the weekend with defensive line commit Daquan Newkirk, but for the time being he isn’t considered a true recruiting target. For now, the JUCO route just doesn’t seem feasible.
3. Take a second high school quarterback: Justin Fields. This probably is the option every Auburn fan wants. Fields attended Georgia’s game last Saturday, and he’s expected to be in Athens this weekend when Georgia plays Mississippi State on a huge recruiting weekend. My Crystal Ball pick has been and continues to be on Georgia. Auburn’s best bet is to get Fields on an official visit and convince him the depth chart is open with only two scholarship quarterbacks. The problem: Georgia will have only two scholarship quarterbacks after this season, as well.
2. Only take Joey Gatewood. In April, Auburn started to make a move for a second quarterback. I had a source cite depth concerns as the primary reason to take two. But the other part of the equation is that they’ve offered only one quarterback since making that decision, and it was Fields. It’s not that Auburn necessarily wanted a second quarterback. They wanted the quarterback. If the Tigers miss on Fields, which I’m projecting right now, don’t be surprised if they ride with Gatewood only. He’s been exceptional in the early stages of the 2017 season, arguably as productive as Fields against superior competition, all while splitting reps. Auburn will see Gatewood on Oct. 27 in Gainesville, Fla., and if Chip Lindsey is impressed, the Tigers might just stick with the guy who has been committed since December 2015.
1. Take a second HS quarterback (not Justin Fields). Now that the quarterback room has been depleted even further, I think Auburn will feel obligated to take two in this class. Auburn will pick up the pressure on Fields, I’m sure, which makes No. 3 on this list the most likely to rise. But if the Tigers miss, they’d much rather go into 2018 with four scholarship quarterbacks instead of three. Who will that “Not Justin Fields” be? That’s the million-dollar question, and I don’t have a good answer right now. Think about last year. Auburn didn’t offer Malik Willis until Dec. 29 after having recruited him as a defensive back for most of the cycle. There are plenty of guys like that out there who Gus Malzahn and Lindsey will have to evaluate closely.
And there you have it. I’d like to issue one disclaimer, which somewhat coincides with No. 2. Auburn is the front-runner to land 2019 quarterback Bo Nix, who will end up as a top-tier 4-star prospect. His father, Patrick Nix, played for the Tigers at a high level. If Auburn rolls into 2018 with only three quarterback, the Tigers’ chances with Nix skyrocket.
Just something to think about.
Kinda wish we would go after James Foster from Montgomery currently committed to Missouri. There are some good dual threat options available in the southeast this year for that 2nd spot
Posted on 9/21/17 at 7:26 am to TigerPaw1
quote:
Michael Harris taking visits elsewhere?
Auburn’s only linebacker commit in the 2018 class was back on the Plains last weekend. Michael Harris watched the Mercer game and made it an overnight outing in Auburn with several other commits in the class.
But Harris has taken visits elsewhere.
Just last week, Harris was in Athens visiting Georgia, a school he considered along with Auburn after Ohio State ran out of linebacker spots. For now, I don’t think this is anything to worry about for the Tigers. Harris said when he committed — and when I was at his season opener — that he was keeping options open and remaining cordial with a few coaching staffs, something he said Travis Williams gave him the OK to do.
On top of that, Georgia is in the mix for several top linebackers in the 2018 class, so it’s likely the Bulldogs are just trying to keep Harris in the rotation on the off chance things go completely awry. Even if the Bulldogs were to push, I still think Ohio State is the only program that would have the ability to pull Harris away from Auburn at this time.
Posted on 9/21/17 at 7:28 am to TigerPaw1
Auburn quarterback commit Joey Gatewood talks his success, depth chart opportunity with Tigers (SECCountry)
quote:
Auburn commit Joey Gatewood silences critics
Joey Gatewood came into the 2017 season with a point to prove.
The Auburn quarterback commit had some doubters out there. He heard the critics.
You’re not a quarterback. You could probably be an NFL caliber tight end. You can’t play college quarterback if you split snaps in high school.
Gatewood even took a dip in recruiting rankings because talent evaluators had trouble measuring a guy who split time at quarterback, but also spent time returning kicks and playing wide receiver. Should he be considered a quarterback or an athlete? Gatewood knew it was time to silence all of that with the start of the 2017 season.
In the early goings of the Bartram Trail (Fla.) calendar, he’s done just that.
“I felt like I’ve definitely started off strong,” Gatewood told SEC Country. “It’s really just the beginning.”
Gatewood’s stats tell the story.
Through three games, he has completed 33 of 47 passes for a completion percentage above 70 percent. Gatewood has thrown for 506 yards, 4 touchdowns and zero interceptions. While flashing his arm talent, he’s still a force to be reckoned with as a runner. He’s accumulated 275 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on 39 rushing attempts. That’s 7.1 yards per carry.
Perhaps the most compelling part of it all is that he’s still sharing possessions in high school. So he’s put up those numbers in three games, but it really can be considered more like a game and a half, which makes Gatewood’s numbers so far seem nearly impossible against the highest level of competition in Florida (and Cartersville, one of the best teams in Georgia).
Gatewood’s improvements as a passer have made him an even greater threat as a runner.
“Definitely my passing improved. I have a lot of people pushing me, people saying I’m not a quarterback. I just really wanted to prove that. As my stats stand right now, I think it really shows,” Gatewood said. “I was working with a QB coach down here, but I would work any chance I could get really. It’s just the little things. Elite 11 helped me a lot. All those things. It was just something I needed to do. … It played a big role. You know, I love when people doubt me. It just pushes me.”
Gatewood spoke with Lindsey last Thursday. The two were just catching up, “nothing special,” as Gatewood describes it. But the Auburn offensive coordinator might be one of the most impressed by the quarterback commit’s early season performance.
It has given the Tigers some reason to relax.
“It’s really nothing special or different. There’s some stuff I can’t say, but it’s just my coach. He’s just talking to me. He has questions for me. It’s like talking to my coach,” he said. “He’s really proud. He’s really proud of how I handle myself and how I’m playing and how I’m dealing with my team.”
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